Portugal - Vila Nova de Milfontes and the Mira River

Vila Nova de Milfontes and the Mira River - Portugal

This postcard was postmarked in 2008.

 

Portugal - Algarve, Multiview

Algarve

The sender writes:

Dear Brenda
It was such a pleasure to meet you in Tampere, Finland last week!  You mentioned enjoying 'weird postcards' so here's a quirky one for you.  They managed to cram everything about our region in a singe card via photoshop: the fish next to the flowers next to the beach and the sunflowers.  There are a few more things they should have added (figs, almonds, golf...)  maybe I'll find a more comprehensive card!
Hugs,
Ana

This postcard is from 2017.

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Algarve is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal.  It is famous for its hand-painted pottery and ceramics.

Portugal - The Palace of Queluz, Don Quixote Room

Quarto D. Quixote (1759 - 1774)
Arquitecto: Jean-Baptiste Robillion
Pintores: Manuel da Costa e Jose Antonio Narciso

The Don Quixote Room (1759 - 1774)
Architect: Jean-Baptiste Robillion
Painters: Manuel da Costa and Jose Antonio Narciso

This postcard is from the Palace of Queluz and is from 2017. 

Portugal - Palmela, Castle of Palmela

Palmela, Portugal
Castelo de Palmela

Foto: Luis Almeida
2017

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I am not sure... but I believe this picture was taken from the Casal de Santo Isidro Windmills.

Portugal - Belem, Monument of the Discoveries, Dear Doctor

Monument of the Discoveries in Belem, outside Lisbon, commemorates the 500th anniversary of Prince Henry the Navigator pioneer of maritime discovery.

This is a medical advertising postmarked mailed in 1961 to a doctor in West Virginia, USA.

On the back of the card these words are printed:

Dear Doctor:
Here in Portugal, our special stamp commemorates the life, 5 centuries ago, of Prince Henry the Navigator.  Today PENTOTHAL too has charted new worlds of progress.  You'll like its dependable, easily controlled intravenous anesthesia.  Use it soon.
Abbott

(Here is the stamp on the postcard.)

Portugal - Porto, City andTrain View

Porto, Portugal

City and Train
2009

Portugal - Praca, Republica Square and Ave.

Portugal

Praca da republica e foz do Ave
Republica square and the estuary of the Ave
2009

Portugal - Lisbon, Torre de Belem

Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal
Torre de Belem (Belem Tower)

foto: M.S.
2009

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Belém Tower  is a fortified tower located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition. It has become one of the symbols of the city, a memorial to Portuguese power as it was during the Age of Discovery.

In 1983, it was classified, together with the nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery), as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portugal - Padrao dos Descobrimentos

Lisboa, (Lisbon) Portugal
Padrao dos Descobrimentos

foto: Alvaro Soto
2009

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Padrão dos Descobrimentos is a monument that celebrates the Portuguese who took part in the Age of Discovery of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is located on the estuary of the Tagus river in the Belém parish of Lisbon, Portugal.

The monument consists of a 52 metre-high slab of concrete, carved into the shape of the prow of a ship. The side that faces away from the river features a carved sword stretching the full height of the monument. It was conceived by Portuguese artists, architect Cottinelli Telmo and sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida as a temporary beacon of the Portuguese World Fair in 1940. 

Portugal - Moncao, Muralha e Rio Minho

Moncao - Portugal
Muralha e Rio Minho (Wall and Minho River)
2009

Portugal - Algarve, Cacela Velha

Algarve
Cacela  Velha (the name of the village)
Portugal

The sender writes that this is where everyone goes in the summer and that it has many tourists from all over Europe.

The first picture is the Cacela Velha Fortress.
2009

Portugal - Lisboa, Lisbon, Belem Tower, Santa Justa Lift, Monument

Lisboa

-Torre de Belem (Belem Tower)
- Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Lift)
- Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries)

Lisboa Portugal (Lisbon Portugal)
2014

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Belém Tower is a fortified tower that is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. it was built in the early 16th century.

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The Santa Justa Lift is an elevator/lift in the historical city of Lisbon. It connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo (Carmo Square).

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The Monument to the Discoveries is located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the orient.  It celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Portugal - Azores, Acores, Multiview

Acores (Azores)

Arquipelago dos Acores
Archipelago of the Azores

Shown are:
Flores, Corvo, Sao Jorge, Graciosa, Terceira, Faial, Pico, Sao Miguel,  and Santa Maria
2014

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The Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Mount Pico, on the island of Pico, is the highest point in Portugal, at 2,351 m (7,713 ft).

Portugal - Viseu Cathedral, Interior View

Portugal
Viseu - Se Catedral
(Viseu Cathedral)
2015

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Viseu Cathedral is in the city of Viseu, Portugal. The building of the church started in the 12th century with many building campaigns taking place in the 16th century.

Portugal - Serra Da Estrela

Serra Da Estrela
Parque Natural - (Natural Park)

Torre - 1993m de altitude
Beira Alta
Portugal
2009

The buildings are part of an old observatory.

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Serra da Estrela (English: Mountain Range of the Star) is the highest mountain range in Portugal.  The range is at 1,993 m (6,539 feet) above sea level at its highest point. This point is not a distinctive mountain summit, but rather the highest point in a plateau, being known as Torre ("Tower" in English). The Torre has the unusual feature of being a summit that is accessible by paved road.

Portugal - Figueira Da Foz

Figueira Da Foz
Vista panoramica (panoramic view)
Portugal
2009

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According to the legend the place’s name is due to a fig tree, which stood at the quay of Salmanha, where the fishermen used to tie up their boats. The historian Nelson Borges said, however, that Figueira comes from the word "fagaria", which means "opening, huge mouth". Foz comes from the Latin word "fouces" = "mouth of a river", and Mondego comes from the pre-romanic expressions "mond" = "mouth" and "aec"= "river". That means, Figueira da Foz would be "the river’s mouth opening".

Portugal - Tomar Multiview

Tomar - Portugal

Diversos aspectos
Plusieurs aspects
Several aspects

(on the right is the  Templar church (12th century)  It is the main monument of the city and one of the most important in Portugal. Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site)
2010

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Tomar also known in English as Thomar, is a city with a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.

It was founded as headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal in the 12th century and contains some of the most significant Templar monuments in Europe. Tomar was especially important in the 15th century when it was a centre of Portuguese overseas expansion under Henry the Navigator, the Grand Master of the Order of Christ, successor organization to the Templars in Portugal.

Myths of Tomar:

It is rumored that there is a secret passageway between the Santa Maria dos Olivais church and the Castle. It is also rumoured that a theatre called Paraíso is haunted, or that there is an old man living in its attic.
The Castle of Almourol nearby is where several bad events (deaths and tragic love stories) have taken place and is supposed to be haunted by a princess.

Portugal - Fado, Musical Genre

Fado
2010

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Fado is a music genre which can be traced from the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor.

The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade which means to miss or to long for someone or something.

Portugal - Cidade Florida - Flowered Windows

"Cidade Florida"
Janelas Floridas
Flowered Windows

Abrantes, Portugal
2010

the sender writes:
I live in a small town called Abrantes.  In this picture you can see my grandmothers house which is very well known here because of the flowers on the windows.

Portugal - Madeira, World's Second Highest Sea Cliff

Madeira
Cabo Girao

World's second highest sea cliff
La 2me plus haut rocher sur la mer
1963

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Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union.