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What’s life like in Portugal? Wonderful beaches, golf courses, and natural beauty throughout the country? Yes, Europe’s oldest nation-state, is home to pretty weather. But you can go from surfing to skiing in a heartbeat. Yes, while many picture the Portuguese soaking on beaches, like the beautiful Algarve or heavenly Porto Santo, but when considering Portugal’s climate, some may not realize it that just a few hundred kilometers north there are actually places you can go skiing like “Serra da Estrela”. Portugal is also a cost-effective country. Portugal will, in most places, knock out the big cities in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. Pricey Scandinavian countries will not be able to compete, and other expensive popular cities in Western Europe, like Paris, do not fare better. So, just for a kind reminder to all, Portugal is still one of the cheapest countries in Western Europe. Interested? Keep reading for further quirks and features on Portugal. Breakfast in Portugal is traditionally coffee and a bread roll, but lunch is a big affair. Dinner is also a main contender for something mouthwatering, although dinner is generally served late, it will not stop a traditional serving with three courses, often including soup. The most common soup is "caldo verde," with potato, shredded kale, and chunks of sausage. The food Scene is Spectacular. Today, naturally, Portuguese cuisine varies from region to region, but fresh vegetables, fish and shellfish are found on virtually every menu. The national dish is "bacalhau," dried, salted cod and the Portuguese are obsessed with it. You will find it all almost every restaurant in the country. The most typical desserts are cinnamon-flavored rice pudding, flan, and caramel custard, but they also often include a variety of cheese. There are many outstanding pastries, like "barriga de freira" ("nun's belly"), "papos de anjo" ("angel's chests"), and "toucinho do céu" ("bacon from heaven"). A particularly delicious pastry is "pastel de nata," a small custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon and it is absolutely heavenly. The world's most powerful passports for 2021, is not in Australia, Canada or France, it is in Portugal. The top 10 rankings for the most powerful passports, Portugal comes in a very honorable 4th place. It beats top contenders like Sweden(5th), New Zealand, Belgium, Switzerland (6th). For reference the United States and the United Kingdom, are placed after at No. 7, alongside the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta and Norway. But what about Australia and Canada? Has Portugal outranked them? Yes, Australia and Canada are in eighth place, and places like Hungary Poland and Slovakia have together broken into the No.10 spot. Safety With a ton of history to learn about, some pretty stunning architecture to gawk at, and plentiful beaches, we’re all for a trip to Portugal, but is it safe? Yes, it’s one of the safest countries in Europe as crime levels are very low. All that being said, we’d say Portugal is absolutely safe on the whole. Covid Safety Portugal’s vaccination campaign is almost over now, and it has exceeded even the wildest goals. Nearly an entire nation trusted in the science, officials say. At mass immunization centers, just the last trickle of teenagers is passing through. Some 85 percent of Portugal’s population is fully vaccinated — aside from tiny Gibraltar, the highest rate in the world. In Portugal, every indicator of pandemic severity is quickly trending downward. The death rate is half the European Union average and nine times below that of the United States. Lisbon, Porto and Funchal are triumphant: Cities with live music and where early-risers might find sidewalks with walkers. Traffic is back to normal as people settle into the rhythms of commuting to work. And the celebrity of the moment — on glossy magazine covers — is the former submarine commander who led the country’s vaccination drive to a success story. Contact us, and let us help you get here.