Friday, May 24, 2013

Almada, Portugal

Almada



Almada is a Portuguese city with around 175 000 inhabitants, being one of the most populated cities of Portugal. It has a big shore at west for the Atlantic Ocean and at North for the Tagus River, so it provides the city with a great potential for sun and sea tourism as well as country tourism. Almada rose as a city due to the industrialization from 19th century until the 70’s of the 20th century, its location near to the river allowed naval industries to supply jobs to families and give them good life conditions, although the city was very rural and behind the trends presented by the modern cities in Europe.

When Portugal adhered to the CEE, with the subsequent investment, the city of Almada also started to develop by developing the academic facilities like the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Monte da Caparica and the Superior Institute of Egas Moniz where the academic spirit is well represented by young and dynamic people that give energy to the city with good programs to integrate all the population and the traditional academic events, like traditional festivals every week. One of the biggest struggles in Almada in the social inequality presented in the city that causes some assimetries, in terms of income and also safety, insecure areas are mainly in the perifery of the city.

The beaches of Costa da Caparica are the biggest touristic attraction of Almada, sun and beach in the summer with temperatures over 35ºC and with sports like surf, kitesurf, windsurf and bodyboard and good restaurants with fresh fish and acessible prices, and pubs and discos where anyone can have a good time and with acessible prices too, in average 10 to 20 €. If you prefer other types of tourism, there’s always the monument of Cristo Rei, where you can visit the top of it and you’ll have a great view of Tagus River and the entire city of Lisbon. If you want cultural activities, Almada provides the tourists with a great offer, with two big libraries, the City Forum Romeu Correia and the Jose Saramago City Library, both equipped with Audiovisual rooms, lobby, bar, newspaper rooms and a room which purpose is to held conferences, seminars, meeting or even areas to children. Almada has some recognized names at cultural level, like the former footballer Luis Figo, or the music bands like Xutos e Pontapés and Da Weasel or even Sara Tavares and Melech Mechaya

Almada is full of parks and nature, the environment has been a huge bet on the local government, so we can say that Almada is a green city. The kind of transportation used in Almada is mainly subway or bus. People often use the train, but to cross the bridge to go to Lisbon, which is the capital and where the majority of people get a job opportunity. Almada has a big problem with unemployment due to this proximity to the capital, so only small businesses are available in this city and one of the biggest shopping centers in Europe, the Almada Forum, where tourist can do some shopping and consuming fast food if they desire, but it would be a waste, since due to the proximity to the river and ocean, Almada has tradition in good local resturants. The inhabitants of Almada are very friendly and will welcome tourists in a good way.






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