BBC – Talk Portuguese – Local area 

Video 1: Lisbon 1

•	Narrator 
Lisbon or Lisboa, the capital of Portugal, is a bustling city of more than a million inhabitants. Today, it is the capital of a modern European democracy. 

But Portugal was once at the heart of a vast maritime empire, which explains why Portuguese is now the sixth most widely spoken language in the world. Along with Portugal, Madeira and the Azores, Portuguese is the official language of five countries in Africa that were once colonies. Some people still speak it in former Asian colonies like Goa, Macau and East Timor. And 170 million people speak the language in Brazil. 

But how did a small country like Portugal come to reach so far? It was from the beach where the Tower of Belém now stands, that Portuguese mariners set out to explore the world 500 years ago. 
The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the world between Spain and Portugal, along a line west of the Azores. Portugal laid claim to all lands to the east and Spain to those in the west. It was from here that Portuguese mariners set sail to round the Cape of Good Hope, Cabo da Boa Esperança. 

Director of the Tower of Belém, Isabel Cruz Almeida, explains why rounding the Cape was so important.

Isabel Cruz Almeida: As caravelas portuguesas abrem os caminhos para o Índico,
Subtitles: The Portuguese ships opened up the sea-route to the Indian Ocean, 

e ao chegar ao Índico, e para esses mundos, da Índia, do Extremo Oriente, 
Subtitles: and from there, to the worlds of India and the Far East,

que estavam cheios de riquezas - nomeadamente das famosas especiarias, 
Subtitles:  which were full of riches - mainly the famous spices

que afinal de contas tanto fizeram enriquecer a Europa.
Subtitles:  which would bring such enormous wealth to Europe.

Dado que estas caravelas ao abrir e ao rasgar o mar,
Subtitles:  As the Caravels parted the waves and carved out their path,

diria como o poeta português diz 
Subtitles:  in the words of the famous Portuguese poet: 

que ‘o mar passou unir e já não a separar’. 
Subtitles:  ‘The sea no longer separates us, but brings us together’.

•	Narrator 
Cornering the market in spices made the Portuguese immensely rich. Where the caravels set sail, they built the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos - the Hieronymite Monastery. Its lavish architecture is a reminder of the exuberance of this age of discovery. It stands as a glorious monument to a time when Portugal was the envy of the world. 
But things have not always been so good. From the 1920s, Portugal was cut off from the rest of Europe for nearly half a century under the right-wing dictatorship of Salazar. The country stagnated culturally and economically. By the time of the revolution of 1974, it was the poorest country in Western Europe. 

Joining the European Union in 1986 was a great turning point for Portugal, renewing contacts with the rest of world. In 1998, Lisbon hosted a World Expo on the theme of oceans. It has also been European City of Culture. 

Video 2: Lisbon 2
•	Narrator
Bairro Alto, the high town of Lisbon, is a place that is steeped in history and full of life. 
When it was built in the 16th Century, the hovels of the poor jostled for position with noble town houses, some with private chapels. It later turned seedy as the centre of Lisbon’s red light district. 
Today, Bairro Alto is seeing a real revival. Someone who is fascinated by this part of town is writer and journalist, José Couto Mugeira.

José Couto Mugeira: Isto que está a ver é um lugar muito discreto que se chama uma tasca.
Subtitles:  What you see here is a very special place called a Tasca.

Uma tasca é um bar especial onde além de se beber, também se pode comer.
Subtitles:  As well as having a drink here, you can also have a meal.

E onde se come muito barato e com um serviço muito rápido.
Subtitles:  It’s a place where you can eat cheaply and be served quickly.

Porque a comida portuguesa tem essa grande característica
Subtitles:  Because Portuguese cuisine has this wonderful characteristic - 

que quanto mais barata, melhor e mais bem servida.
Subtitles:  the cheaper it is, the better.

Esta loja é uma drogaria,
Subtitles:  This shop is a drogaria.

que é uma loja que se encontra no Bairro Alto e em todas as partes antigas da cidade.
Subtitles:  You find them in Bairro Alto and in all the old parts of town.

E é onde há uma concentração de kitsch, a maior do mundo por metro quadrado.
Subtitles:  They have the highest concentration of kitsch per m² in the world.

Aqui podem se encontrar todo o tipo de produtos, .
Subtitles:  Here, you can find all manner of products,

sobretudo se forem de plástico, mas também detergentes, cremes - 
Subtitles:  in particular plastics, as well as cleaning products.

todas as necessidades de uma pessoa, concentradas num pequeno espaço.
Subtitles:  Everything you could possibly need, in a tiny space.

Isto é uma coisa tipicamente portuguesa.
Subtitles:  It’s typically Portuguese.

Em Portugal, pequeno é bonito. 
Subtitles:  In Portugal, small is beautiful.

Todas a coisas em geral são sub-dimensionadas. 
Subtitles:  Things tend to be sub-dimensional.

Esta casa foi construída talvez no século 16,
Subtitles:  This house was probably built in the 16th century – 

numa altura em que podemos pensar que as pessoas eram anões
Subtitles:  you might think people were midgets back then.

Mas hoje em dia, continua-se a construir com uma escala muito próxima dessa.
Subtitles:  But today, houses are still built on a similar scale.

Quanto mais pequeno, mas bonito.
Subtitles:  The smaller they are, the better.

Video 3: Earthquake
•	Narrator
Portugal has frequently been cut-off from the European mainstream. Tucked away at the edge of the continent, beyond an often hostile Spain, it has had to fight for its survival as a nation. 
The Portuguese have been defined through major events - the discoveries, the wars of independence and in the 18th Century, an event that literally shook the world. 
Towering over the district of Baixa, stand the ruins of the convento do Carmo, a 14th Century church that witnessed one of the biggest natural disasters to hit the Western Hemisphere - the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. 
It began on a clear morning, 1 November, when people were flocking to church to celebrate All Saints Day. Suddenly, the first of three massive tremors.

Archaelogist: Os tremores dos abalos derrubaram os edifícios,
Subtitles: The tremors brought down buildings

sepultaram as pessoas, de tanto dentro das igrejas quanto em casas particulares.
Subtitles: and buried people alive, in churches and their own homes. 

Depois, o incêndio.
Subtitles: Then came the fire.
•	Narrator
The many candles lit to commemorate the day of the dead started fires that raged out of control for seven days. Archaeologist, Maria da Conceição Machado, has had to learn exactly what took place that day. 

Maria da Conceição Machado: Uns tentaram salvar-se, outros rezavam, 
Subtitles: Some tried to save themselves, others prayed,

outros imploravam para que acabasse
Subtitles: others begged for it all to end.  
•	Narrator
Those who were not consumed by flames or crushed by masonry took refuge on the riverfront where they were swept away by the tidal wave that followed. 17,000 buildings in old Lisbon collapsed and 60,000 people died in an earthquake felt as far away as Jamaica. The city’s skyline would never be the same again. 
The man responsible for rebuilding the city was the Marquis of Pombal. He famously declared ‘Close the ports, bury the dead, feed the living’. 
The grid system named after the Marquis, the Baixa Pombalina, is one of the best examples of 18th Century town planning in Europe. A testament to the Portuguese determination to pull through. 

Video 4: Sintra
•	Narrator
Not far from Lisbon lie the mystical hills of Sintra, long a retreat for kings and nobility. There are palaces everywhere. Pena Palace is a fairytale mix of architectural styles. The Moors built this fortress in the 8th Century and o Palácio Nacional, the National Palace, was home to the royal family from 1147. 
It was in this room that King Manuel I was to hear of Vasco da Gama’s arrival in India and the establishment of the Portuguese empire in Asia. 
The fresh air and clean water of Sintra provided a refuge from the plague in the Middle Ages. Its unique atmosphere has also inspired artists of all kinds, as historian Teresa Roteiro explains.

Teresa Roteiro: Os Românticos viam em Sintra 
Subtitles: The Romantics saw in Sintra

um cenário perfeito do seu...do que idealizavam. 
Subtitles: the perfect backdrop for everything that they idealised.

E portanto, sem duvida que aqui pelas...   
Subtitles: So, doubtless the mists ,

por esta penumbra que é tão característica de Sintra,
Subtitles: which are so particular to Sintra,

pelas chuvas e pela vegetação exuberante e exótica  
Subtitles: the rain and plants, both so exuberant and exotic –

isto corresponde a um cenário romântico. 
Subtitles: all these combine to make the perfect romantic scenery. 
•	Narrator
Sintra is also a perfect escape from the heat of the Portuguese summer.

Teresa Roteiro: Continua a ser um sitio muito belo.
Subtitles: To this day it is a beautiful place.

A beleza de Sintra
Subtitles: The beauty of Sintra

marca...marca as pessoas.
Subtitles: simply touches people.

Video 5: Battle of Elvas
•	Narrator
To the east of Lisbon is the Alentejo, an arid region on the border with Spain fought over for centuries. 
The 17th Century was decisive for Portuguese nationhood. A key place at this time was the town of Elvas. It still has some of the best preserved fortifications in Europe. 
In 1580, Portugal had lost its sovereignty and had become just another province of Spain. Historian João Paiva explains.

João Paiva: Sempre houve um interesso dos espanhóis em edificar a Península Ibérica
Subtitles: The Spanish always wanted to unify the Iberian Peninsula,

sobre o controle de um único rei, 
Subtitles: under one king,

de um único poder político centralizado.
Subtitles: a single, centralised political power.

E havia várias culturas no contexto peninsular
Subtitles: But within the Peninsula there were several cultures

que tinham uma identidade própria e que se queriam manter independentes. 
Subtitles: that wanted to preserve their own identity and independence.

O Portugal era uma delas.
Subtitles: Portugal was one of them.
•	Narrator
In 1640, Portugal declared independence, but the Spanish were not giving up this land without a fight - war followed. 
Things came to a head in 1659 when Elvas was besieged by 20,000 Spanish soldiers. The town’s garrison of 11,000 had been reduced to a mere 1000 by plague. If Elvas fell now, the road to Lisbon would be wide open. 

João Paiva: O líderes militares portugueses 
Subtitles: The Portuguese military leaders

lançaram um exército em ajuda
Subtitles: sent in an army of reinforcement.

que rapidamente envolveu as tropas espanholas
Subtitles: The troops quickly surrounded the Spanish

que já estavam cansadas dum cerco que se prolongava também a algum tempo
Subtitles: who were tired because the siege had been going on for some time

e foram apanhadas. 
Subtitles: and they were captured.

Portanto, quase que se pode dizer que é uma viragem decisiva no conflito 
Subtitles: So you might say that this was a turning point

da Guerra da Restauração. 
Subtitles: in the War of Restoration.
•	Narrator
The defence of Elvas was a shock to Spanish ambitions and nine years later, Spain finally recognised Portuguese independence.