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(winds whispering)
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(uplifting music)
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(uplifting music)
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- [Narrator] Our journey begins
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at the northeast corner of
the country at Braganca.
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We then head west to Guimaraes
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and a castle which is known
as the Cradle of Portugal.
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At Braga, we look at two
impressive monasteries
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before heading for the
coast at Viana do Castelo,
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then head south past
resorts before arriving
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at Porto, the home of Port wine.
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From there, we travel inland
past a landscape of vineyards
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before ending at the
great fortress at Almeida
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on the border with Spain.
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(relaxed music)
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Portugal occupies roughly
1/6th of the Iberian Peninsula
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and has a population of
about 10 million people.
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Its border with Spain has remained
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largely unchanged for over 800 years.
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Here in the rugged landscape of the north,
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the country is one of the least explored
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corners of Western Europe.
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The largest city in the area is Braganca,
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with a population of around 35,000 people.
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The citadel was built by
the Dukes of Braganca,
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who from 1640 to 1910 provided
all the kings of Portugal
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and also, during the 19th
century, the emperors of Brazil.
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(empowering music)
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The walled citadel is an impressive sight
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and has a history stretching
back to the Romans,
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though what we see today is much later.
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Within the walls still
stands Sancho I's castle,
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built in 1187 with its
watchtowers and dungeons.
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At the center of the castle is the keep,
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the Torre de Menagem,
which was restored in 1928
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to house a military museum.
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People still live inside the walls
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of the well-preserved citadel,
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though today many of the buildings
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have been taken over by
handicraft shops and cafes
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for all the visiting tourists.
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(relaxed music)
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The landscape around the city is dotted
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with small villages and farms,
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often surrounded by a type of oak tree
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where the bark is harvested
to make corks for bottles.
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The bark will then grow back again,
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so creating a natural,
sustainable industry.
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To the west, the countryside
becomes wild and remote.
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Over the years, the
population has declined
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as people migrated south
in search of a better life.
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Those left in the rural areas
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have a tough existence in
this unforgiving landscape.
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And in this landscape, picturesque,
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stone-built villages cling to hilltops.
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In the past, this was an area of refuge
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where political and religious exiles
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could easily escape being found.
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For the visitor passing through it today,
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it is a beautiful picture
of rural Portugal,
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where some of the most
colorful, traditional,
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and local fiestas in the
country are still held.
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For the local inhabitants,
they offer a respite
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and a break from an often hard life.
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To the west is the
Peneda-Geres National Park.
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It was created in 1971 as the result
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of the international
and scientific interest
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in the area's flora and fauna,
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and it's Portugal's only national park.
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This wilderness of rugged,
boulder-strewn mountains
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covers an area of nearly 200,000 acres
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and has an extraordinary diversity
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of climate, environments, and scenery.
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The park is also a transition zone
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between the Mediterranean and
European Siberian regions,
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and as a result of this,
there are plants here
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which are rare or non-existent
elsewhere in the country.
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One of the main aims is
education and controlled tourism.
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Several hiking trails cross the park,
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which offer different themes ranging
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from geological to ecological.
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In the past the area was home
to brown bears and wild goats.
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Today the park is one of the last refuges
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for two great predators:
wolves and royal eagles.
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An important feature of the landscape
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is the constant presence of water
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in the form of heavy rainfalls.
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Waterfalls are common and they feed into
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several rivers which cross the park.
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They in turn feed into the reservoirs
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which stretch for roughly 30 miles
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along the southern border
of the national park.
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A series of high dams
have created large lakes,
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which in turn have created centers
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for water sports, holiday
homes, and hotels.
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The furthest west
reservoir is Lake Canicada,
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which sits just inside the
Peneda-Geres National Park.
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A dam across the River Cavado
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has flooded three mountain valleys,
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which has not only created a resort center
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but also provides fresh water
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as well as hydroelectric
power for the area.
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15 miles to the south is Guimaraes,
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one of the most historic
cities in Portugal
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and recognized as a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO.
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At its center are a castle and the palace
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of the Dukes of Braganca.
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The palace is a 1930s restored version
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of the original, built
in the 15th century.
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During the 19th century,
it fell into disuse
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after the Dukes of Braganca
moved away from Guimaraes,
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and much of the palace was then used
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as building material for local houses.
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The style shows a clear French influence,
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which perhaps came from
the Burgundian ancestry
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of the Braganca family.
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Next to the palace is Guimaraes Castle,
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which stands on a hill
overlooking the city,
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and its high square dominates the skyline.
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Building began around the 10th century
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in order to defend a nearby monastery
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from attack by the Moors
as well as the Normans.
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The castle was largely
rebuilt in the 12th century
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when it became a royal residence.
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According to tradition,
this was the birthplace
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of Afonso, the first King of Portugal,
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and as a result the castle is known
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as the Cradle of Portugal.
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Like the palace nextdoor,
the castle fell into disuse
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during the 19th century and
was threatened with demolition.
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Luckily, it was not carried
out, and after restoration
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it was declared a
national monument in 1910.
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Both the castle and palace
are an important part
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of the heritage of Portugal.
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Eight miles to the north
is the city of Braga,
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and on a hilltop overlooking the city
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are two prominent sanctuaries.
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The first is the Santuario do Sameiro
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and one of the most important
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and popular shrines in Portugal.
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It was built in the
neoclassical style in 1863
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to honor the belief in
the immaculate conception
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and was not finally
completed until the 1980s,
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120 years after it was begun.
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(serene music)
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At the top of the imposing approach
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are two pillars supporting statues
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of the Virgin Mary and
the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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Close by on the same hill
is another sanctuary.
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This is the Bom Jesus do Monte,
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which translates as Good
Jesus of the Mountain.
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What we see today was built
during the 18th century
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and the most dominant feature
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is the baroque double staircase,
built as a sacred way.
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The faithful could climb the staircase
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and pass the stations of the cross
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for penance and contemplation.
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Several small, octagonal
chapels were built
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which depicted scenes
following the crucifixion.
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The zigzag pattern of the steps
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is dedicated to the three
theological virtues,
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faith, hope, and charity,
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with small fountains where the steps cross
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giving the idea of
purification of the faithful.
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The building of the present
sanctuary began in 1781
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and replaced several earlier churches,
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the first dating back to 1373.
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The style is neoclassical,
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which was fashionable at the time.
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In the 19th century, a funicular railway
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was built alongside the staircase
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for easier access to the church,
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and it's still in use today.
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10 miles to the west is the coast
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and the port of Viana do Castelo.
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It was King Afonso III who
founded the town back in 1253.
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(relaxed music)
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Portugal has always had a
great affinity with the sea
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and some of the finest explorers
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of the 15th century were Portuguese,
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such as Vasco da Gama,
who reached India in 1498.
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And it was from this small port
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less well-known explorers set
sail to discover new worlds.
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One was to chart the Congo in Africa,
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and another charted the
rich fishing grounds
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of Newfoundland in Canada.
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Heading south along the west coast
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are a number of small resorts
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fronting sandy beaches
and clear blue seas.
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(relaxed music)
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It's a popular place to come to
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for local people wanting to get away
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from the nearby towns and cities.
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The area is called Costa
Verde, meaning the green coast,
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and it's now protected from
any further development
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because in the past, the
coast has been developed
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by industry, including one of the largest
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oil refineries in the
country at Leca da Palmeira.
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(uplifting music)
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Shrouded in sea mist,
the River Douro opens up
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into a mile-wide estuary.
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It is one of the major rivers
of the Iberian Peninsula
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and runs for 550 miles.
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At its end lies the second
largest city in Portugal, Porto.
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The city is one of the
oldest European centers.
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In Roman times, it was
known as Portus Cale,
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and it's been suggested that this
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was the origin of the name Portugal.
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In the 11th century, the city profited
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by provisioning Crusaders on
their way to the Holy Land,
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and four centuries later,
Porto took advantage
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of the wealth being bought back
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from the newly discovered lands.
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One of the best views of the city
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is from the 18th century
Torre dos Clerigos,
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which rises up 246 feet and is one of
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the highest buildings in Portugal.
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From the tower, the river, which has been
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the lifeblood of the city for centuries,
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can be clearly seen.
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It was from here in 1415 that
Prince Henry the Navigator,
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son of the King of Portugal,
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set out to explore the
North African coast,
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which initiated the
Portuguese Age of Discovery.
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Today, the harbor no
longer has ships arriving
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laden with goods from around the world,
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but instead it is tourist boats
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which ferry passengers
up and down the river.
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They ride in a boat that is designed
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to look like the Barcos Rabelos ones
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that carry the barrels of the one trade
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that still flourishes on
the opposite bank to Porto.
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That trade is Port, named after the city,
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and the barrels contain the wine
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from the vineyards further upstream.
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This whole complex at Vila Nova de Gaia
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is at the heart of Port production.
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It is here in these lodges
that the wine is aged,
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and over 50 companies are
based in these narrow streets.
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And today, more modern style
lodges age this popular drink,
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which has its roots back
in the 17th century.
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It is reputed to be a
British wine merchant
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who sent his sons to Portugal
to find a wine source.
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They found a monastery where the abbot
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was adding brandy to a local red wine
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during rather than after fermentation,
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thereby producing
something similar to Port.
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Porto is also known as
the City of Bridges.
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The first bridge was built in
1803 but destroyed in the war
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with Spain and France three years later.
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It was not until 1877 that the
Dona Maria Pia railway bridge
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was built by the Frenchman Gustave Eiffel,
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creator of the Eiffel Tower.
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In 1991, the bridge was replace
by the Bridge of St. John.
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00:16:06,820 --> 00:16:09,920
In 1886, the Dom Luis Bridge was built
256
00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:11,330
by a partner of Eiffel,
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00:16:12,210 --> 00:16:15,160
which has trains on the
top and cars underneath.
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00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:18,020
At the time it was the longest
259
00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:19,950
bridge of its type in the world.
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00:16:26,159 --> 00:16:28,039
When the Arrabida Road Bridge was built
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00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,480
at the river mouth in 1963,
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00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,490
it was the longest concrete
arch bridge in the world.
263
00:16:34,460 --> 00:16:37,870
And in 1995, the Freixo Bridge was built
264
00:16:37,870 --> 00:16:39,990
to carry the motorway south to Lisbon.
265
00:16:40,860 --> 00:16:45,240
And the latest is the Ponte
do Infante, completed in 2003.
266
00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:52,190
To the east of Porto, the
landscape becomes more mountainous
267
00:16:52,190 --> 00:16:55,590
and small villages stand
surrounded by terraced fields.
268
00:16:57,130 --> 00:16:59,290
Agriculture in Portugal is based
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on small to medium-sized
family-owned farms,
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and just as we saw earlier,
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many of them grow cork oak trees
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where the bark is turned into corks
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for the surrounding vineyards.
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00:17:12,350 --> 00:17:14,250
One such vineyard has been making
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00:17:14,250 --> 00:17:18,480
a well-known wine since
the 1940s, Mateus Rose,
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(relaxed music)
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00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:26,040
and on the label of the
distinctive, round-shaped bottle
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was a picture of the Mateus Palace.
279
00:17:32,650 --> 00:17:35,600
The palace was built in 1745,
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00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,270
and it's considered one of
the most perfect examples
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of baroque architecture in Portugal.
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00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,680
Incorporated into the design
is a small family chapel.
283
00:17:48,630 --> 00:17:51,130
The house is surrounded by formal gardens
284
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from the same period.
285
00:17:53,510 --> 00:17:56,610
It was an Italian
architect, Nicolau Nasoni,
286
00:17:56,610 --> 00:17:58,460
who designed the whole complex
287
00:17:58,460 --> 00:18:00,860
and spent the later part
of his life in Portugal
288
00:18:00,860 --> 00:18:02,850
following a series of commissions.
289
00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:06,480
The house now belongs to a foundation
290
00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:08,320
which develops cultural activities
291
00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,980
in the areas of music,
literature, and visual arts.
292
00:18:21,350 --> 00:18:24,260
The River Douro, which rises
in the mountains of Spain
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00:18:24,260 --> 00:18:26,670
before flowing out to sea at Porto,
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00:18:26,670 --> 00:18:29,840
is one of Europe's most
untouched and beautiful rivers.
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And on a section of it
to the east of Porto,
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the whole area has been designated
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00:18:41,490 --> 00:18:45,910
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001
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00:18:45,910 --> 00:18:48,450
in the category of cultural landscape.
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00:18:50,130 --> 00:18:53,120
The well-tended vines
make impressive patterns
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00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:55,740
on the steep slopes down to the river,
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00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:58,790
where tourist boats
gently cruise up and down,
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00:18:58,790 --> 00:19:02,030
allowing passengers to take
in the beautiful scenery,
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00:19:02,030 --> 00:19:05,580
which for centuries has
grown vines for wine
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and more importantly, Port.
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00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:13,890
Port is a Portuguese fortified wine
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00:19:13,885 --> 00:19:16,785
produced exclusively in
the Douro Valley region.
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00:19:18,510 --> 00:19:21,880
The full name for the
wine is vinho do Porto,
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00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:23,870
which comes from the 17th century
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00:19:23,870 --> 00:19:26,120
when it was shipped from
the harbor in Porto.
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00:19:27,860 --> 00:19:29,560
The wine is fortified by adding
311
00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,900
a natural grape spirit known as aguardente
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00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:35,230
in order to stop the fermentation
313
00:19:35,230 --> 00:19:37,030
and allowing the residual sugars
314
00:19:37,030 --> 00:19:39,050
to boost the alcohol content.
315
00:19:41,490 --> 00:19:44,270
Port is typically richer, sweeter,
316
00:19:44,270 --> 00:19:46,580
and heavier than other wines,
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00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:49,720
and has an alcohol
content of around 19-20%.
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00:19:52,370 --> 00:19:54,320
The drink became very
popular with the English
319
00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,410
during the 18th century
due to wars with France,
320
00:19:57,410 --> 00:19:59,000
which shut off the wine trade.
321
00:20:01,030 --> 00:20:04,580
As a result, English shippers
set up business in Porto
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00:20:04,580 --> 00:20:06,460
and are still in business today,
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00:20:06,460 --> 00:20:10,630
with names like Coburn,
Croft, Sandeman, and Taylor.
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00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:14,100
The price of port varies from
325
00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:16,690
cheap varieties from around $10
326
00:20:16,690 --> 00:20:19,660
to vintage port, costing
hundreds of dollars a bottle.
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00:20:27,349 --> 00:20:29,449
(inquisitive music)
328
00:20:29,450 --> 00:20:30,670
Away from the river,
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00:20:30,670 --> 00:20:32,960
and the landscape becomes less fertile
330
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,000
with dry, rock-strewn gullies.
331
00:20:35,890 --> 00:20:39,490
The border with Spain is
only 10 miles to the east,
332
00:20:39,490 --> 00:20:41,380
and on a wide, flat plane,
333
00:20:41,380 --> 00:20:44,600
there are a series of castles
defending the frontier
334
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,770
dating back to the 13th century.
335
00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:52,150
On top of a hill lies the fortified
336
00:20:52,150 --> 00:20:55,290
village of Castelo Rodrigo.
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00:20:55,294 --> 00:20:58,044
(spirited music)
338
00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:12,210
The castle was built at
the end of the 13th century
339
00:21:12,210 --> 00:21:13,810
and for the next few hundred years
340
00:21:13,810 --> 00:21:15,760
did not have a peaceful history
341
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,310
as Portugal suffered from civil war
342
00:21:18,310 --> 00:21:21,560
and the castle, as well as
the village inside the walls,
343
00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,650
still shows signs of
this territorial dispute.
344
00:21:28,070 --> 00:21:31,460
The village still has most
of its encircling walls,
345
00:21:31,460 --> 00:21:33,320
and in these more peaceful times,
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00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,030
one of the watchtowers has been turned
347
00:21:35,030 --> 00:21:37,440
into a rather interesting rooftop garden.
348
00:21:40,230 --> 00:21:42,590
In the 16th century, King Philip of Spain
349
00:21:42,590 --> 00:21:46,500
took the town and castle, and
the local Portuguese governor
350
00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:48,280
then sided with the Spanish.
351
00:21:50,060 --> 00:21:51,810
When they eventually withdrew,
352
00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:53,860
the local population turned on him
353
00:21:53,860 --> 00:21:57,430
and burnt down his castle-palace in 1640,
354
00:21:58,499 --> 00:22:01,559
and the ruins bear witness
to the governor's treachery.
355
00:22:06,780 --> 00:22:09,860
10 miles to the south is Pinhel Castle,
356
00:22:09,860 --> 00:22:11,630
which was once a pivotal point
357
00:22:11,630 --> 00:22:14,420
for a network of fortresses
along the border.
358
00:22:15,510 --> 00:22:17,240
The frontier was a dangerous place to be
359
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,580
during the 13th and 14th centuries
360
00:22:19,580 --> 00:22:21,840
as Spanish incursions were frequent
361
00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:23,800
and loyalties often divided.
362
00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:27,690
Castles like Pinhel were often assaulted,
363
00:22:27,690 --> 00:22:29,510
besieged, and then rebuilt.
364
00:22:31,773 --> 00:22:33,503
At Pinhel, much of the wall
365
00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:35,620
surrounding the town still exists,
366
00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:38,420
as do two of the original six towers.
367
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,390
Nearly five centuries later,
368
00:22:41,390 --> 00:22:43,600
during the early part of the 19th century,
369
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,930
the castle was occupied by the French
370
00:22:45,930 --> 00:22:48,430
during the Napoleonic Wars.
371
00:22:48,430 --> 00:22:50,610
They had occupied Spain and were intent
372
00:22:50,610 --> 00:22:52,690
on doing the same with Portugal,
373
00:22:52,690 --> 00:22:54,320
but they were eventually thwarted
374
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:56,600
by the Portuguese and British forces
375
00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,340
under the command of the
future Duke of Wellington.
376
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,710
Today, 20 of the border castles survive
377
00:23:03,710 --> 00:23:06,080
as a lasting reminder
of centuries of dispute.
378
00:23:09,750 --> 00:23:11,710
From the two remaining towers,
379
00:23:11,710 --> 00:23:14,650
one of the greatest fortresses
can be seen to the east,
380
00:23:15,750 --> 00:23:18,700
only a few miles from
the border at Almeida.
381
00:23:19,935 --> 00:23:22,435
(tense music)
382
00:23:30,690 --> 00:23:33,330
By the 18th century, two main fortresses
383
00:23:33,330 --> 00:23:37,060
guarded the Portuguese
border: Elvas to the south,
384
00:23:37,060 --> 00:23:39,480
and here at Almeida in the north.
385
00:23:40,670 --> 00:23:44,840
The fortifications seen today
date from the 17th century
386
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,500
and were built in the
latest style by the Spanish
387
00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:50,050
after they had destroyed
the earlier castle.
388
00:23:51,890 --> 00:23:54,890
And surrounding the ruins are six bastions
389
00:23:54,890 --> 00:23:58,060
with a dry ditch cut into the solid rock.
390
00:23:58,060 --> 00:24:00,620
It could be armed with 100 guns,
391
00:24:00,620 --> 00:24:03,070
some of which were in
fortified emplacements
392
00:24:03,070 --> 00:24:05,160
and protected from enemy artillery.
393
00:24:06,540 --> 00:24:11,030
In August 1810, the
Portuguese and British forces
394
00:24:11,030 --> 00:24:13,200
were forced to withdraw from Spain
395
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,510
when faced with a more
powerful French army.
396
00:24:16,510 --> 00:24:18,880
Wellington then left a Colonel Cox
397
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,080
to hold Almeida for as long as possible
398
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:25,100
in order to allow his
troops to retreat in safety.
399
00:24:25,980 --> 00:24:27,610
The French besieged the fortress
400
00:24:27,610 --> 00:24:29,940
with a massive show of strength,
401
00:24:29,940 --> 00:24:32,350
but the fortress survived.
402
00:24:32,350 --> 00:24:34,890
However, on the night
of the 26th of August,
403
00:24:34,890 --> 00:24:36,960
one of the French guns fired a shell
404
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:41,070
that by chance landed in
the old castle courtyard.
405
00:24:41,070 --> 00:24:43,900
It then ignited a trail of gunpowder
406
00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:46,430
back into the magazine and the cellars
407
00:24:46,430 --> 00:24:50,470
and set off 150,000 pounds of gunpowder
408
00:24:50,470 --> 00:24:52,600
and over 1,000,000 infantry cartridges.
409
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,120
An eye witness recorded
that the earth trembled
410
00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:01,670
and a whirlwind of fire rose from the fort
411
00:25:01,670 --> 00:25:04,200
like the bursting of a volcano.
412
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,040
Blocks of stone were hurled into the air
413
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,390
and even killed some of the
French troops in their trenches.
414
00:25:11,510 --> 00:25:14,150
Two days later, with no ammunition,
415
00:25:14,150 --> 00:25:17,120
Colonel Cox was forced
to surrender Almeida.
416
00:25:18,030 --> 00:25:21,290
He had hoped to hold up the
French for several months.
417
00:25:21,290 --> 00:25:24,870
Instead, it was just five weeks.
418
00:25:27,020 --> 00:25:30,260
Almeida stands as a reminder
of Portugal's turbulent past,
419
00:25:31,629 --> 00:25:34,759
and it's a dramatic place
to end this journey.
420
00:25:37,724 --> 00:25:40,314
(serene music)
421
00:26:00,755 --> 00:26:03,505
(logo whooshing)
31836
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