Author: Lynne Booker

When we first visited Portugal, I was intrigued that some of the streets were named after calendar dates. As Northern Europeans, we were unfamiliar with this way of topographical naming

On May 23, 1618 in Prague, the chief Protestants of Bohemia threw out of the window three Catholic regents of the Holy Roman Emperor. And on December 1, 1640, The

The Portuguese First Republic lasted for less than 16 years before it was replaced by a military dictatorship on May 28, 1926. These 16 years were characterised by political upheaval,

In the late 19th century, rail travel was the only means for travelling quickly around Europe, since there were no aeroplanes and few cars. The Portuguese monarch who travelled most

The opening of Portugal’s first passenger railway on October 28, 1856 was not auspicious. The line operated by a private company (Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses) stretched from Lisbon

It is now nearly 80 years ago that the most devastating windstorm recorded in Portugal hit the Iberian Peninsula. On February 15-16, 1941, strong winds, usually referred to as a

In common with many European towns in the medieval period, the people in Portuguese towns periodically suffered from attacks of various diseases. Cholera was a particular problem in the 19th

Only a week after the Implantation of the Republic on October 5, 1910, the Provisional Government cancelled 14 religious holidays and instituted five secular bank holidays in order to create