All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S03E06.Portugal.-.Linhares.Castle.to.Lisbon.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-pawel2006_track3_[eng]

(wind whistling)

(upbeat orchestral music)

(soft marimba music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins

towards the middle of
Portugal at Linhares Castle

before heading southwest

towards the beautiful city of Coimbra

and its ancient university.

From there, we look at two
spectacular monasteries

at Batalha and Tomar,

before heading for the coast
at the resort town of Nazare.

Just inland to the south

is the striking walled town
of Obidos and its castle.

Back on the coast are the
dramatic cliffs of Cabo de Roca.

Following the coastline, we take a look at

a series of resort towns
and glorious beaches,

including Cascais and Oeiras,

before entering the river Tagus
and our final destination,

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

(soft ambient music)

In the mountainous region Agueda,

in the Serra da Estrela National Park,

is the remote village of Linhares,

which has been occupied since Roman times.

Before the occupation,

this was the home of the
Lusitanians and the Iberian tribe

from whom all Portuguese
are said to be descended.

In the 13th century,
the castle was rebuilt

under the ruling period of King Denis

and played an important part

in the early struggle of
Portuguese nationality.

The castle has suffered much damage

and neglect over the years,
but the two existing towers

give a clue to its past
importance overlooking the valley.

Both are open to the
public and, from the top,

offer stunning views of
the surrounding landscape.

In 1991, the government instituted

the Historic Villages Program,
where 12 were identified

for their importance and
their need for restoration,

as well as promotion.

One of them is the
ancient village of Piodao.

This is a village where all the houses

have been built of schist,

a type of rock that can split easily,

making a good, durable building material.

The roofs are covered with slate.

Another unique feature of the houses

is the use of blue paint
for the doors and windows.

It's been said that the reason for this

was simply that the only
shop that stocked paint

only had blue.

And as the village was so isolated,

other colors were simply not available.

Whatever the truth, Piodao is quite unique

and is now, thanks to the
Historic Villages Program,

a regular stop for
tourists who visit the area

and bring much-needed
business to the village.

The river Mondego winds its
way through the mountains

and passes the city of Coimbra.

(soft piano music)

One of the most important
urban centers in the country

and Portugal's capital
during the Middle Ages.

The city was founded by the Romans,

taken over by the
Visigoths, then the Moors,

then finally conquered by the
emerging Portuguese in 1064.

During the country's Age of Discoveries,

when explorers sailed
off and found new worlds,

Coimbra grew in stature
as a cultural center.

Its ancient streets boast
many fine buildings,

including several churches.

And standing on the hill
overlooking the river

is the University of Coimbra,
one of the oldest universities

in continuous operation in the world.

It was founded in 1290,

but was moved to Lisbon in
1338 on the order of the king

when the city became the
capital of the country.

But in 1597, the university
returned to Coimbra,

expanded, and took over
the former royal palace.

The only subjects taught at this time

were theology, medicine, and law.

In the 18th century, other
subjects were introduced,

including scientific study,
and the university's collection

of old instruments from this time

is one of the most important in Europe.

Today, there are seven faculties

and close to 20,000 students.

This has given Coimbra

the nickname of the City of the Students.

Portugal is blessed

with a number of magnificent
historic monasteries,

and two of them are only
30 kilometers apart.

(soft choir music)

The first is at Batalha,

one of the finest and
most original examples

of late-Gothic architecture in Portugal

and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The monastery was built
in the 14th century

on the orders of King John in
gratitude to the Virgin Mary

for a victory in battle.

Work went on for nearly 200
years until it was stopped

because the king decided
to put all his effort

and money into another
monastery in Lisbon.

This is why one of the chapels
has been left unfinished.

However, it was the French
troops in the early-19th century

who inflicted severe damage

by sacking and burning the complex.

It was left in ruins for 30 years,

until it was decided to
begin a major restoration,

which would take more than
six decades to complete.

In 1907, it was declared
a national monument.

Standing on a hill outside
Tomar is the Convent of Christ.

This enormous complex illustrates

seven centuries of Portugal's history.

The Romans worshiped on this site

before the first part of the monastery

and castle was built in the 12th century.

The land had been given to
the Knights of Jerusalem,

better known as the Knights Templar,

for their help in the
fight against the Moors,

and it was they who
built the round church.

They also built the castle

as the Moors continually attacked Tomar

until they were eventually expelled

from the Iberian Peninsula.

The castle was part of a defense system

to secure the border of
the young Christian kingdom

against the Moors,

who occupied most of what
is now Northern Portugal.

When France outlawed and
persecuted the Knights

in the 14th century,
King Denis of Portugal

merely merged the Templars

with the Portuguese Order
of the Knights of Christ

and then moved the headquarters to Tomar.

The next king, Prince Henry the Navigator,

then transformed the
Knights into navigators

and used them in the 16th
century to expand the kingdom

and spread the word of
God to other worlds.

Meanwhile, new monastic
buildings at Tomar were built,

including the construction
of a new cloister

and one of the finest examples

of Renaissance architecture in Portugal.

But like Batalha, French troops in 1810

turned the Order of Christ out

and made the whole
complex into a barracks,

causing a great deal
of irreparable damage.

Nevertheless, what remains
is one of Portugal's

most unique and impressive
architectural monuments.

Water is vital for life.

And as there was no well in the monastery,

it would have to be pumped
or carried up from the valley

to storage tanks.

But in the 17th century,
a large aqueduct was built

from the local village of
Pegoes, where four wells existed.

It is six kilometers
long and has 160 arches,

including a double-layer
section across the valley,

where it is 30 meters high.

Nowadays, dams create vast reservoirs,

which are badly needed in
the dry climate of Portugal.

This one is the Castelo de Bode

and the second-largest body
of freshwater in the country.

Rivers also provide freshwater,

and the Tagus is the longest
on the Iberian Peninsula

at just over a thousand kilometers.

Along its route are several tributaries

which flow south from the mountains.

This one is the river
Zezere at Constancia.

(water flowing)

As the Tagus begins to
flow into a flat plain

towards the end of its journey to the sea,

it plays host to one of the
most picturesque castles

in Portugal: Almourol.

(light medieval music)

Built on an island in the 12th century,

the castle formed part of a
defensive line of fortifications

which included Tomar.

And like Tomar, this
was a Templar fortress.

Almourol is one of the best
examples of a military fort

during the reconquest of
Portugal by Christian forces

and also one that represents
the age of the Templar Knights.

After the Moors had been expelled,

the castle's strategic
importance diminished

and it was disbanded.

It gradually fell into ruins.

It was the romantic
ideals of the 19th century

which eventually led the castle

to be restored to its former glory.

One of the wonders of
Portugal is its coastline,

where the Atlantic Ocean
has carved away the cliffs

to create wide, sandy beaches.

A century ago, Nazare was
a small fishing harbor.

But mass tourism in the 20th
century changed all that,

as it did for many other
villages along the coast.

Today, the fishermen are a
tourist attraction themselves

as they lay out the local mackerel to dry.

The town is split into two,

with the Sitio district on the clifftop

offering the best views along the coast,

which is joined to the
Praia district below

by a funicular railway.

(soft guitar music)

The beach at Nazare is considered

one of the best in the country

and, at certain times of the
year, has waves rolling in

that attract surfers
from around the world.

But for most people, it's a place to relax

and soak up the sun.

(waves lapping)

Away from the resorts on the coast,

it is though time has slipped back,

as ancient hilltop villages

offer a glimpse of an older Portugal.

(light orchestral music)

This is the walled town of Obidos,

which has a history
stretching back to the Moors

in the 10th century.

The name derives from
the Latin term oppidum,

which means 'fortified city.'

In the 12th century,
the king gave the town

and surrounding land to the queen,

and it remained in royal
hands for over 600 years,

until the abolition of
the monarchy in 1883.

Once a year, the town recreates
the spirit of medieval times

with a market where banners
and heraldic flags set the mood

and the local population
dress as merchants,

jugglers, jesters,
minstrels, and soldiers.

And overlooking the town is the castle,

which, over the years, has
been added to and modernized.

Today, this once-royal
residence is a pousada,

meaning an historic hotel,

where guests can feel
the weight of history

as they stroll through
the gardens and courtyard

where queens of Portugal once walked.

One of Portugal's claim to fame

is that the cliffs around
the Cabo da Roca Lighthouse

are continental Europe's
most-westerly point.

It was described by a
16th-century writer as,

"Here, where the land
ends and the sea begins."

The point is marked by a memorial

on the edge of the high cliffs.

(soft guitar music)

The lighthouse began operating in 1772.

Over the years, it has been updated,

as new innovations, like the
advent of electricity in 1897

and acetylene gas in 1917
for a more powerful light.

Today, it's fully automated.

The lighthouse overlooks
a very popular beach,

which is only about 30
kilometers from Lisbon.

To keep the coastline as well
as the wooded mountains inland

from further development,
it was decided in 1994

to establish this area as a natural park.

The Sintra-Cascais Park

covers an area of 145 square kilometers.

The wind and waves provide
a popular playground

for water sports, including kite surfing

and, of course, the enormous
number of experienced surfers,

who sit on their boards,
waiting for the best wave,

as well as those just learning
to surf for the first time.

Frequent storms roll
in across the Atlantic

and the rocky coastline becomes a hazard

for ships of all sizes.

At the other end of the bay,
marking a dangerous promontory,

is the Cabo Raso
Lighthouse, built in 1893.

It was electrified in
1947 and updated in 2003

with a powerful new lamp.

One of the most popular resorts

along the coastline to Lisbon is Cascais.

It was sea-bathing becoming popular

that provided the impetus
that transformed this place

from fishing village into a seaside town.

This was further helped
by the royal family,

who built a house here.

And the nobility followed,

building beautiful villas of their own,

turning Cascais into a very
fashionable and elegant place.

(waves lapping)

With modern transport links,

many people commute from here to Lisbon

along the Avenida Marginal,

which is notorious for
fast, careless drivers

and especially motorcycle riders.

As a result, the accident
rate is extremely high.

A few miles to the north,

it's possible to ride as fast as you like

at the Estoril Circuit.

(soft guitar music)

It was inaugurated in 1972

and has a course of just
over four kilometers.

It was the home of the
Portuguese Formula One Grand Prix

until 1997.

It is still home to bike racing

and the motorcycle Grand Prix.

The circuit also offers
courses in competing,

as these people are about to find out

as they wait for the riders on the track

to finish their laps.

(engines roaring)

Overlooking the circuit is
one of the most romantic

19th-century castles in
Portugal, Pena National Palace.

(soft guitar music)

It is also in a military no-fly zone,

so the only view is from a distance.

But even from far away,
it's possible to see

that the castle has a mixture of styles,

from Gothic, Islamic,
to Italian Renaissance.

Back on the coast,

the outer suburbs of
Lisbon begin to appear,

though the resorts continue
along the seafront.

This is the wide beach at Carcavelos

and the largest on this stretch of coast.

Its proximity to Lisbon
means it's a popular place

during the summer weekends.

Overlooking the beach is a
reminder of Portugal's past

in the form of Saint Julian of Barra Fort

and the largest sea fort in the country.

It was designed to defend the
entrance to the river Tagus.

Now, it's an official residence
for a government minister.

Authority of a different
sort is administered

from this futuristic
maritime control center.

In 2011, Lisbon Harbor
recorded a new record

of 330 large cruise ships
entering and leaving,

quite apart from the hundreds
of cargo and container ships.

Lisbon is the capital of
Portugal, its largest city,

and quite possibly
founded by the Phoenicians

as a trading port over 3,000 years ago.

The strong Arabic influence

comes from 450 years of
occupation by the Moors

until the country was reconquered

by the Portuguese in the 12th century.

The city has been built on seven hills

overlooking the river Tagus,

which reflects light back on the city.

Lisbon was once the
heart of a large empire

that stretched from Brazil in
the West to India in the East,

and much of the city
reflects this past history.

Great wealth came with
the Age of Discovery,

when, in 1497, Vasco da Gama
established the route to India

around the Cape of Good
Hope in South Africa.

It began what has become
known as the Golden Age.

And this is celebrated in a
monument to the discoveries.

The original was designed in 1939

to open the Portuguese World
Fair and then taken down.

In 1958, it was decided to put a permanent

and enlarged copy on the same site.

It is 52 meters high, with
16 explorers on each side,

as though standing on the
sloping deck of a ship

with billowing sails above.

(soft medieval music)

And on the bow is Henry the Navigator,

the third son of the king,

who was largely responsible
for this age of exploration.

The monument stands on the place

where those brave and intrepid men

set sail for the unknown in
the 15th and 16th centuries.

Close by is the Belem Tower,

which was built in a
Portuguese late-Gothic style

by King John, the father
of Henry the Navigator.

The tower was not only
part of the defense system

but also a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.

It's not hard to imagine
looking out to sea from the top

and keeping an eye out for
ships returning from new worlds

and perhaps laden with treasure.

However, the view was not
so great from the dungeons,

where state prisoners were held
well into the 19th century.

Today, the Belem Tower

is one of Lisbon's most
visited attractions

and its importance was recognized in 1983,

when it was created a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Fronting the river Tagus
is the Square of Commerce,

though it is more commonly
known as Palace Square.

This was where the
royal palace once stood,

until an earthquake in the 18th century,

followed by a tsunami, destroyed it,

along with most of the city.

In a massive rebuilding program,

the new square was constructed.

The buildings were occupied
by customs officials

and port authorities, hence
the name Square of Commerce.

One of the favorite tourist attractions

is the Santa Justa Lift.

It was built as a means of connecting

the lower streets of the
city to Carmo Square above,

which was a hard climb
in the summer months.

It was finally opened in 1902.

The lift carries 25 passengers
and climbs 45 meters.

Opposite, on one of Lisbon's seven hills,

stands the Castle of Saint George,

which dates back to the sixth century.

It is named after the
patron saint of England,

when Portugal and England

signed a lasting peace treaty in 1371.

Lisbon also has a modern
side at the Park of Nations,

the Expo '98 world exhibition site.

After it closed, the area
was further transformed

with a whole host of new buildings,

including office and
apartment blocks, hotels,

shopping malls, museums, and open spaces,

creating an exciting contrast

with the historic city a few miles away.

Tourists can use the cable
cars along the waterfront

for some spectacular views,

including one of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

It was opened in time for the
world's exhibition in 1998

and also celebrated the 500th anniversary

of Vasco da Gama's discovery
of the sea route to India.

Our final location dominates
Lisbon's historic waterfront.

(reverent orchestral music)

This is the 25th of April
Bridge, so-named because in 1974,

this was the starting date

of what was called the
Carnation Revolution,

when the dictatorship
was ousted from power.

The bridge, opened in 1966,

is often compared with
the Golden Gate Bridge

in San Francisco, but
it is in fact based on

the Oakland bridge a few miles away.

And overlooking the bridge and Lisbon

is the enormous monument to Christ,

which was erected in 1959
as a thank-you to God

for sparing Portugal the
horrors of World War II,

a poignant place to end this journey.

(reverent orchestral music)