Portugal is main cork world exporter. Although one of the main cork uses are cork stoppers there are other uses such as the shoes industry, insulation of houses, furniture, traditional crafts and new fashion clothes.

The use of cork in new products has been well succeed. In October 2009 the Portuguese architect David Mares, with 26 years old, was the People’s Prize Winner in an international contest design promoted by the New York Guggenheim Museum. His proposal was the CBS - Cork Block Shelter, which is a cork shelter located in Vale dos Barris in the Portuguese Arrabida Mountain. “In a microclimate that ranges from the dry heat to damp cold, the application of cork is a good way of thermally isolating the shelter and also providing acoustic insulation for study/sleep.” In the North of Portugal, Esposende, a 150 meters house was covered with cork bricks and got a name from the locals as the “cork stopper”. Five Portuguese designers from Corque Design atelier have been using cork to produce objects for the daily life such as chairs, tables etc.

There is an estimated area of 700,000 hectares of cork oak montados in Portugal. This area is mainly distributed in the southern part of the country in the Ribatejo and Alentejo regions, being the biggest forest cover with this forest tree species. Nevertheless, cork oak forests also exist in Spain and in other parts of the Mediterranean basin such as countries from the North of Africa. Cork oak trees are well adapted to the Mediterranean climate characterized by the mild winters and the dry and hot summers.

An example that illustrate such importance of horses in this region is given by a request from the king D. João III, in 1541, whom wanted to know how many horses and mares existed in Golegã fields. He also wanted that such numbers would be confidential as they would have a strategic importance for the national security.

It was in 1571 that the Golegã Fair has started, originally known as the St. Martin Fair from Golegã (Feira de São Martinho da Golegã). The equestrian character from the Golegã Fair is boosted when in 1883, Marquês de Pombal, established the championships of horse breeds. Since its early stages the most important horse breed in this Fair has been the Lusitano horse. The Lusitano horse is in the international context a horse breed which is rare and prestigious. The qualities from the Lusitano horse are recognized since the Antiquity by the Greeks and Romans. The Lusitano horse is considered amongst the ancient horse breeds being ridden.

The Golegã horse fair will be happening between the 6 and the 15th of November. This Fair is not only a lively and colourful event but also a place for leisure, equestrian sports and shows as well as for trade.

Within the New 7 World Wonders winners there are places such as the monument from Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Taj Mahal in India or the Great Wall of China. The announcement of the winners was held in Lisbon in the Estadio da Luz (Benfica stadium) on a day full of symbolism the 07-07-07. It was one of the first elections in the internet at a global scale and was viewed by about 1,600 million people through the TV worldwide. In addition, this was also an event where the Portuguese 7 wonders were announced.

Out of a list with 793 Portuguese monuments, a group of 7 experts has chosen 77 which were submitted to vote. In a second phase a board of various people from several social and professional areas has selected the 21 monuments to be voted by the public. The final selection was carried out by the Portuguese people whom have voted by SMS, internet or phone.

The fabulous Portuguese monuments chosen has the Portuguese 7 Wonders were the following: Mosteiro de Alcobaça, Mosteiro da Batalha, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Lisbon), Palácio da Pena (Sintra), Torre de Belém (Lisbon), Castelo de Guimarães and Castelo de Óbidos. This selection is not a complete surprise since, apart from the Castelo de Óbidos all these monuments were already listed as Unesco World Heritage sites.

To have the Ruby, Tawny, Late Bottle Vintage and white Ports being appreciated worldwide it was necessary that through centuries hard work have been done growing vineyards in the slopes around the river Douro. Terraces were built in slopes from this hilly region having wine varietals which include Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Barroca. These vines can have a rooting system which can go up to 25 meters looking for water. The weather is tough, being quite cold in the winter and quite hot in the summer. The winemaking method used leads to the production of a fortified wine. Port wines are highly appreciated both before and after meals.

At the Madeira Island, also under British influence, the fortified wines equally become recognized worldwide. It was the D.Henrique who found the vocation of Madeira for wine production and introduced the malvasia wine varietal from Greece, which still predominates today in the slopes from the southern part of the Island.

The vinho verde from Minho, reds and sparkling wines from Bairrada, the increasingly more appreciated wines from the warm and dry Alentejo region are also part of the Portuguese wine culture and which recently have been modernized following the most modern winemaking methods. Without forgetting lajedos from Pico, a mosaic of stone walls which protect the verdelho wine which was highly regarded by the Czars and was honored by Tolstoi in “War and Peace”.

The Garrano and the Sorraia Horses

In Portugal, there are three main types of horses, the Garrano, the Sorraia and of course, the Lusitano. These three are known all over the world for their performance, attitude and intellect. The Garrano were bred mostly for heavy duty work. They were often employed in farms and other agricultural activities. While it is know that they originated from the Iberian pony, it is still a mystery as what other breeds have contributed to the Garrano. The rare and magnificent Sorraia truly deserves awe. They may be small in number, but they are very beautiful steeds.

The World Famous Lusitano Horse

Across the global horse riding community, many will speak high praises for the Lusitano horse. This breed has been with us for many centuries, dating back as far as 20,000BC. Their presence and influence in ancient human civilizations are documented. The ancient Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Celts and Spanish cultures have employed the Lusitano horse breed at one time or the other. The speed, temperament, and natural strength of the Lusitano are all part of what makes this breed well loved and accepted by many. Nowadays, the Lusitano can be found all over the world, across Asia and even in Eastern Europe; that is how well accepted the Portuguese Lusitano horse is.

The Lusitano horse fair organized in Golegã started in 1571 and is known as Golegã Fair or National Horse Fair. It has been the most important fair for the Lusitano horse having every year thousands of visitants from Portugal and abroad. This Brazilian Lusitano fair is inspired in the Golegã fair and intends to provide an excellent opportunity to appreciate the Lusitano horse breed.

The I Lusitano Horse Festival from Aguas de Lindóia will be held in the square of the Adhemar de Barros in the centre of Aguas de Lindóia town.There are more than 300 Lusitano breeders registered in the Brazilian Lusitano horse association and for them it will a chance to use this Festival to show their horses and to see the horses from the other breeders. There will be several shows and competitions with Lusitano horses. This fair will be also an opportunity to make the Águas de Lindóia town in Brazil and the Golegã town in Portugal as “sister” towns. On the 7th of September, the day when the Brazil independence is celebrated, the mayors from both towns will inaugurate a monument to mark the establishment of the “sister” towns.

Joana stands out within the Portuguese modern art in particular for providing a new meaning to the simplest objects. Who would imagine creating a giant shoe with pans and their lids? Or who would imagine using giant embroidery textiles on top of Portuguese national monuments? Joana Vasconcelos work in the outdoors has made her art widely noticed, not only by the art experts, but particularly, by the common citizen, used to the shapes and materials common in their daily lives.

Joana works with artisans and gives a new way to look at traditions although she also uses materials apparently without value. For instance she puts handmade embroidery work on top of typical pottery from Caldas da Rainha; creates “monsters” with several textiles; or she uses maritime tools to create a giant necklace.

Joana Vasconcelos impresses by the apparent contradiction from the high impact created by her artwork and the low value from the materials she uses. Joana’s work can achieve high prices in the art market, for instance, in June there was “Golden Independent Heart” being auctioned at Christie’s by 192,000 Euros.

It is believed that this breed was brought to the Iberian Peninsula in the year 409 AD by the Visigoths. Since then the Portuguese water dog has become a companion from the fishermen helping bringing the fishing nets and even transporting messages between boats. However the fishing technology developments brought difficult days to this breed and in 1981 the Portuguese water dog was so rare that was included in the Guinness World Book of Records has being the rarest breed in the world. Nevertheless, this might have not been the reason why it was chosen by the US president. The Portuguese water dog is friendly and cheerful always ready to play, in particular, with children.

“Douro is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. The reaches of the Douro have a microclimate allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes important for making the famous Port wine.”

Maybe this was a surprise to many, indeed, although Port wine is widely known internationally the Douro valley might not reach the same popularity. Well, almost everyone know that Port comes from Portugal, it name derives from Portuguese city Porto, but many do not known that Port is produced in the Douro valley. Near Porto the Port wine is matured in cellars just on the banks of the river Douro. About 70 kilometers upstream you will find also in the banks of the river Douro the vineyards from the demarcated Douro wine region from where the Port wine is produced. This region covers approximately 240 000 ha although the vineyards occupy only slightly more than one-tenth of this area; the remaining part is covered with a variety of vegetation including pine-forests, almond and olive trees.