25 April Bridge Sesimbra Azeitao Arrábida Natural Park Setúbal Vasco da Gama Bridge Alfredo Marcenei

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• published: 15 Jun 2016
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Directly to the south below Lisbon are the two towns of Sesimbra and Setubal - by Kari Gröhn karigrohncom The 25th of April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) - The Golden Gate's twin sister was completed in 1966. This suspension bridge across the Tagus River remembers the Portuguese Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974. It has the longest central span in Europe (1013m), longer than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Both bridges are located in regions of high possible seismic activity and their designs are almost identical. The south tower the Lisbon suspension bridge extends for 79m below the water level deep into the solid bed rock. The bridge was originally named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar). The bridge went under extensive expansion in 1995, increasing the number of lanes from 4 to 6. A train line was added below the road level in 1999. The Sesimbra Castle (Castelo de Sesimbra, Castelo dos Mouros) - The Moorish castle of Sesimbra was one of the first victories for the Christian conquest of Portugal over the Moors in the 12th century. Azeitao - The Jose Maria da Fonseca Winery Museum is a Legend of the Portuguese wine industry. In Portugal´s heyday, winemakers realised there were profits to be made shipping his vintages to the colonies, particularly Brazil. The moscatel (or muscat) grape has a particularly aromatic flavour with high sugar levels, which makes it ideal for refining into sweet, fortified wines and fortified wines are better able to survive long sea journeys. Jose Maria da Fonseca set up his first winery in the Setubal district south of Lisbon. His reputation was secured with two types of wine - Setubal Moscatel and Periquita - which he created within a year of each other in 1849-50. The Arrabida Natural Park (Parque Natural da Arrabida) is located on the northern shore of the Sado River estuary in Portugal. The park covers the Arrabida Hills, the Mediterranean-like vegetation and microclimate of which resemble Adriatic locations such as Dalmatia. The highest point in the park is the Serra da Arrabida at an elevation of 499 metres. Two of the park's beaches - Portinho da Arrabida and Figueirinh - are popular among the inhabitants of Lisbon and Setubal. Overlooking the two beaches is the Convent of Our Lady of Arrabida (Convento de Nossa Senhora da Arrabida), a former monastery established in the 16th century. The city of Setubal is located on the northern bank of the Sado River estuary. In the beginning of the 20th century, Setubal was the most important center of Portugal's fishing industry, particularly sardines. A dolphin colony inhabits the Sado River. Across the river on the south bank lies the peninsula of Troia, a place with vast white/golden sand beaches where several luxury hotels and resorts were recently built. The Troia peninsula can be sighted from the city, across the river. The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Ponte Vasco da Gama) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts and rangeviews that spans the Tagus River in Lisbon. The purpose of Europe´s longest bridge is to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon's other bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril), and to join previously unconnected motorways radiating from Lisbon. The bridge was opened to traffic in 1998, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India. Alfredo Marceneiro (1891-1982) - Alfredo Rodrigues Duarte, better known as Alfredo Marceneiro because of his original profession as a woodworker, (marceneiro), was a Portuguese Fado singer, with a singular voice. Marceneiro became a standard against which generations of fado singers are still measured today. In 1984, he was awarded posthumously Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique by former President of the Portuguese Republic, General Ramalho Eanes.