A walk through Portugal

What led you to walk through Portugal on your own?

Nuno Ferreira: I’d had the idea to cross the interior of Portugal for some time – the area people call “deep Portugal” – but life on the daily newspaper where I worked simply didn’t allow for it. When I left «Público» after 17 years I thought it was the right time to reconnect with my country - with the time and pace that daily newspaper journalism hadn’t afforded me. I knew walking would be perfect for this kind of project, and for my own personality. I like go out and meet people that you wouldn’t normally see or meet – people who live off the habitual news radar.

Now that you’ve done it, do you think it’s a good idea, or just totally crazy?

It’s fantastic! A way of discovering day-to-day life in areas of the country that are totally forgotten.

You began in the Algarve, why?

Because at the time of starting out (February), it was the place with the best weather!

Do you have any idea how much you spent on this journey?

A lot! I didn’t take a tent, you see. I didn’t sleep rough as I couldn’t do without a good bed.

What were your impressions of the Algarve?

I discovered there are various Algarves – though the greatest dichotomy is between the interior hill regions and the coast. The desertification of those hills, and even the “barrocal” region (between the hills and coast), left me very sad. But, on the other side of the coin, the Vicentina coast and the islands of Ria Formosa are some of the best areas Portugal has to offer.

Did you walk to a strict itinerary through “deep Portugal”, or did you improvise along the way when the spirit of adventure took you?

As the trip was initially organised in collaboration with the «Única» magazine, attached to «Expresso» weekly newspaper I had to established an initial itinerary, but once I started I realised that it was better to go with what was happening in particular areas. Whatever routes I took, I always opted as much as possible for the interior, as opposed to the coast.

What struck you most along the paths through Portugal – either for positive or negative reasons?

I guess what impressed me most was the spirit of resistance - almost like a mission - that many Portuguese have who continue to work in the interior of the country - keeping theatrical, journalistic and artistic projects alive, far from the major centres; fighting against desertification and abandonment.

And what was the weirdest thing that happened to you?

Being stopped and questioned by the GNR for the simple fact that I was walking along with a knapsack on my back…

Was this really just a journalistic exercise, or was there an emotional element?

It was both. The more I walked, the longer the journey took, the more emotional it became. In some places people would ask me why I didn’t stop and stay if I liked the area so much. In others, people who I had never met before offered me help, a place to stay for the night.

Did you learn anything else about the Portuguese?

I am always learning! A journey on foot helped me understand better what differentiates someone from the Minho region, for example, from an Algarvian – and what unites them. The Portuguese are extremely critical of their country when it comes to the state of the economy, or politics – but at the same time they’re intensely proud of being Portuguese. I remember that I was walking along a road on the frontier between the Minho and Galicia (Spanish territory) and I’d notice a chapel, or a house, close to the Spanish side, flying a Portuguese flag. It was as if the person responsible there was saying. “Friends, I am Portuguese – and proud to be so!”

But do people change markedly from place to place (for example from the south to the north)?

People change a lot even within regions – and anyone walking, going slowly on foot, will notice these discrepancies. In the Algarve, for instance, someone who lives in Lagos, or Aljezur, has a whole different way of looking at things than, for example, a person from Alcoutim or Castro Marim. There’s a common thread (the language, the flag), but peoples’ ways of life and attitudes are very diverse.

But in general, what did you see? A derelict country?

People have come to congregate along the coast and in large urban centres. As my journey was made very much through the interior I had the chance to see the effects of this kind of rural exodus. I discovered empty, or almost empty villages; a very elderly population and lots of reminders of emigration abroad – particularly in the Beira Interior and Trás-os-Montes areas. A day’s walking for example could bring me into a village with 150 or more houses, but with only two or three people actually living in it.

Do you think our political decision-makers in Lisbon know these realities?

I’d like to think that they do.

And the rest of us? Is Portugal seeing the reality that it has brought upon itself?

I think these days, like anywhere else in the world, Portuguese people are able to keep up with what’s happening through television and contact via the Internet.

But it’s not a pretty, or very optimistic, picture, is it?

What is pretty is if we discover things on foot – go walking. We can then see that we have some of the least polluted rivers in Europe and scenery and gastronomy of incredible diversity for a country so small. The sad truth seems to be that we can’t, as a nation, get these realities to work to our advantage.

Tell us a little about your book. Was it difficult to select the material?

It was difficult to select the photographs, as I had thousands of them! The text is basically a narrative that tells the ups and downs of the journey, from start to finish. I wasn’t restricted in length so I wrote as much as I wanted. In all there are almost 500 pages with lots of images and 10 maps that chart my progress and try and help the reader follow the route from south to north.

But does the book have a message? Something you wish to impart?

In this book – which will be published by a publisher created specially for the project through the «Café Portugal» portal – I simply pass on what I found as I walked. Readers will draw their own conclusions. Later, I will be writing a second, smaller book for the «Fundação Manuel dos Santos», in which I’ll be reflecting on the Portugal that I discovered.

And what’s your project after that?

I’d like to continue writing about Portugal and the Portuguese people. I kind of feel that I’ve left things out – that there are people, places that I need to visit, or revisit…