The city of Setúbal is located in "Vale do Tejo", center Portugal. It´s a littoral city, a peninsula, with over 350.000 residents in which river "Sado" and the Atlantic Ocean meet. In Setúbal you can find both country and beach landscapes.
Some of the best touristic spots are: "Arrábida" mountain, with it´s beautiful natural park and unique flora, downtown´s monuments & churches (including "Largo de Jesus" convent), "São Jorge" castle and "Tróia", a narrow sand strip which has almost 20 Km of sand beach.
You can read a more detailed description of Tróia in this travel guide.
For many years, Setúbal was known as one of the biggest ports in Portugal. It´s population lived mainly from fishing and the port´s activities. The factories and services arrived later. Nowadays Setúbal has an industrial area, including a cement and paper factory. Those two factories, along with other industries, carry the major responsibility for river´s Sado existent pollution and the demage of Arrábida mountain natural environment.
Two decades ago, while crossing river Sado by ferryboat to Tróia, we could see dolphins swimming. Currently you can still spot some of these spices relatives, "Roazes", although their existence is being threatened by the growing levels of pollution.
Here´s a small map of Setúbal, I copied from Google:
Under each picture, I wrote a brief note about each spot and how I relate to it:
Downtown´s "Bocage" square. This is where I grew up.
In this square you can find a beautiful Portuguese "Calçada" (the floor), "Bocage" (famous writer) statue and one of the oldest churches in town. It´s also the center zone of the city in which the city-hall and major banks & services are located.
There are also many pigeons (protected birds by law) living freely which are feed by residents.
Street animation in a small street near Bocage square.
The building in which I lived for 17 years.
Two pictures from Setúbal´s docks.
"Naval" sea-sports club, inside the dock´s gates. In this building you can find one of the best (but simple) fish restaurants in town. You pay one fixed fee for a whole meal and you can eat as much as you like. Diversity and fish freshness, along with low prices, are this restaurant´s best qualities.
Grilling fish. Umm...I had an awesome lunch!
Views from the dock. The dock has a unique sea smell I enjoy very much and never seem to forget. After all it´s my hometown and sometimes I miss it so much...
Tróia seen from Setúbal´s dock. I spent so many summer days there...I even used to camp for weeks in "Caldeira da Tróia", specially during religious celebrations in honor of "Nossa Senhora dos Pescadores" (the fisherman´s protector saint celebrations that take place in August).
Arrábida Mountain seen from the dock. A beautiful sunset in a winter day. Seagulls were looking for a meal.
Two of the best pictures I took that day.
See you :)
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