Difference between Spanish and Portuguese...

Are we talking the difference between Norwegian and Swedish, or more like the difference between Finnish and Estonian? Are Portuguese and Spanish able to understand each other speaking each others languages or is it difficult?

Thanks

I know jack about the Estonian/Finnish situation, but from what are I know, it parallels the Swedish/Norwegian-Danish story. Namely, there' s mutual understandability to a high degree, but it is asymmetrical, i.e., Portuguese-speakers can understand Spanish better than the other way round, generally speaking.

HAND, hth.

I also think it depends of the "level of language." The majority of Spanish speakers can read Portuguese at a 90% or more level. Notwithstanding, when speaking of "educated speech" where you would speak using less colloquialisms and keep the accent "neutral," an educated speaker of Latin Americans Spanish can have a conversation with an educated person who speaks slowly in a neutral Brazilian Portuguese. Understanding would be limited when someone uses Mainland Portuguese or an Azores accent but overall understanding would be greater between Spanish and Portuguese then let say an Italian person speaking to a Spanish person.

"Differences between Spanish and Portuguese"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences_between_Spanish_and_Portuguese

Difference between Portuguese and Spanish is similar to difference between Danish and Swedish.Danish pronunciation is complicated as Portuguese.