The Gulbenkian Museum has a terrific special exhibit called "The Evolution of Darwin." For someone like me, who's pretty ignorant when it comes to science, it was fascinating. It has four main components -- first, all the scientists laying the groundwork through botany, anatomy, etc. Then a big chunk on Darwin's life, the 5 year Voyage of the Beagle, etc. Then the elaboration of the theory and how he did it, and how other scientists were coming to the same ideas simultaneously (I never knew he almost got scooped!). And finally, the incredible importance of the theory for genetics, the genome project, etc. Along with one very hard hitting video on how "theory" in science means something totally different than our layperson usage of the term.

The exhibit skirted the edges of the religious implications (as did Darwin try to in his lifetime, in fact, one of the panels said he left human beings out of his Origin of the Species because he thought people would accept it more easily if it were dealing only with animals and plants).

Most of the exhibit has Portuguese/English descriptions. There's one or two rooms where it's all in Portuguese, but their are laminated translations in English. This isn't as convenient as the rest of the exhibit because you have to keep going back and forth to the laminated translations which are chained to the wall, but the fact that the exhibit is bilingual is pretty astonishing to me, and the quality of the translation is exceptional.

We went on a Sunday, when it's free (big crowds but by 1 pm they were gone). Otherwise, it's 4 E (5E if combined with an entrance to the general museum).

We spent almost 3 hours inside the exhibit, well beyond my usual tolerance for museums. I would not try to combine this with the Gulbenkian's regular collection.

Because it was a glorious day, we brought a picnic lunch to eat in the gardens afterwards. The gardens are very pleasant and shaded. There's also a nice cafe where I've eaten before with outdoor seating.

The exhibit runs through May 24.

Thanks a lot Ireynold.
It's in my to-do-list.

I think you'll like it Lobo. I should also add that there were lots of children on the Sunday we went. There are some real animals from the zoo there (some of the species Darwin wrote about and saw on his voyage), some very interesting and colorful displays, and one big video screen taking the vertebrae of a horse and minutely changing it one frame at a time till we get the vertebrae of a human being -- there were kids there watching this very intently.

I have to share an anecdote from long ago that this exhibit rekindled my memory of -- my son was 4 and we were standing in front of a mural (much like one they had at this exhibit) showing the stages of man from monkey to caveman to modern man, etc etc. I thought I had done a masterful job of explaining evolution and how monkeys evolved into human beings, when my son looked at me in disbelief and said -- Mama, did papa used to be a monkey?

This text to speech is excellent. I've tried it many times with difficult words and never found anything less than perfect. The guys behind it should be incredible.

http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tt...le.php?sitepal

As an example try the words óbidos, évora, cascais, belém, rossio, restauradores, estação do rossio.

Don't forget to choose an European character, or them swap between European and Brazilian to check the differences.

Wow! (Doesn't rhyme with...) I was looking for a way to kill a few hours, wasn't I?

Nikki, please help me, after a 2nd reading, I think that "these guys should be incredible" should be replaced by "these guys must be incredible". Am I right, or is there a better formulation?
(Who said English is an easy language???)

Nobody said English is an easy language.

Your second version is correct.

Summer this year arrived ahead of time.

... and the silly season came with the blue sky.

The Spanish newspaper La Opinion de Zamora warns it's readers to the danger caused by crocodiles in the Portuguese section of Douro River.

Please bring your safari equipment :-)

http://www.laopiniondezamora.es/secc...cia-cocodrilos

I see. The Douro is now a dangerous place to visit. Is that why the port is shipped by truck instead of by boat to O'Porto?

Have you ever heard about Mexican fado? If you haven't, take note of these names: singer Marcela Ortiz Aznar and group Poetica Saudade Fado Belem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFLJr7nUIbw

And what about Japanese Fado?
The name is Kumiko Tsumori. Lot's of references in the internet, among them:
http://www.france24.com/en/20090119-...tivates-lisbon

A large number of persons (4,000 by some accounts) have lost their lives on the 29th March 1809 in Douro River, trying to cross the river from Porto town to Vila Nova de Gaia, escaping from the French Army's bayonnettes.
In the north bank there is a memorial to the horrors of war, and even 200 years after the event, it is possible to watch small candles lit by anonymous people in memory of the souls of those who perished that day.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wi...arcas/#english

This weekend Nuno Alvares Pereira (14th century) was raised by Pope Benedictus XVI to the dignity of saint of the Catholic Church.
As happened usually in Middle Ages, the nobility with their private armies, moved to join the party that looked stronger (watch the Braveheart for analogy). During the dinastic sucession crisis of 1383-1395, all the nobility moved to Castilla with their private armies, and Nuno Alvares Pereira led an army of paisants, poorly armed and organized the resistence against the all mighty castillian army. Both sided engaged four times in the battle fields and the luck shined all the 4 times to the Lusitanian side. The Batalha Convent was raised to give account of this. As a result an obscure illegitimate son on late king Pedro called Joao, gained the access to the throne. Pedro was the "husband to be" of Ines de Castro, who was killed in Quinta das Lagrimas, Coimbra (Place of Tears) by 2 men sent by Pedro's father. Pedro and Ines stone tombs are worth to visit in Alcobaca Monastery. The tombs are placed in such way that in the day of last judgement, they Pedro and Ines are able to raise and watch each other, before they can see anything else.
Joao (by some unknown reason, all outstanding men in Portugal are given the name Joao) married Philippa of Lancaster, the elder daughter of Engand's John of Gaunt and they produced together the most distinguished offspring of Portugal's History, one of which is Prince Henry the Navigator. Joao's horse statue may be seen in Praca da Figueira, looking South.
After his warrier adventures, Nuno Alvares Pereira embraced the religious life, and joined Carmo Convent (Chiado area of Lisbon) where he lived to the end of his days.

correction: crisis of 1383-1385

Lobo, your humble servant and Mrs Wolf, have visited yesterday the new Starbucks Belem.
We've been is some SBs in NYC 2 years ago, and found SB to be comparable to a good coffee shops in Europe and this particular one displays the same standard.
IMHO it has good and not so good aspects. The good point is an upper room and terrace with lots of space, with students and visitors with their laptops. I assumed, but not sure that there is free wireless internet.
The not so good aspect is that an expresso coffee costs 1.35 euros, when is possible to find in the next door the same by .50 euros.

Christ statue in the south bank of Tagus River turned yesterday 50 years old.

Darwin's Origins of Species (Gulbenkian exhibit) ended last Saturday. As typical Portuguese, mr and mrs lobo chose the last day to visit. The exhibition deserves all the good words said about it. Apart from some 30 minutes in ticket line, everything was ok, and the last day croud effect was not felt. No more days for Darwin in Lisbon. I think that in the future, most of materials are to be reloccated to Amadora, but I know no details.

Lisbon Zoo celebrates today it's 125th birthday. When the zoo was young, mr Carlos da Maia was still very alive. It's a beautiful place to spend an afternoon, the other is Estufa Fria

Hello dear Lobo! Still thinking of you and and your very nice wife! Mr. Otto was just here for an English lesson and he sends his greetings.

It seems just about time for another trip. The airfares from the US to Lisbon are almost too good to resist.
Regards from us to Mrs. Lobo too.