The Pope is in town.

I'd love to tell the Pope,

Gruss Gott (as the Austrians say when they greet each other)

Dear Schuler, long time no see!
I was walking yesterday near Nunciatura (Vatican's representation) and I saw the Pope who came out for a cigarrette. We chat for a few minutes and he sent a "Gruss Gott" to you.

The Pope better get out of town before the celebrations for Nenfica start. Those fans can get kind of wild.

Oops. Too early in the morning here. Of course I meant "Benfica".

Benfica is touring USA and Canada for friendlies followed by deserved summer holidays until next July.

Btw, soccer teams Benfica, Sp Lisbon and Belenenses offered each one, yesterday, a game shirt to the Pope with the name Bento (Benedictus) and the number 16. Benfica offered a silver eagle as well.

Terreiro do Paço (aka Praca do Comércio) received a complete face lift after some 2 years closed.
The floor was complete renovates and the side streets were closed for any kind of car or bus traffic.
Since 3 or 4 years ago, when it was a giant car parking to the present days, some was done, but there is a long way ahead.
The governamental offices working in some of the buildings are to be relocated and those spaces opened to private innitiative (bars, restaurants, art galleries, etc). The remaining traffic (paralel to the river) will be one day diverted, but that can not be done overnight.

Glad to hear they have taken down the construction fencing around the plaza. Is the ultimate plan to open up the square to the waterfront? A similar thing was done in Boston, but it did take several decades and the most expensive public works project in US history to relocate the highway that separated the city from the waterfront by putting it underground.

Yes. It is. I think something similar is expected here.
From engineering point of view, the situation is very complex due to the sensitivity and unstability of the underground.
This area has been conquested to the river during the last 2 centuries or so. If you can remember, there is a tower, at each end of the arches, and one of them received recently urgent maintenance works, because Lisbon was about to receive a leaning tower like Pizza.
There is a funny story about Terreiro do Paço (c cedilla reads like s in silver). TP means the Palace Ground and it's a designation as old as Portugal itself. Marques de Pombal, the minister of Dom Jose who was given the task of rebuiding Lisbon after the earthquake, and when the Plaza was rebuilt, said that from that moment on, the Plaza would be known as Praça do Comércio. In spite of the change in the official name, 200 years were not enough to enforce the new name of the square in Lisbonite's everyday speech.
The same applies to Praça Dom Pedro 4th. If you ask the official name, the most likely answer you get is "What???", but Rossio everybody knows where it is.

Benfica plays a friendly soccer match against New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. 20th May, 1am (Lisbon time).
Benfica's president signs in the same day a contract for the cable distribution of Benfica TV in the USA. After another friendly game in Canada, the president and one player will fly to Haiti. Benfica has been very active raising over a half million euros to Haiti through Benfica foundation.

We live ten minutes away from Gillette Stadium.

New York Times piece on the Alentejo region: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/travel/08next.html

thursdaysd. Brings back a lot of memories.

The New York Times seems to have discovered Portugal! This Sunday's Travel section has a Frank Bruni ode to Oporto and the Duoro: http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/30...tml?ref=travel

Too bad for us.

Carla's brother said: "I also developed more respect for Portugal’s affordably priced wines".
With fine wines costing 3 or 4 euros a bottle (in supermarkets, not fancy restaurants), there is no reason to stay sober in Portugal.

We are traveling to Portugal in July and I am enjoying reading all these posts. I would love a recommendation of where to go to enjoy fado. Thank you!

I have also found that some very nice wines are boxed. We were able to buy Monsaraz, a nice every day table wine, in a box in Monsaraz.
We do not have the opportunity to buy some of the wines we enjoyed in Portugal here where we live. We really like the Dao wines we have had.

skill, I think I have been posting a lot of BS during the last 3 years, but I'm glad to know you enjoyed.
I referred a couple of times Caldo Verde in Bairro Alto, mas the last time I went there, I didn't enjoy the atmosphere.
If you go to Alfama, you have a broader choice of options. Baiuca is nice, but they ask 25 euros per person (including diner). I've heard nice reports about Mesa de Frades. It was closed for renovations and I don't know of it already reopened. The Fado Museum (Museu do Fado) has a nice offer during the summer, and possibility of having dinner there too. Very closed to Fado Museum there is Parreirinha de Alfama, a classical fado club owned by mrs Argentina Santos. Any of these is a good option.
Baiuca is a very tiny place, if you choose it you need to
reserve in advance.

Saramago, 87, has died.
In spite of his wide acceptance abroad, he is not a consensual figure in his home country.