Vitor, welcome to the party. So far, I have the following confirmations:
Matt+Liz
Lobo+Loba
Nancy1652+1
Ladylyn915+1
Bailey6325+1
Cindy+Jason
Vitor

Lady, I'm not sure if I understood correctly your last message. Do you plan to have a car while in Cascais? If the answer is yes, then you should bring it to belem (it's very easy, you don't even need a map). Otherwise don't worry, we won't let you take a return train at 2 am.

Hi Isabel. Our trip isn't until October. I know it seems like I have been planning excessively, but I enjoy it and I really want to be able to see so much on the trip and I feel that good planning is essential.

We enjoyed our first trip to Portugal (May 2005) so much that we are returning in Oct. 2006.

There are places that we visited on the first trip that could be revisited, but the lure of the undiscovered is just too much. WE can always return.

I have written other trip reports. You can click on my name and see the last one on Portugal. But I feel that I could do better. So this time I am going to make an effort to be more precise.

Portugal is still sort of undiscoverd with many Americans. But that is o.k. Because it can be the secret place of those of us who have discovered our own little retreat.

And this time I have the Lisbon Dining Club to look forward to.

So I encourage everyone to write a trip report.

Sorry Lobo --I do tend to speak in shorthand. Yes we will have a car, but I was worried that it would be complicated to get back and forth. But after soem research I guess we can find our way. Now I will only have to worry about how much wine we drink- LOL. Since we will most likely come to Belem earlier in the day, can you give me some advice on where to park? Is there a garage?

Thanks
Lyn

Matt/Lobo,
What type electrical adapter/convertor will I need to charge my cell phone while we are in Portugal? We have T-Mobile cell phone service that will work in Portugal(although very expensive-$1.00 per minute)I only plan to use the phone 2 or 3 times while there- when we arrive, about half way through the trip and when we leave, but the battery will probably wear down and need a charge.
Also, we have a camera battery charger we bought in Italy a couple of years back, will that work in Portugal?
As you can see, I am beginning to pack and these questions are coming to mind.
Tks
Lyn

O.k. I have a feeling I know how Sher will answer (maybe not--don't mean to throw you under the bus Sherry!) but I'm curious about how some of you others will respond. If you had to choose (for a 2 day excursion) what would it be:
a) Obidos/Nazare/Alcoboca/Batalha
b) Setubal Peninsula
c) southern Alentejo coast ie. Vila Nova Milfontes

Still trying to figure out the itinerary. So far it's 5 1/2 days in the Alentejo and 8 1/2 in Lisbon (with day trip to Sintra). The 3 fixed things are our arrival in Portugal, our arrival in Lisbon to meet up with our friend and our departure date. There's so much we want to see!!!!

H&C, option a)

In terms of Portuguese villages A is a very good option. Setubal peninsula will be good if you can do - Sesimbra with its quaint old town and harbour, most excellent seafood eating places, Arribida Park with the beautiful scenery and the dolphin tours of the Sado estuary - the only river dolphins that can be seen in Iberia I think. But that is a lot to fit in. As to southern Alentejo I'm sorry but no exp...

Matt

Praça do Imperio is roughly a rectangle. The western side is CCB, a massive modern style stone (pink, I think) building, with small windows.
The nothern side is Jeronimos. a gothic cathedral)
The western side is a row of small old buildings, including the newspapers kiosk I've been mentioning and MacDonalds.
The southern side is opended to the river.
Lady, from Cascais, there it's impossible to get lost. The first thing you see from Praça do Imperio is CCB on your left, keep going direction Lisbon. don't worry to leave Praça do Imperio behind, but prepare to turn left when possible. When possible, turn left, and the next corner, left again. It's very easy to understand that you are right, because you'll be in Junqueira street, the only in the area, with tram rails. Junqueira St has 2 lanes, one bus lane and one ordinary lane. You are now going in the opposite direction (Lisbon to Cascais). You'll see the Pink House (President official residence), a police station, the shop of Pasteis de Belem and finally the street opens to Praça do Imperio again, with Jeronimos on your right.
There are 2 possible parkings. The first is CCB undergroung parking. I don't know the exact cost but it should be around 1 euro/hour. The second is a parking near the newspapers kiosk and Macdonals. It must be full, but if you want to park there, stop where possible there will be people willing to find you a place. It's a good policy to give one euro in exchange of this small favour, and you may be sure the car remains safe.
I plan to park in this opened car parking, to our meeting at 7pm.
Note: On your drive from Cascais, after Alges, it's possible to cross over the railways. Don't accept this possibility. You should enter Praça do Imperio with CCB on the left and railways on your right.

Lobo thanks!

We should be fine. I've printed your directions and will take them with me.

One image is worth 1000 words. I'll send you later tonight a schematic map (powerpoint) with all the Belem's points of interest, including the recommended car parking and the LDC meeting point

You're the best! thank you!

Lyn

Since Lyn asked about the cell phone charger, I will bring the topic up again. I received my phone from the eBay seller with one problem: the charger is not dual voltage. That may be your problem as well Lyn. If the charger is dual voltage (as most appliances are these days) then you can just use it with an adapter plug. But now I have to find a new charger. Course since the phone is useless in the US, basically so is the charger! I did charge it up so it is ready to go when we get a SIM card when we get there. Then I will have a phone number and I will try to make contact to set up another LDC meeting.

Am I right on this? - I am learning! I asked on some other Fodors forums and got very helpful information.

We are arriving in Portugal just after the big LDC meeting. Sounds like a great time and hope I can find internet access to read the report - my husband will think I have totally lost it! I will just say I HAVE to email home and sneak a peek at Fodors!

Two weeks to go.
Barbara

Barb. I have my cell phone which was purchased in Australia and is dual band (cannot be used here).
My charger is not dual voltage. The prongs on the charger cannot be plugged in here (the US) unless I use an adaptor. We brought the adaptor with us for the difference in the wall slots, but we did not use any kind of voltage regulator. We just plugged the adaptor into the wall here to charge before we left. In Portugal, we plugged the adaptor into the wall and plugged in the phone charger.
I am wondering since these phones are not really made to use in the US, we do not need a voltage regulator.

HMMM Sher that is interesting. I looked up Australia and they use 220 like Portugal so I would expect it to work there but not here in the US with our 110 voltage. This is all too much for my untech brain.
My husband plans to try the phone in Thailand this week so we will see what happens!

It is really funny that you should post this question.

When we went to Portugal, it never even entered my mind that a voltage regulator would be needed. I just used the adaptor here, charged it and used a different setting on the adaptor there and charged it.

It is only recently that I started wondering about regulating the current. And then I dismissed it because I thought that I surely would have burned it up if one was necessary.

Last week, I sent the phone, charger and adaptor to my son to use who is now in Ireland on a short business trip. And he is using it there with no regulator.

I do have a very nice adaptor that I bought from Tumi. You don't think it could have a built in voltage regulator, do you? I will be curious to see how your husband makes out in Asia.

Sooooooo. I'm not sure-- did you answer my question? Do I need a converter for Portugal? Will my adapters from France work in Portugal?

Sorry I know I am dense, but I am as untechie as you can get.
Lyn

Lyn
check out this site Maybe it will help

www.franzus.com In the left menu click on voltage/adaptor guide

Well. The answer is that I do not know.

I did not need one for the phone I have, but I don't want to assume that it is not needed by any phone.

I might try to find out from xyz123. He seems to know just about everything there is to know about cell phones abroad.

Sherry

Lyn. If you are reading this, I posted a question about voltage regulators and cell phones.

Click on my name and it will come up.

Boy, you can get answers here to just about anything.

I can't believe there is one travel book about Molvania in amazon.com !!!
Amazon is great I've just ordered 2 other books:

- "Here speeching American" and
- "English as She is to speak"

The last one was writen by a Portuguese gentleman, and this doesn't make me proud ;-)

As you see, I am doing my homework, because I want to be able to communicate in the next LDC