All right then, as no one else is about to do it I'll claim post # 100 in this new thread. I'll be back in Portugal tomorrow and will be replying to a back log of emails (apologies and please bear with me) and answering questions. Glad to see all is functioning well without me - Lobo are you behaving yourself?

Looking foward to some Portuguese food, Lobo we'll have to convene the LDC just for me

Take care all and be good,

Matt

Hey Matt, welcome back! Happy to have you back where you belong...
Bailey's and our dates in Lisbon overlap on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27, so I hope you and Lobo and others who are in town will be able to fix up an LDC date for one of those evenings. We're certainly looking forward to it. Thanks, Nancy

We will be in Portugal in August. I have three open days in the Lisbon area and want to treat my wife to something unique for an important birthday.

Can anyone suggest a favorite hotel / restaurant for a special occassion?

We live near a beach at home, so are more interested in something historic or culturally distinctive rather than resorty. I know August is high season so want to get something soon.

Many thanks!

Matt, welcome back, we missed you.
I alredy put my agenda on hold on 26th and 27th May. Matt, what do you think about going to Páteo da Memória on the Saturday 27th? (with live music)
Robert, you are wrong. Lisbon is low season in August. I believe you are looking for more upscale activities than those depicted in LDC meetings. Let me do some investigation and keep looking for these pages.

Robert, this is the place: http://www.tavaresrico.pt
You may do reservations online, or than throught email [email protected]
The location is Chiado/Bairro Alto. The cost per person should be no less than 100 euros.
Tavares restaurant is several times referred in "The Maias", the master piece of the Portuguese diplomat and novelist Jose Maria Eça de Queirós (1855-1900). The plot is mostly around the Chiado area, (S. Carlos Opera house and Tavares Restaurant). Consider reading the novel as a preparation for your visit (sold in www.amazon.com by less than 20 $USD)
KR/LM

lobo - thank you for the pottery store recommendation. I think I found a website for Redondo and it looks like their pottery is exactly what I'm looking for - especially their blue and white.

http://localnet.pt/olaria-pirraca/index.html

Welcome Back Matt! My husband and I are looking forward to meeting up with you, lobo, and Nancy at the end of May!

Welcome back Matt!
Hope you enjoyed your visit. Please include my husband and me in plans for LDC on either the 25 or 26th of May. We will be in Cascais and should be able to get to Lisbon easily enough. It sound like a good time.

Bailey: Do you know this website that is full of wonderful places to see tiles in Lisbon...

http://www.instituto-camoes.pt

I'm eager to see the pottery in Redondo too.

Correction on the tile site. You have to go here to get the right one. But I can't get it to print it only once!

http://www.instituto-camoes.pt/cvc/a...eng/index.html

Lobo,

Thanks so much for the idea of Tavares! It looks like it should be the perfect spot for a very special night. We'll have to try some of the LDC ideas for other meals while we're there.

I appreciate the Jose Maria Eça de Queirós recommendation. We enjoyed reading Samramago's 'Blindness' but were looking for more to give us the flavor of Portugal.

All best,
Robert

Nancy - thanks so much for that wonderful website! I found it to be very interesting - what beautiful tiles!

bailey6325. I decided to rent the car from www.economycarrentals.com. I guess I will be the test case.

I used Carjet and I was very happy with them. I did write to them a while ago and they gave me a quote, but recently they told me it was too early.

So wish me luck.

Sher - Let us know how it works out with Economy Car Rentals. I'm sure it'll most likely work out for you. When is your trip? October?

We aren't going until October. It really is a long way off. But on previous trips I have always rented the car very early and it has always paid off. My estimates usually only go up the closer the trip.

At least it will give people here an alternative. I will check with Auto Europe after I receive the voucher. But the price they quoted me is almost $900. I don't think they will come down to $338, but it wouldn't hurt to try. They haven't always matched another quote for me but sometimes they do.

You plan to buy pottery. Will you carry it with you or have it shipped? I would like to buy more things on this trip.

Hi Sher -

I plan to do my best and not buy too much pottery - I would like to carry it back with me. We're each taking a rolling, carry-on suitcase along with daypacks, so that we don't have to check anything on the way there. I'm also packing two stowaway bags in our suitcase, so we can use them on our trip home and check our rolling suitcases. I'll carry-on our pottery. I'm hoping that this will work for us because I've heard from quite a few people where their pottery, etc was broken when shipped back.

If you click on my screen name, you'll see a question I posted regarding this called "Shipping souvenirs back home from Europe?". I received a wide variety of responses - many people haven't had any problems shipping their items, but I'm not sure I want to take the chance...

And so yesterday saw me aboard the cheapie Monarch flight from London to Lisbon and the reason for the economy tickets is that it departed Gatwick at 0610hrs, meaning the entourage had to leave my mother's house at 0330hrs... Actually I was very impressed with Monarch (http://www.flymonarch.com) and will be using them in future for all flights to UK. (Next will be Novemeber and then again in December for Xmas) Anyway...

I slept most of the way waking up to the words "And soon we'll begin our descent into Lisbon..." and it seemed like I'd just closed my eyes - the benefits of an early flight I guess: listening in to excited conversations of those coming to Portugal for the first time "Oh look there's the big bridge." (Vasco de Gama) "That bridge looks like the Golden Gate!" Ponte 25 de Abril. "Look at the beaches, look at the houses, the river... etc etc... I think that's a football stadium." (as we skimmed over the top of Alvalade Stadium and a couple of bits of it fell off in the tailwind ;-)) Ah that kind of talk even made this jaded old traveller excited to be back in old Lisboa and I thought of you who will be visiting and looking from your windows with a porthole vision of Portugal.

Lobo, happy Revolution day! I am indeed myself revolted... having trod in one of the many dog craps outside my door

Wow looks like a real shindig at the end of May - Ladylyn + 1, Bailey + 1, Nancy + 1 and not forgetting Lobo and Gertrude, Lizzy and I: we'll get some great photos that night and the dining report will take forever!

Brought some nice camera equipment back from Blighty so expect some posts to be peppered with photo links in future...

Glad everyone is well and that the blog keeps marching on.

Take care,

Matt

Wow Matt; You made me just realize what day it is. I was 11yrs old on that day. Our neighbors came up to tell us not to go to school that day because of the revolution. I still remember seeing tanks drive down the street and all the different political parties hanging posters on all the walls and buildings. We left in July of that year, but now I'll be back soon!Yea!

Namaka, that's some great memories you have there - care to indulge us a little and post your memories in more detail? Any photos perchance?

Matt

Sher,
Can you elaborate a bit about economy rental? Or perhaps somebody else has used them? Do you know if they are located right in the airport? Their cost for an automatic Opel Corsca or Toyota Yaris was quite low ( E238) vs a Ford Focus manuel transmission from budget at E321. We typically rent manuel cars, but my husband refuses to drive a Puegot or Renault( bad experience in Florence a couple of years ago)and the automatic would allow me to drive while in Portugal as well. Since its our first trip, I want to keep it uncomplicated and picking the car up at the airport would be my prefernce.

ladylyn915. I finally found out where I had first saw the ad for this company.

They have placed ads on orbitz, trip advisor and another I cannot remember.

They are a broker, I called them. They are located in Greece. I thought they were a UK company.

They answered all of my questions about the excess. They have none.

I cannot vouch for them because I have never used them, but I sent in a reservation today.

Because it is an automatic, they will not confirm instantly. This is sometimes the case in Europe. I had to wait for Carjet to find a supplier. Even Auto Europe has made me wait for a supplier when I book so early.

The reservation fee with carrentals is 2E and then they will send a voucher. I will post when I recieve a voucher (if I receive one) and let you know what rental company they have placed me with. They say it is at the Lisbon Airport.

Wish me luck and I will let you know. The prices are very good but more importantly, the excess is zero. Of course, I know about the glass and tires being the exception.

For the 2E fee, I tok the plunge. They say the reservation can be cancelled with no penalty.