No. It isn't going to rain while we are there.

And anyway, we don't melt.

I got tickets for Benfica vs Man Utd. I'll be there split down the middle having worked for Benfica years ago but too being a united fan. Still after a few beers downtown before kick off the result won't matter too much...

So question is do I wear my Man U top in the Benfica section? Or cheer if they score?

I'll be the one with the banner saying "Hello all at Fodors.com"...

You won't have the ooportunity to cheer Man U goals... unless Benfica decides to concede 1 or 2 goals, just to make the game more interesting during the 2nd half.

To anybody staying in any hotel bordering the Park Edward 7th:
One of the most interesting spots of Lisbon is also one of the most unknown. Estufa Fria is a giant greenhouse with flora from all over the world, mostly tropical. It was designed in the early 20th century.
With the cost of 1 or 2 euros, a visitor may have a very relaxed afternoon, in the midlle of Lisbon.

No contributions today. I'm still licking the wounds...

Some notes to Sher:
Vila Nova 1000Fontes has my very favourite fish restaurant. It's "A Choupana" in Praia do Farol (Light house Beach). It's a low scale, unpretentious restaurant, made in wood, win sinful good grilled fish. It's 5 meters from the sand and 20 meters far from the ocean. My favourite is "Dourada grelhada", but if you prefer other fish just point the raw fish and say "I want this" and they grill it 4u. They accept credit cards and usual ways of payment. The phone number is 283996643. Another very good option is a pizza restaurant (Pateo da Pizza", with one part under a roof and the other part is a pateo (open yard). I went to another place called "A fonte", managed by a foreigner (Dutch or German) a few years ago and I loved it. I went there more recently and I felt it very degraded (the food and the place) and expensive.
In Choupana, if you go there for lunch, it makes a good leisure afternoon to ask a drink and stay there for one or two extra hours. They won't urge you to leave.

On the way up, the place worth of a short visit is Sines, the birth place of Vasco da Gama. Avoid the super highway and take the road by the sea along the Troia peninsula. In Troia there is a ferry boat taking the cars and people to Setubal. In October, by lunch time, I think you should be nearly the only passangers. With a lot of luck it's possible to see the dolphins, but don't be too optimistic about that.
From Setubal, keep going north along the Atlantic to a place called Portinho da Arrabida. It's a bautiful, tiny place, with a nice beach and some fish and shellfish restaurants. Keep going north, and eventually you'll reach the 25th April bridge (the golden gate) and Lisbon. This is not too difficult to navigate, but you need a decent map. Either bridge you take, I think the good option os to return the car in the airport.

lobo_mau. Thanks for the notes on our return to Lisbon.
That is perfect. We told Paulo that we would be in Lisbon late in the afternoon as we will want to nake our way leisurely up the coast.

See you soon.

We had an incredible time in Lisbon thanks to the kindness, generosity and hospitality of Lobo, Loba, Matt and Gertrude.

We're looking forward to our next visit to Lisbon and to Portugal.

Here's our Trip Report:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34878961

David & Susan (dwsnyder)

Sorry,

I should have said "Thanks to the kindness, generosity and hospitality of Lobo, Gertrude (Loba), Matt and Liz" !

David

For visitors approaching Vasco da Gama bridge from South, I recommend Freeport Alcochete (outlet mall outside Lisbon).
It has all the fashion shops available in Lisbon, with 60 and 70% discounts. Freeport has over 200 shops and restaurants.
Avoid week ends and non working days.

Lisbon's city authorities are leading an investment of 1.1 billion euros over the next 14 years to face lift the historical area (downtown and Chiado).
The general idea is that besides Rossio and Chiado, there is a lot of degradation.
I hope to outcome to be a new city, more friendly.

The shopping mall looks very nice. Maybe we can stop on our way into Lisbon.
Thanks

A fresh report is up at The Lisbon Dining Club:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34817677

"Dinner with David".

1 down, 2 to go...

BTW been following the news about my beloved NYC, oh boy did my heart miss a beat when I heard the headline "Plane crashes into Manhattan building."

My thoughts are wiht all of you. (And about going to be!)

Take care and speak soon,

Matt

Correction:

My thoughts are with you.

And about going to Bed.

It's late, been drinking, now going to bed.

Matt

Hello! I have enjoyed reading your amiable correspondence for some weeks while planning my first trip to Portugal. My wife & I shall be in Lisbon 10/19 and 20. Any chance of meeting up with a Dinner Club group? We shall be leaving on the 21st for one night in Tomar, then onto the Algarve for a week and 2 nights in Granada to see the Alhambra. We are first time travelers to Portugal. If we don't meet, I feel fortunate to have met you via the internet and hope to dine where you have had pleasant evenings.

beachman, we are meeting next Friday for a late (light) dinner with Newcomer. Please Email me to [email protected] and I'll reply with details and my telephone number.

ttt

Next 11 and 12th November there will be the 23rd Marvao Chessnut Fair.

You can't believe what is possible to do from chessnuts, from soups to desserts.

http://www.azenhadoramalho.com/marvao.htm

I'l be there with the whole wolves pack, for a program including evetually dining in Adega do Isaias in Estremoz and staying in Sogra's Inn.

It's raining. Good day to stay home.

I am currently planning an itinerary for a trip to Portugal for next September/October. Can anyone tell me what I can expect in terms of stores/sites being closed on Friday, October 5th (Republic Day). I am hoping to drive from Marvao to Obidos with a stop at some pottery stores along the way. Would I have better luck trying to be in a city (Lisbon) or perhaps on a beach (Cacais?) that day? Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you

Lobo, oh boy has the weather sucked since the weekend...

And still am I two LDC reports behind :-(

Matt

See the dentist. No kidding! As an ex-navy dental tech previously stationed in Spain I am happy to report that I've made four trips to northern Portugal near Braga for dental work. Believe it or not the quality was excellent and the price so economic that it paid for the trip. Also much of the trip became a legitimate tax deduction.

Root canals $25 to $50. No joke...excellent results 4 years after my first root canal experiance. In the

Porcelane crowns $250

Restorations are $25 to $50

My estimated bill in USA would have been about $15K...in Portugal it was about $2K.

Yep, it's not just the bacalhau and Port wine we are famous for...

Lobo, your humble servant, and Loba are going to attend a Fado show next Tuesday in Aula Magna of Lisbon Univertsity :-)
http://www.ul.pt/?e=697
D. Vicente da Camara and Teresa Tarouca are mythical figures of Fado scene and Maria Ana Bobone is a voice of the new generation.
Notice that the D. before Vicente is not a name but the word "dom" meaning that Vicente is a member of small nobility.
More news to follow next Wednesday (a holiday in most of the Catholic world)
Take care / Lobo Mau

Beautiful show!!!
D. Vicente da Camara is 78 years old and improving every day!!!
Maria Ana Bobone is (very) pregnant and magificent as usual.
Mariza (who was not there) is the most rewarded voice but Maria Ana Bobone is my favourite in the younger generation.

Here's a short report of our evening of Fado with Lobo and Loba and 2 Fodorites from Michingan, USA. We met under the Arch in a town square, then meandered up a hill to a club called "Cabbage Soup," but with a far more romantic-sounding name in Portugese. We sat through at least 3 sets of music. The renditions were rendered with unchecked emotion. I would rate the company as superlative, the music as very entertaining, and the food as only fair. To be fair, one rarely goes to clubs for the food. As the evening drew to an end, we felt that we had made new friends. We were surprised to find how close we were to our hotel, the Heritage Liberdade on the Avenida Liberdade. In Lisbon, we enjoyed just strolling the streets and seeing the sites in Belen. We rented a car and traveled to Tomar, a town that I would describe as "Harry Potter" come alive, with a great, romantic castle on the hill and a charming village at its feet. Then we spent almost a week in the Algarve. While we stayed on the beach (Monte Gorda) near San Antonio Real on the Spanish border, we toured the coast-line, including Sagres, Silves, Loule, Oaho, & Tavira. We then drove to Seville, touring the Cathedral and having a wonderful lunch, then driving onto Granada and the Alhamabra. We stayed in Casa Morisco, in the old Moorish part of the city. We had our own small balcony, where we could stand and look up to the illuminated Alhambra. The air was crystaline clear, the days warm & evenings pleasantly cool. Our drive back to Lisbon was through some of the most scenic country I have seen on any continent: great plantations of olives, sometimes with buttes dramatically arising out of the plains, then sierras with chestnuts aflame in their yellow, autumn foliage, across the River Tagus into the breadbasket of Portugal, where there were fields of wheat freshly harvested and haystacks just newly stacked. It was wonderful. As wonderful as it was, I must add again that a very special part of it was meeting Lobo and Loba & their generously sharing an evening with us. If you have the chance, grab it.

Hello all,

I've made mention in the LDC thread about an ongoing health problem which has been getting me down, things have come to a head and following my return from England on Nov 27, I'll be going into hospital for an operation on the 28th. Suffering from 50% kidney failure with the left having packed up completely. Won't bore you all with gory details but I hope that soon shall it be functioning again and is once more able to process all the red wine we drink on our nights out ;-)

So in terms of time I am going to be rather limited by circumstance and will be handing the reigns over to Lobo Mau for the foreseeable future. Then when I'm back on my feet again I promise to get my backside in gear and post some more.

Until that time comes, happy trails and be good,

Matt.

Matt, I hope doctors did a good job removing all the stones and that you are ready for Periquita red and Açorda de Gambas and Secrets of Black Pig. Did they use the traditional surgery or the vacuum cleaner technique?
We (loba and I) think it's the due time to start planning the NYDC. I'm affraid our agendas are difficult to match but we will do our best to accomodate them.
KR and may the force be with you.
PS: It's an uggly raining winter night in Lisbon.

Matt, I second Lobo's wishes.

Lobo, NYDC? Really? Sounds interesting to me.

I also wish Matt well.

And like Nikki, I am intrigued by a NYDC. DH and I would love to see everyone again as well as meet everyone else.

NYDC does sound good!

We're planning a trip East to New York, Boston, Rhode Island and DC sometime next year- maybe we can make it!

Lobo:

Would like to grow some Açorda de Gambas and Secrets of Black Pig next year in my garden. Please send seeds !

Have you heard from Matt/Lizzy ? Hope all is well. Our best to Loba !

David and Susan

I think Lobo means a New Year dinner , not a New York one :)

Hope Matt is doing OK and we have him back here soon !!!

Oh no, it's definitley New York...

Putting together our annual Christmas newsletter and since our June trip to Portugal was the highlight of the year thought I would check the board after a long absence.

So sorry to hear of your health problems Matt. Hope all is well and you are on the mend.

So many great reports and LDC meetings this year. I guess things have slowed with the onset of winter.

Jim and I send our best wishes this holiday season to Lobo, Loba, Matt, Lizzy and all we have only read about here. We do hope to return soon.

A dinner meeting in NYC sounds great too - just pick a date.

Barbara

Wish I could add a sound clip here ! A loud and resounding 'Maaaatttt!' as in the old sitcom Cheers.

Matt - glad you're back (I hope you're back!). Hope all is well and we'll see you in NYC.

Lobo has been (more or less) behaving in your absence.

Happy holidays to Liz and Caroline
btw - I can still count to ten, well maybe six, in Portuguese - Thanks Caroline !

I have first dibs on the NYDC, since I mentioned it first.

Hey Matt! Great to see you back online, and, I hope, in good shape. Would love to explore the seedy Greenwich Village haunts of the Beat Generation with you. Hope Skip and I can meet up with you and the Lisbon Gang in NYC for an NYDC sometime next year.

Having spent 1 afternoon 15 years ago in NYC, it gives me absolutely no clue about where to start planning.
I believe I have to do the same way as the other tourists and buy the Rick Steves guide (may Matt forgive me for this).