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).