London Branch Annual Summer Trip 2012 - Lisbon
28/06/12 22:52
All those who went to Lisbon agreed it was one of the best, not so much for the big event that has featured in others or the places visited but because of the constant, mind-boggling places and event round every corner. You could not make it up, you might not even believe it…….
Start your visit as you mean to go on in the restaurant garden of Los Sentidos under the canopied shade of the big tent. Another tent offers massage and relaxation while the buffet offers all you can eat for £5.
This is how to chillax - in the little park under the Adamastor statue with the youth of Lisbon enjoying the best view (or miradouro) in the city: the City and Tagus estuary spread before you and the spectacular Abril 25 Bridge in the distance with the sun setting behind it. A beer in one hand and a quince jam sandwich in the other. Can life in Lisbon get better than this? Yes it can.
Sintra, a world heritage site, offers houses cascading down wooded slopes below fairy tale castles and is the home of the best cake and pastry shop in Portugal (probably) so share it with hundreds of bikers for a truly surreal experience. Try standing at the top of a fairy tale tower turret made for two with three members of the Vilnius, Lithuania Chapter.
You could book flights to steel town in the Ukraine and watch England play Sweden or settle down in the palatial surroundings of the Lisbon Snooker Club, a gleaming wood panelled gentlemen’s club from a bygone time. The influx of a dozen Carlisle United fans to watch the match is regarded as only second to the Fatima miracle and the huge rounds are gifts and freebies. The result is mere icing.
The Belem Cultural Centre does what it says. The huge central courtyard has been turned into a seating area to watch the Euros on a huge screen complete with extensive bar and lounge area, table football machines and a mini-pitch for the althletic to show how it should be done. Inside the art gallery is a huge submarine made from bamboo and mud that houses a whole world in miniature. Yer actual art!
The main square has been dedicated to a huge festival of food and drink, the Mega Pic-Nic, where the Lisbon population is introduced to cows, chickens, courgettes and turnips. They lap it up and it is all being televised, it’s that BIG. There is a free (yes, that’s free) wine tasting available but it is essential that you are there for the wine not to just get bladdered. I can enthuse about shades of oak, hints of caramel and a slap of wet haddock like the best of them. While queuing for a beer in the opposite corner a car pulls up behind us and stops. The crowd goes wild. It is the star of the show Tony Carreira….say no more!
If one of the finest restaurants in Lisbon is only a short walk from the hotel why not give it a go. A blissful evening if the garden enjoying plate after plate of gourmet dishes from the buffet. Moby and Mario Soares can’t be all wrong. Round off the evening in the Enoteca, a wine bar housed in the building that was the end of the old aqueduct that brought Lisbon its water. Walk off the wine and meal by following a tunnel up to the reservoir. Bizarre.
The best way to see the city is to take the 28 tram or the 12 on its circular route round the castle. The little trams are essential to get round the tight corners as it crawls up the steep hills and brakes hard on the descents. It’s so good even the driver is joined by her friends on the front platform for a Sunday treat who help her out when she deals with the French tourists trying to scam a ride.
Could there be a better place to dine than the courtyard of the theatre and circus school. The pupils are also the waiters but do not arrive on unicycles juggling the bread rolls. It is just about the only trick they have missed with the view, the quality food and friendly atmosphere.
The tension in the city has existed all weekend as they await the vital, final, group game. If you want to watch Portugal play why not join the locals in the Park with a big screen provided by the park café. All the comfort of tables and chairs and waiter service. Well, when he has finished getting the sound to work.
Celebrate the victory in the nearby Pavilhao Chines, hidden and only available to those who know how to open the locked front door; its rooms contain a mind-blowing ceiling to floor collection of toys, military memorabilia, hats and random artefacts all in immaculate condition. The waist-coated staff serve us port in the Snooker room.
Start your visit as you mean to go on in the restaurant garden of Los Sentidos under the canopied shade of the big tent. Another tent offers massage and relaxation while the buffet offers all you can eat for £5.
This is how to chillax - in the little park under the Adamastor statue with the youth of Lisbon enjoying the best view (or miradouro) in the city: the City and Tagus estuary spread before you and the spectacular Abril 25 Bridge in the distance with the sun setting behind it. A beer in one hand and a quince jam sandwich in the other. Can life in Lisbon get better than this? Yes it can.
Sintra, a world heritage site, offers houses cascading down wooded slopes below fairy tale castles and is the home of the best cake and pastry shop in Portugal (probably) so share it with hundreds of bikers for a truly surreal experience. Try standing at the top of a fairy tale tower turret made for two with three members of the Vilnius, Lithuania Chapter.
You could book flights to steel town in the Ukraine and watch England play Sweden or settle down in the palatial surroundings of the Lisbon Snooker Club, a gleaming wood panelled gentlemen’s club from a bygone time. The influx of a dozen Carlisle United fans to watch the match is regarded as only second to the Fatima miracle and the huge rounds are gifts and freebies. The result is mere icing.
The Belem Cultural Centre does what it says. The huge central courtyard has been turned into a seating area to watch the Euros on a huge screen complete with extensive bar and lounge area, table football machines and a mini-pitch for the althletic to show how it should be done. Inside the art gallery is a huge submarine made from bamboo and mud that houses a whole world in miniature. Yer actual art!
The main square has been dedicated to a huge festival of food and drink, the Mega Pic-Nic, where the Lisbon population is introduced to cows, chickens, courgettes and turnips. They lap it up and it is all being televised, it’s that BIG. There is a free (yes, that’s free) wine tasting available but it is essential that you are there for the wine not to just get bladdered. I can enthuse about shades of oak, hints of caramel and a slap of wet haddock like the best of them. While queuing for a beer in the opposite corner a car pulls up behind us and stops. The crowd goes wild. It is the star of the show Tony Carreira….say no more!
If one of the finest restaurants in Lisbon is only a short walk from the hotel why not give it a go. A blissful evening if the garden enjoying plate after plate of gourmet dishes from the buffet. Moby and Mario Soares can’t be all wrong. Round off the evening in the Enoteca, a wine bar housed in the building that was the end of the old aqueduct that brought Lisbon its water. Walk off the wine and meal by following a tunnel up to the reservoir. Bizarre.
The best way to see the city is to take the 28 tram or the 12 on its circular route round the castle. The little trams are essential to get round the tight corners as it crawls up the steep hills and brakes hard on the descents. It’s so good even the driver is joined by her friends on the front platform for a Sunday treat who help her out when she deals with the French tourists trying to scam a ride.
Could there be a better place to dine than the courtyard of the theatre and circus school. The pupils are also the waiters but do not arrive on unicycles juggling the bread rolls. It is just about the only trick they have missed with the view, the quality food and friendly atmosphere.
The tension in the city has existed all weekend as they await the vital, final, group game. If you want to watch Portugal play why not join the locals in the Park with a big screen provided by the park café. All the comfort of tables and chairs and waiter service. Well, when he has finished getting the sound to work.
Celebrate the victory in the nearby Pavilhao Chines, hidden and only available to those who know how to open the locked front door; its rooms contain a mind-blowing ceiling to floor collection of toys, military memorabilia, hats and random artefacts all in immaculate condition. The waist-coated staff serve us port in the Snooker room.
Virtual Hit The Bar - 28/6/12
28/06/12 19:55
Well it is 6 weeks since the last VHTB and there is loads of info so I will aim to keep it as brief as possible for each item:
AGM Friday 6th July Civil Service Club, Great Scotland Yard, London SW1 6.30pm
Bar meals available c£5, drinks c£2.50 - from 6.30pm. AGM at 8pm. Guests welcome.Email by 2/7 information@carlislelondonbranch.org if you are coming.
Supporters Football this summer
Chris Tembey needs to hear from you football@carlislelondonbranch.org if you want to play for or support the branch football team.
FSF Tournament all day Sunday 8th July at Enfield
v St Albans Weekend 21/22 July (to be confirmed)
V Stevenage 18th August (to be confirmed)
Coventry 22nd September Branch Travel - Cheap Tickets ACT NOW!
Advanced purchase train tickets to Coventry on the 22nd of September will be available any day. If bought early enough we should be able to do the trip for £15 return. If you want to travel with the group and take advantage of the cheaper ticket prices please email Al by 12 noon on Monday the 2nd of July. Contact Al Millington travel@carlislelondonbranch.org
Stevenage and MK Franchise - Sat 18th August and Sat 1st September
There will be group save travel from London for both games. Specific trains will be communicated nearer the time but the cost should be between £7-10 return per person on both trips. If you would like to travel with the group please email Al on travel@carlislelondonbranch.org
Membership Renewal
Please renew by standing order if you can, but whichever method you use renew NOW. Membership renewal form and letter available here.
Olympic Games Travel
For anyone with Olympic tickets including the branch trip to the football at wembley visit the travel site. It's brilliant and tells you which bit of your journey is covered by the free travel card -
http://travel.london2012.com/SJPWeb/Pages/JourneyPlannerInput.aspx
Olympic Games Ticket Swap
Are you looking for a good home for tickets that you can't use? Did you not manage to get tickets for the games? The branch is offering the chance for members to swap or buy unwanted tickets at face value.
Football 1st August 5pm Wembley Treasurer Richard Wood has tickets for Wembley Stadium footbal tickets for I August @ 5.00pm Gabon v South Korea for swap or sale at face value of £30 each x 2. Entrance H; Block 140; Row 6 & seats 180 and 181. Contact Richard on treasurer@carlislelondonbranch.org
Fencing Medal Event 29th July 6pm Excel Centre - Information officer Dave Brown's son Steve has £45 tickets x 2, Block 104, Row 26, Seats 92-93. Contact information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Send in your ticket swaps to information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Sponsored Game/Players Awards Dinner Saturday 27th April/Sunday 28th April 2013
After the success of last season's players award dinner, the branch has 30 places booked for this season. There are already 10 bookings. Please register your interest in this, and the sponsored game against Colchester at the final game of the season (TBC) chairman@carlislelondonbranch.org
Supporters' Trust Newsletter
You can find the latest Supporters Trust newsletter here. Also go on the trust site to download the agm details for the trust.
Club Events - Golf Day Thursday 12th July and Youth Academy Dinner Sunday 29th July
Clair Fidler reminds us that the club has the annual golf day on the 12th July at Carlisle Golf club. Play golf with Greg and the players with dinner afterwards. Contact Clair on Clair.Fidler@carlisleunited.co.uk
Alternatively go to the Youth Academy Dinner on Sunday 29th July at Shepherds Inn where Paul Nixon is the main guest speaker.
New Book about Carlisle United
Local author Martin Daley is bringing out a book called Fourth, First and Fulham detailing Carlisle United's most successful period through the eyes of a 6 year old boy going to Brunton Park for the first time in 1970. I am sure that this will strike a chord with a lot of you so you can pre-order. For details www.martindaley.co.uk
Teamcard Points
Teamcard is no more after July 31st and you will not be able to use your points, so buy something from the club shop now and get your discounts. Alternatively email Dave Brown with your teamcard number and permission to use your points for the benefit of the London Branch. Email Dave Brown by 25th July information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Diary dates - all to be confirmed
Carlisle Home Game away day - 27th October Bournemouth home
Matchday Evening Event - Sat 10th Nov Brentford away - special guest to be confirmed
Weekend Trip - Feb 16th 2013 Portsmouth
Sponsored Game - 27th April 2013 Colchester Home (Final game of the Season)
Players Award Dinner - 28th April 2013
Register your interest with Simon Clarkson chairman@carlislelondonbranch.org
Twitter 257 Followers
We have now crashed through the 250 barrier for Twitter followers. What are they following? Try yourself.
Jimmy Glass on 5 Live
Howard Atkinson points out that the 5 live special on iconic radio monents started with the Derek Lacey commentary on Jimmy Glass - around 30 minutes in.
Will try to make the next vhtb a bit shorter.
Dave Brown
Information Officer
AGM Friday 6th July Civil Service Club, Great Scotland Yard, London SW1 6.30pm
Bar meals available c£5, drinks c£2.50 - from 6.30pm. AGM at 8pm. Guests welcome.Email by 2/7 information@carlislelondonbranch.org if you are coming.
Supporters Football this summer
Chris Tembey needs to hear from you football@carlislelondonbranch.org if you want to play for or support the branch football team.
FSF Tournament all day Sunday 8th July at Enfield
v St Albans Weekend 21/22 July (to be confirmed)
V Stevenage 18th August (to be confirmed)
Coventry 22nd September Branch Travel - Cheap Tickets ACT NOW!
Advanced purchase train tickets to Coventry on the 22nd of September will be available any day. If bought early enough we should be able to do the trip for £15 return. If you want to travel with the group and take advantage of the cheaper ticket prices please email Al by 12 noon on Monday the 2nd of July. Contact Al Millington travel@carlislelondonbranch.org
Stevenage and MK Franchise - Sat 18th August and Sat 1st September
There will be group save travel from London for both games. Specific trains will be communicated nearer the time but the cost should be between £7-10 return per person on both trips. If you would like to travel with the group please email Al on travel@carlislelondonbranch.org
Membership Renewal
Please renew by standing order if you can, but whichever method you use renew NOW. Membership renewal form and letter available here.
Olympic Games Travel
For anyone with Olympic tickets including the branch trip to the football at wembley visit the travel site. It's brilliant and tells you which bit of your journey is covered by the free travel card -
http://travel.london2012.com/SJPWeb/Pages/JourneyPlannerInput.aspx
Olympic Games Ticket Swap
Are you looking for a good home for tickets that you can't use? Did you not manage to get tickets for the games? The branch is offering the chance for members to swap or buy unwanted tickets at face value.
Football 1st August 5pm Wembley Treasurer Richard Wood has tickets for Wembley Stadium footbal tickets for I August @ 5.00pm Gabon v South Korea for swap or sale at face value of £30 each x 2. Entrance H; Block 140; Row 6 & seats 180 and 181. Contact Richard on treasurer@carlislelondonbranch.org
Fencing Medal Event 29th July 6pm Excel Centre - Information officer Dave Brown's son Steve has £45 tickets x 2, Block 104, Row 26, Seats 92-93. Contact information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Send in your ticket swaps to information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Sponsored Game/Players Awards Dinner Saturday 27th April/Sunday 28th April 2013
After the success of last season's players award dinner, the branch has 30 places booked for this season. There are already 10 bookings. Please register your interest in this, and the sponsored game against Colchester at the final game of the season (TBC) chairman@carlislelondonbranch.org
Supporters' Trust Newsletter
You can find the latest Supporters Trust newsletter here. Also go on the trust site to download the agm details for the trust.
Club Events - Golf Day Thursday 12th July and Youth Academy Dinner Sunday 29th July
Clair Fidler reminds us that the club has the annual golf day on the 12th July at Carlisle Golf club. Play golf with Greg and the players with dinner afterwards. Contact Clair on Clair.Fidler@carlisleunited.co.uk
Alternatively go to the Youth Academy Dinner on Sunday 29th July at Shepherds Inn where Paul Nixon is the main guest speaker.
New Book about Carlisle United
Local author Martin Daley is bringing out a book called Fourth, First and Fulham detailing Carlisle United's most successful period through the eyes of a 6 year old boy going to Brunton Park for the first time in 1970. I am sure that this will strike a chord with a lot of you so you can pre-order. For details www.martindaley.co.uk
Teamcard Points
Teamcard is no more after July 31st and you will not be able to use your points, so buy something from the club shop now and get your discounts. Alternatively email Dave Brown with your teamcard number and permission to use your points for the benefit of the London Branch. Email Dave Brown by 25th July information@carlislelondonbranch.org
Diary dates - all to be confirmed
Carlisle Home Game away day - 27th October Bournemouth home
Matchday Evening Event - Sat 10th Nov Brentford away - special guest to be confirmed
Weekend Trip - Feb 16th 2013 Portsmouth
Sponsored Game - 27th April 2013 Colchester Home (Final game of the Season)
Players Award Dinner - 28th April 2013
Register your interest with Simon Clarkson chairman@carlislelondonbranch.org
Twitter 257 Followers
We have now crashed through the 250 barrier for Twitter followers. What are they following? Try yourself.
Jimmy Glass on 5 Live
Howard Atkinson points out that the 5 live special on iconic radio monents started with the Derek Lacey commentary on Jimmy Glass - around 30 minutes in.
Will try to make the next vhtb a bit shorter.
Dave Brown
Information Officer