Yes, we did meet up, and my forum friends made sure I tried a COLD pastel de nata. Ok, I was wrong, you don't have to go to Belem to get deliciously creamy pasteis de nata, unless you want to stand in a long line and pay twice as much. Thanks, guys, for opening my eyes. The only downside of this revelation is that I will now be tempted to eat a pastel de nata every time I turn the corner in Lisbon and come across a little pastelaria.
Sorry to Susanna, but we were a low tech bunch. I took some pictures with my camera and will post them next week when I'm back home.
I learned about upcoming caminos, on the Portugues and the Primitivo, and I also heard about a route in Portugal that I have to add to my never-ending list -- Viseu to Lamego to Chaves and onto the Sanabres. Well-marked, over the Douro, another beautiful part of the country.
Thanks, lisboetas and Mario, it was great to meet you all.
Bom caminho, Laurie
p.s. and later that night, with my Via Lusitana friends (who were off signing protocols with municipalities along the Caminho north of Lisboa so they couldn't make it to the pastel de nata fest), I learned that last year 400 pilgrims set off from Lisbon. That is a HUGE increase from a mere 5 years ago, and I suspect that this year the numbers will rise a lot more. Diogo, who lives on the caminho north of Lisbon, has already spotted some pilgrims this year!