Reception at the "Portuguese White House"
Many people have said that Dr. Mário Soares, the former President of Portugal, and I are look like brothers… But there are big differences between us. He became a lawyer and President of Portugal and I became a physician of immigrants!. We had met several times before, but the most important one was in 1987, when he and his charming wife, Doutora Maria de Jesus Barroso Soares, made the official visit to the Dighton Rock Museum, in Berkley, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Since then, we became good friends and in 1989 when my wife and I were spending our vacation in our village, in north of Portugal, a telephone call came from the Chief of the Staff of the Palácio de Belém (the Portuguese White House), for us to have lunch with the President and the First Lady before returning to America. It was a pleasant surprise! We were honored by the invitation and we gladly accepted. So before we returned to America we were picked up at the Tivoli Hotel in Lisbon by a limousine from the Palácio de Belém to have lunch with the President of Portugal and the First Lady.
We were served a delicious "Cozido à Portuguesa", the most typical dish of Portugal! We loved it! It was accompanied with the best Portuguese wines. (white and red). Then after the coffee and port wine we went into the guest's parlor where we had a very animated conversation about cholesterol. The First Lady said the President Soares can eat anything and his cholesterol is always within normal limits. This gave me an opportunity to speak about the good and the bad cholesterol but in a jovial way. Some day I will describe for you the entire conversation…so you too can have a good laugh!…
Click
on picture for a larger view
Lembrando a passagem do simpático casal por Belém - Remembering the charming couple's visit to
Belém. Signed Maria Barroso Soares. From left: Dr. Luciano da Silva, explaining the colesterol... the First Lady,
my wife Sílvia, and President Mário Soares
Click on picture for a larger view Em lembrança de um simpático encontro = Remembering our pleasant meeting. Signed by Maria Barroso Soares. From left: Dr. Luciano da Silva, President Mário Soares, my wife Silvia, and the First Lady
Click on photo for a larger view Palácio de Belém, the "Portuguese White House"
Lisbon, Portugal.
It is not white, but pink!
The Palácio de Belém is the residence of the President of Portugal. This Palace was built in 1559 by the Conde de Aveiras before the Tagus river receded. It was a summer palace which once had gardens bordering to the river. In the 18th century it was bought by the King João V, using the gold he got from Brazil. He made many additions to the Palace including a riding school. This later (1905) was transformed into the Coach Museum by Queen Dona Amélia wife of King Carlos.
When the great earthquake struck Lisbon in 1755, King José and his family survived the devastation of down town Lisbon because they were at the Palácio de Belém. They moved outside into tents and the Palace was used as hospital for the earthquake victims. It is in the Palácio de Belém that the President of Portugal, signs the Laws, receives all the diplomatic credentials of Ambassadors and also attends the official business with the Prime Minister and Secretaries of the various governing parties and of the Armed Forces.