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April 24, 2012 · 8:51 am

“Party on the Patio” with Chicago Chefs at Fulton’s on the River before the Nato Summit

A small flotilla of boats passes through the open State Street Bridge on the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. Photographed from 41°53′15″N 87°37′37″W / °S °W / ; latd>90 (dms format) in latd latm lats longm longs , looking west. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What’s more fun than a party along the banks of the Chicago River? That’s a prime Vino con Vista opportunity! Attend the “Party on the Patio with Chicago Chef’s at Fulton’s Restaurant on the Chicago River as you gaze at the boats cruising under our gorgeous bridges.

WHEN: May 16, 2012

WHERE: Fulton’s on the River @ 315 N. LaSalle St. from 6-9 pm

Chicago River at Dusk (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of 156 miles. The river links the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley waterways.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) General Stephane Abrial of French Air Force listens during a news conference of a seminar on SACT February 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. Abrial discussed on various issues including NATO operations in Afghanistan and the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago in May, 2012. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The first meeting for NATO Defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hundreds of soldiers from the Illinois National Guard will be deployed in Chicago during next month’s NATO summit when plenty of international dignitaries will be roaming around the center of the city. The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit meeting brings Heads of State and Heads of Government of NATO member countries together to evaluate and provide coordinated strategic direction for Alliance activities. The organization negotiates a system of collective defence; member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. NATO’s headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium.

U.S. President Harry Truman signs the bill ratifying the North Atlantic Treaty, part of creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Česky: Americký prezident Harry Truman při podpisu návrhu zákona ratifikujícího Severoatlantickou smlouvu. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The North Atlantic Treaty was signed on 4 April 1949. Since the founding of NATO in 1949, there have been a total of 24 NATO summits. The last summit was in Lisbon, Portugal in 2010.

Deutsch: Chicago River bei Nacht English: Chicago River at night (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com

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Carlos do Carmo is the King of Lisbon’s Fado Music: UNESCO loves Lisbon!

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

The fabulous Vino con Vista City of Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world. Lisbon is endowed with a combination of historic quarters and a gorgeous scenic Tagus River-front view. There is a vibrant downtown area with plenty of shops and restaurants. The city is brimming with outstanding art and architecture.

Lisbon has two sites listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site: Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery. They were recently awarded a cultural UNESCO designation for Fado.

Português: Estátua do Cisto Rei em Almada.

Image via Wikipedia

I love the Vasco de Gama Bridge and the monument to Christ the King. The Cristo Rei monument stands on the southern bank of the Tagus River, in Almada where Christ stands with open arms. This statue was inspired by the Corcovado Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro. I also love the Monument of the Explorers and all the beautiful fountains in Lisbon.

Image via Wikipedia

The Tower of Belem isn’t the only castle in Lisbon. When I was in Lisbon, I had an opportunity to attend a Fado concert at ST. GEORGE’S CASTLE. From the millennium-old walls of the castle of Sao Jorge, I had a panoramic view of this historic city.

Image via Wikipedia

I basically won the Fado lottery on this Vino con Vista adventure because I was introduced to Fado by listening to Carlos do Carmo. He belted out some incredible tunes. Most of the members of his Portuguese audience in Lisbon were singing along. He is like the Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley of Fado.

Image via Wikipedia

The Castle of Sao Jorge was an outstanding concert venue. This was my first exposure to Fado. Many Fado lyrics are drawn from poetry. I liked the mournful music so much, that I bought a Carlos do Carmo CD at the concert. Watch this video to see him in concert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66wB4aomvI&feature=related

Image via Wikipedia

Historians concur that Fado is a “multicultural blending of melodies by Portuguese sailors, African slave songs and ancient Moorish ballads.” Fado songs are usually performed by a solo singer, male or female. The solo singer is traditionally accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar and the Portuguese guitarra (a pear-shaped lute with twelve wire strings).

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Portugal has numerous Fado venues where you can hear the soulful music. There is a Fado Museum in Lisbon.

Fado is Lisbon’s traditional music genre. This ”distinctive melancholic form of traditional singing, accompanied by classical and Portuguese guitars has themes associated with passion, fate and regret.”

On November 27, 2011, Fado was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. UNESCO is interested in protecting cultural traditions; Intangible Cultural Heritage includes “traditions and skills passed on within cultures.”

UNESCO describes Fado as the “urban popular song of Portugal”:

Fado (Lisboa - Portugal) (Photo credit: Patxi64)

“Fado is a performance genre incorporating music and poetry widely practised by various communities in Lisbon. It represents a Portuguese multicultural synthesis of Afro-Brazilian sung dances, local traditional genres of song and dance, musical traditions from rural areas of the country brought by successive waves of internal immigration, and the cosmopolitan urban song patterns of the early nineteenth century.” (UNESCO) For more information visit UNESCO’s website here

Image via Wikipedia

Furthermore, Lisbon won The Academy of Urbanism’s “European City of the Year 2012.” The organization was impressed with “Lisbon’s development of the River Tagus waterfront (now home to the annual Festival dos Oceanos) and the revival of Mouraria, one of the city’s typical historic quarters. Lisbon has successfully managed to sustain its classical and modern architecture. There was a tremendous amout of rebuilding after the great earthquake of 1755.”

The Academy of Urbanism is “an autonomous, politically independent organisation whose goals are the recognition, learning and promoting of best practices in urbanism.”

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com