So, I have contacted a friend of mine who lives in Lisbon. I asked about possible places to camp around Lisbon or anywhere where people can see us so that we can promote. What he suggested is a park in Lisbon, which is frequently passed by different people on working days and not only. Here's the link -

http://tinyurl.com/y9n2y3c - location

http://tinyurl.com/y8fx2cd - info

Looking forward to read your feedbacks

And another proposal is another park, which can be squatted from what my friend said - Monsanto

http://tinyurl.com/ykdrvbc - location

http://tinyurl.com/y9qq489 - info about the park

Hey!

Is it necessary to take place somewhere where we make promotion by being there and getting recognized by people 24/7?

I would prefer a nicer area for being, partying (and perhaps nuding ;p ) combined with some organized actions on public places, or in the park you told about. Would have more positiv effects on "our thing", than a group of dirty, drunk hitchhiking nomads.

What do you think?

I lived last Autumn as a seasonal worker with ten Portuguese travelers who should have quite a few ideas about choosing a location.
I'll contact them and come back with news.

there's a small town west from lisbon..called Sintra..really amazing surroundings..full of nature/mountains so it's a bit cooler..and also that nature just happens to be a national park ( Sintra-Cascais Natural Park )

also Porto is beautiful as a city..the fact that it's built on hills..and so close to the ocean

i think my portuguese friend was saying lisbon is the most expensive place..and that outside of it is much cheaper..

personally i find lisbon a little hectic in summertime..and really hot too..but there is a place that i liked that is some metro stops to the east..near one of the big bridges..it's called Oriente that stop..and it's like a walkway on the edge of the ocean..much more of a chilled atmosphere. although there is a mall around there..not sure if that would help for diving for food or just be annoying cuz of all the shoppers..

also i love Faro & Olhao just because of all the random islandy bits of land and beaches around them..there is a national park nearby there too..

This year will be a bit particular. We're very likely to have a massive pre-meeting in Barcelona, where it would make a lot of sense to do the media-attention stuff. Promoting HH in Spain is probably more important than in Portugal.

So the place for the final gathering in Portugal don't need to be a big town.

Now remember that, beaches are nice but sea water is hard to drink, and I'm not sure rivers will be flowing much in August. If we're outside a town, how do we get drink water?

@Patryck: I know your solution, I'm not sure everyone is keen on surviving on vodka only.

Sitarane is right, the meeting before Portugal, in Barcelona, should have more media attention. Almost as if that were the meeting and then everyone continues on towards the beach for fun. im sure the logistics about eating and drinking, will be figured out as the gathering progresses. i do support the idea ov having a group ov people taking on the food concept. In Odessa, the markets were inexpensive enough for the westerners, that it didnt make sense to pool resources. In Paris, im glad someone took the initiave to walk around with a hat. Otherwise i may have starved. As i will not be able to make this event, i do hope you guys make it another great year. Spreading the joys ov meeting random people and seeing new lands. ill be talking to some ov the people in the US, though i may not make that event either.
Do As Thou Will, Shall Be The Whole Ov The Law,
r3353

We can be sure of one thing, somewhere into portugal means that beginners wouldn't join us.... As I know a club in France as well, they are 30 people but each year they don't want to join cause the project is not enough sharp.

I'm not saying that we have to be, but "somewhere into portugal" means more hardcore hitchhiking. But if we have a defined journey we can show them that it's ok we know where we are going.

Lisboa yeah for media stuff is important, Porto will be really touristic place at that moment, I'm not sure it will be good there.

People were so tayed and dirty at the 789, me as well I get bored too much pressure, too many kilometers in a short time... we didn't have the choice to came before and 6.8.10 will be the same for a lot a us, we wont take 2 weeks to do it...

I'm not for people just leave and go to their own couchsurfing host...I think we should try to get a building or a big house somewhere with a garden where we can share common moments, and be in good conditions shower and others commodities. A good bed for a tayed hitchhiker is like paradise on earth. At 888, when we came to my place, we where so fresh next for the workshops, all in really good conditions !

So, we have a general destination: Portugal, but we do not yet have an exact city or place. Let me, therefore, introduce you to the beautiful town of TOMAR.

Located in the geographic center of Portugal, Tomar is a natural wonderland- one of the most fertile on the Iberian penninsula- loaded with olive, pine, and fig trees, and fueled by the Ribatejo river. It is a small student city with pictauresque chess-board streets, old churches and castles, etc. Surrounding the city are numerous hills with abandoned one-story wooden and stone farm houses waiting to be explored.

I've spent several weeks in this city and already have quite a few connections(who exceed in remarkable hospitality). For 6-8-10, this seems to be an ideal destination, since it is all at once: slightly off-the-beaten-track, authentically Portugese, not a capital city, not ultra-touristic (unlike Sintra or Cascais), and a warm and friendly place with a lot of potential camping sites.

By the way, the name "Tomar" means "to take", and is often used in terms of beverages, like "take a coffee". :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomar

Tomar sounds really fantastic! I'd definitely prefer that.
I'm on Couchsurfing.org and as soon as you decided the location I'd like to publicize this event there! Who else is on Couchsurfing.org, who'd like to help me organizing?
Contact me: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/jessblack/

I was about to do this, talk to the moderators of CS in the Portugal Group, explain about 6.8.10 (eventually make a group) and invite Portuguese people to get involved in the organization of the Gathering.

I think it's not necessary to know the exact location to invite them to participate because THEY are who can VERY MUCH help choose the location, because they are THERE.

I get the feeling that organizing the whole event without direct local support from the beginning is like building castles in the air.

I have heard that Anja got a reply from that one farm in Sintra, can we make their information public?

I wanted to make sure that no one is already in contact with cs before me but didn't report it here.

I'm looking forward to have some barcelona and portugal located people in the coordination meeting.

im hitching into portugal tomorrow from madrid. I will be looking for somewhere in many places, also with intentions of meeting with someone who lives somewhere, so if someone else knows something about how i can contact someone then i will try to meet up with them sometime to talk more offline about having the event in their beautiful town!!!

Amylin...i will also try to contact your friends that you gave the cs links for and go for a swim in that river!
already in lisbon we have contacted a squat where they have different workshops, free shops and open space. so im sure the people there may have some good ideas for us also and may be able to help with promotion.

if anyone has any other contact to someone somewhere please let me know by email. im sure i wont be on a computer much but i will check up now and then.

on another note... my friend Borja in madrid works for the radio and is keen on recieving the press release to report at the beginning of august.

hugs

Message from one Portuguese man about possible places:

Well, Portugal it's a great country for that, and there are probably a lot of places to do that gathering, but your friends need to know more exactly what they need.... I know some beautifull places where happened Rainbowgatherings some years ago , but they have to do some scouting and talk with local people to see the possibilitys, that's the best way... Anyway I will tell you a very nice place in the center of Portugal where I think it's possible do that without big problems :) It's near of Guarda (it's a city), and the name of the village is Trinta. It's a very nice place, with water and space (but not too mutch, for 100 persons it's perfect)... other possibility is in the south of Portugal, near a city called Monchique, the village is Alferce (this one is able for more persons, but they should ask to the locals the best place possible).... Well, I hope my information could help your friends and if you need any more information, please let me know.

Hi. More news will come soon but it seems like a location has been set! A nice park with tables and shade 50km south from Lisboa, 15 minutes walk from the beach and free toilets + showers available for us. I think some discussion might still go on at the e-maillist but as soon as all agree we'll release the news. Yeah, yeah, yeah!