My Portugal Reunion with AMP 182
By Carol Dominguez
The AMP 182 reunion in Portugal last June 21 to 24, 2018 was everything I dreamed a great reunion should be and more. I was able to reconnect with dear friends, have stimulating discussions, and experience the charm of seeing a beautiful country for the first time. There were so many special experiences during this reunion — dinners in palaces, dancing horses, meeting the country’s president — that made this year’s reunion truly exceptional.
If there were one phrase to describe my experience in Portugal, it would be “the royal treatment”. We dined in four palaces, toured a fifth, and met the president of Portugal in a sixth. At every turn, we were treated graciously by the Portuguese people. Our wonderful host and fellow AMPer, Rita Sousa Coutinho Rebelo de Sousa, ensured that we would have an extraordinary experience every step of the way.
Along with nearly 70 AMPers, family members, and friends, we stayed at the lovely seaside resort Hotel Real Villa Italia in Cascais, 30 kilometers from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Cascais has been a tourist magnet since the 19th century, when King Luis established a summer residence there.
Day 1
On the first day, we had lunch at the Seixas Palace (Messe Cascais), which has a magnificent view of the Cascais waterfront and of boats plying the Atlantic Ocean. Then we went on a walking tour of a portion of Cascais and visits to museums, including a private tour of the House Museum Condes de Castro Guimaraes (how many wealthy bankers do you know who have installed an organ with over 1,000 pipes in one of their rooms?).
We spent that evening doing what we enjoy so much — eating, drinking and socializing with fellow AMPers. There were welcome cocktails followed by dinner at the Casa de Santa Maria, another historical building with a beautiful view of the Atlantic. Although rain caused us to leave an outdoor balcony and herd inside, a full horizon-to-horizon rainbow emerged, a portent of the beautiful days ahead.
Day 2
The next morning, the group took a bus to the Fundacao Champalimaud, a biomedical research center in Lisbon located along the Tagus River. We toured the center, a gift of the entrepreneur Antonio de Sommer Champalimaud. In the center’s auditorium we had AMP-style sessions with Professors Dick Vietor and Marc Bertoneche.
Next was a discussion on Dick Vietor’s new case on Portugal. Our host Rita’s persuasive powers and her ability to open doors at the highest levels of the Portugese government had convinced Dick to write the case, and my sense is that he is glad he did. I was certainly glad he wrote the case! It gave me insights into Portugal (and into the European Union), and an appreciation for the considerable progress Portugal has made in restoring the health of its economy. I was personally fascinated by how Portugal recovered from their severe recession after implementing several strict and austerity measures, which were discussed in Dick’s case study. You could say my outlook on Portugal changed from a lukewarm attitude to a fascinated one.
After that stimulating morning at the Champalimaud, it was off to lunch, followed by a walking tour of the Belem section of Lisbon. It was there that we saw the majestic Jeronimos Monastery, a former monastery of the Order of St. Jerome near the Tagus River. The monastery was secularized in 1833 by the state, and its control was turned over to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa. Within the church are the stone tombs of Vasco de Gama and the renowned poet and chronicler of the Age of Discoveries, Luis de Camoes.
Next was a special surprise: the presidential palace! The palace sits on a hill and has a beautiful view of Lisbon and the Tagus River. Wait a minute, who is that silver-haired, elegantly-attired gentleman walking towards our group? It’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa! He was so gracious — he greeted each of us warmly, had kind words to say about every one of our nationalities, and patiently allowed each of us to be photographed with him. What a wonderful representative of a wonderful country.
We walked to the Portuguese Equestrian School where we were graced with a special show of the school’s Lusitano dancing horses. What a remarkable performance — the horses have been trained to step (dance!) to the beat of classical music, cross their legs as they step, rear and jump, and as a group, perform what would be called a choreographed dance.
We then spent the evening at the Ajuda Palace, where we were treated to a sumptuous feast in a royal setting. What a fantastic day!
Day 3
Saturday morning was spent at the Condes de Castro Guimaraes House Museum, where Dick Vietor revved us up with his energetic discussion of his case on America’s Budget Impasse. This was followed by Marc Bertoneche’s lively and insightful discussion of start-up valuations.
Then we were off for a tour of the mountaintop Palacio da Vila in Sintra and lunch at the Palacio da Pena. Back in Lisbon, we had a tram tour of charming sections of the city. Then, if you could believe this, we had cocktails and dinner at yet another palace, the beautiful Palacio da Cidadela. In that gracious setting, we were served a magnificent dinner.
Day 4
Sunday morning, we slowed the pace a bit and had a relaxing cruise up and down the Tejo River. Then, a lovely brunch at our hotel, the Real Villa Italia, where I said my final goodbyes to the group. What a spectacular reunion! I look forward to my next reunion with AMP 182 in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2019!
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About the author:
Carol Dominguez is the President and CEO of John Clements Consultants, Inc.
