> 1) Weather/temp in Portugal in May. My research says very low 70s but
> someone has told me its quite cool. Am I likely to need jeans all day?

As you will be in cities and not at beach resorts, why not plan on wearing jeans regardless of the weather.

> 2) We're now focussing on starting in Lisbon, then moving in some order to
> Coimbra, Lamego, Amarante, Vila Real, Porto. I'm consulting Linda's
> travelogue for suggestions. Would this sound like a feasible itinerary as
> far as number of places and ease of access for a 2 1/2 week stay? The trip
> on the Douro train line sounds fantastic.

The Douro region is incredibly beautiful. Sounds like a reasonable number of places for a 2 1/2 week stay.

> 3) We normally travel through greece with a reservation for the first
> one-two nights and play it by chance after that. We've seldom been
> disappointed. We do have a reservation in Lisbon for 3 nights. Am I being
> unrealistic to think we will find good places in May as-we-go? Should I be
> frantically finalizing a schedule and phoning for reservations?

I know many Ziners play-it-by-ear, but we don't. We find it comforting to know we are expected although it isn't always easy communicating especially with the smaller hotels, where it's less likely they'll employ English-speaking help.

> 4) Has anyone ever visited a small place called Penacova? That also sounds
> like a nice possibility to us. It appears to be near Coimbra.

We're unfamiliar with Penacova. Perhaps Leonardo might know it....? Leonardo is passionate about Portugal. Let's hope we'll hear his opinions of all of the above.

Regards, Don