XIth OPORTO MEETING on 
GEOMETRY, TOPOLOGY & PHYSICS

From July 12th to July 15th, 2002









    

  1. 
Conference packs and registration: Conference packs will be distributed
in the lecture room from Friday onwards. Registration and payment of subsidies
will be on Friday afternoon before the reception.
    2. 


  2. 
Computer facilities: There are a limited number of computer terminals with
www and telnet available for the use of participants
in room 2.35 (room 35 of the second floor). To use
telnet to connect to your home computer:
    3. 


      

    1. 
telnet cafirewall
      2. 


    2. 
at the prompt type >c your.home.computer
      3. 

    


  3. 
Transport to and from the airport: Apart from taxis (fare approx. 15 Euros)
there is an airport bus (Aerobus) 
leaving from just outside the terminal, with departures
every 30 minutes between 7.45am and 7.15pm.
    4. 


  4. 
Important phone numbers: 112 National emergency phone number
    5. 


    Hotel Ipanema Porto (not the Hotel Ipanema Park!) phone: (351)-22 607 50 59

    Hotel Ipanema fax: (351)-22 606 33 39 / 39 31 

  5. 
Currency: The Portuguese currency is the Euro.
    6. 


  6. 
Coffee primer: A café is an expresso coffee,meia de leite is expresso
with some milk in a bigger cup, galão(or galão de máquina
if you want it freshly made) is expresso coffee with a lot of milk in a
glass, café cheio is the same amount of ground coffee as café,
but with more water (less concentrated), italiana is with less water (more
concentrated). Then there are also the decaffeinated varieties which you
get by adding the word descafeinado/a at the end.
    7. 



  7. 
Bank services: Bank opening hours are normally 8.30 - 15.00, Monday- Friday,
though some banks operating in shopping centres or large supermarkets have
longer opening hours. Cash dispensing machines take many major credit cards.
    8. 


  8. 
Portuguese pronunciation: More or less regular, but there are many rules
and some surprising vowel shifts. Ask a Portuguese fellow-participant for
a crash course, and don't be surprised if some of the syllables seem to
be missing.
    9. 


  9. 
Shopping: Shopping hours in ordinary shops are normally until 19.00, frequently
with a lunch break, except in shopping centres, which usually have longer
hours, staying open until 23.00 or 24.00. There is a fine bookshop diagonally
opposite the Faculty, next door to the Bela Torre.
    10. 


  10. 
Public Transport: The metro is still being built, so you must use
buses. Lines 34 and 35 take you to the centre (see the route maps in the
transport section on the conference page).

    11. 


  11. 
Telephone numbers: The country code for Portugal is 351, the outgoing code
for international calls is 00. All phone numbers in Portugal are now 9
digits long after the recent change, although many phone numbers are still
given according to the old system, e.g. an old Porto number given as (02)
208 4151 becomes 22 208 4151, from anywhere in Portugal including Porto.
Similarly Lisbon numbers, previously 01 plus 7 digits from outside Lisbon,
now become 21 plus the same 7 digits from anywhere in Portugal, including
Lisbon.
    12. 


  12. 
Phone calls: Public call boxes take coins or credit cards, as well as prepaid
cards with 50, 100 etc. units, which can be bought e.g. from post offices
and many stationers. There are call boxes on the second floor of the Faculty.
    13. 


  13. 
Electricity: The electricity supply is 220 V, 50 Hz, with the type of sockets
which are standard in most European countries.
    14. 


  14. 
Drinking water: Water from the taps is safe to drink. Mineral water may
be bought very inexpensively from supermarkets. In restaurants you must
specify what type of water (água) you want: com gás (fizzy/with
gas) or sem gás (still/without gas), and natural (room temperature)
or fresca (chilled).
    15. 


  15. 
Safety: Beware of dangerous and inconsiderate driving, especially when
crossing roads. Even if you are on a pedestrian crossing, look carefully
before crossing. Portugal is a comparatively safe country as far as crime
is concerned, but it is best to take reasonable precautions against pickpockets
in crowded areas. When walking to or from the Ribeira area by the river,
it is best to stick to the main roads.
    16. 


  16. 
Tipping: A simple rule of thumb for foreigners is between 5 and 10 %. (For
Portuguese the rule of thumb is 0% to 5%.) For instance, in cafes add on
15 to 20 cents for bills of up to 3 Euros. For a meal of 5 to 10 Euros,
round up to the nearest multiple of 50 cents and add an extra 25 to 50
cents if that doesn't seem very much. In a group, if the tip comes to about
50 cents a head that is ok. In taxis tip about 5%. It is advisable to enquire
in advance roughly how much the taxi fare will be.
    17. 


  17. 
Getting on in Portugal: Be friendly and relaxed, not in a hurry, and people
will be very helpful. If written information is scarce (it usually is),
ask someone for advice, and if possible get a second and third opinion.
Service in restaurants can be slow, especially when it comes to calling
for the bill (conta). Avoid praising Lisbon when conversing with people
from Porto.
    18. 


We hope you will have a really enjoyable stay.