XIIth OPORTO MEETING on 
GEOMETRY, TOPOLOGY & PHYSICS

From July 17th to July 20th, 2003







    Conference Info







     
  
  1. Conference packs and registration: Conference packs will be distributed in 
  the lecture room from Thursday onwards. Registration and payment of subsidies 
  will be on Thursday afternoon before the reception. 
  
  2. Computer facilities: see separate sheet.
   
  3.  Lunches, on the days of  the Meeting, are included in the fees 
(not refundable) and  
will take place at the Hotel Ipanema Porto. See in 
    


http://www.math.ist.utl.pt/~jmourao/om/omxii/MathD-Hotels.html

    
how to go from the Mathematics Department to the Hotel Ipanema Porto.
    
Acompanying persons are welcome to join participants at lunch for
15 Euros per lunch. 



  
  4. The conference dinner will take place at 8 pm on Friday in 
Telégrapho,
the 
restaurant of Palácio da Bolsa. 
    
Address: R. Ferreira Borges (near Ribeira). 
    
Registered participants will have to pay only 12,5 Euros, corresponding
to
half
of the price of the dinner.


    

    Transportation and Accommodation


    

    


      
  
    1. Transport to and from the airport: Apart from taxis (fare approx. 15-20 
  Euros) there is an airport bus (Aerobus) leaving from just outside the 
  terminal, with departures every 30 minutes between 7.00am and 7.00pm (fare 2.60 Euros). 
  
    2. Hotel 
  Ipanema Porto (not the Hotel Ipanema Park!) phone: (351)-22 607 50 59 /
  fax: (351)-22 606 33 39 / 39 31 
  
    3. Hotel Tuela phone: (351)-226004747 / fax: (351)-226003709


    


    

    Phone Info


    

    


      

    1.  Note that calling from hotels in Portugal is frequently
very expensive (see information on public phones below). 

  
    2. The country code for Portugal is 351, the outgoing code 
  for international calls is 00. All phone numbers in Portugal are 9 digits 
  long e.g. 22 607 50 59, for the Ipanema Porto Hotel, from anywhere in Portugal 
  including Porto. 
  
    3. The national emergency phone number is  112
  
    4. 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. 
    


    


    
  


    

    Practicalities


    

    


      
  
    1. Currency: The Portuguese currency is the Euro. 
  
    2. 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. 
  
    3. 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.
  
    4. Electricity: The electricity supply is 220 V, 50 Hz, with the type of 
  sockets which are standard in most European countries. 
  
    5. 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 água (water) you want: com gás (fizzy/with gas) or sem gás 
  (still/without gas), and natural (room temperature) or fresca (chilled).  
      
    
 

     

    Getting Around


    

    

      
  
    1. 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), 
  café curto 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. 
  
    2. 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. 
  
    3. 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. 
  
    4. 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.   
  
    5. 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. 
    We hope you will have a really enjoyable stay.