2.
Computer facilities:
There are a limited number of computer terminals with www and telnet available
for the use of participants in rooms 423 and 425 (4th floor)
To use telnet to connect to your home computer:
1. telnet gtfirewall
2. at the prompt type >c your.home.computer
3.
Transport to and from the airport:
Apart from taxis (fare approx. 3000 escudos) there is an airport bus leaving
from just outside the terminal, with departures every 30 minutes between
8am and 7.30pm. The timetable for getting to the airport will be
displayed on the conference noticeboard.
4.
Important phone numbers:
112
National emergency phone number
22
208 4151
Hotel Inca phone
22
205 4756
Hotel Inca fax
22
200 6758
Residencial Universal phone
22
200 1055
Residencial Universal fax
22
340 1441
Faculty of Sciences, Peter Gothen's office
22
340 1446
Faculty of Sciences, João Nuno Tavares' office
5.
Currency:
The Portuguese currency is the escudo. One conto is 1000
escudos. Many prices are given both in escudos and the European currency
euros. One
euro equals 200 escudos.
6.
Refreshments in and near the Faculty of Sciences:
There is a students canteen in the Faculty of Sciences (turn left after
going in the main entrance, turn right at the end of the corridor, and
almost immediately right again). There are numerous cafes nearby, including
the renowned student's café Piolho (to the right of the Faculty
as you face the entrance).
7.
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.
8.
Toilet facilities in the Faculty: These
can be found adjacent to Sala Luis Woodhouse, and and in the central corridor
of the faculty building on
the first and fourth floors.
9.
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.
10.
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.
11.
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.
12.
Public Transport:The
metro is still being built, so you must use buses. Many of them leave from
the Avenida dos Aliados down the hill to the left from the Faculty.
13.
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.
14.
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.
15.
Electricity:
The electricity supply is 220 V, 50 Hz, with the type of sockets which
are standard in most European countries.
16.
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).
17.
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.
18.
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 30 to 50
escudos for bills of up to 500 escudos. For a meal of 1000 to 2000 escudos,
round up to the nearest multiple of 100 and add an extra 50 or 100 if that
doesn?t seem very much. In a group, if the tip comes to about 100 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.
19.
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.