Phi in the Sky About Porto

The Quest for Cosmological Scalar Fields

Physics Department, University of Porto, 8-10 July 2004

 

Here is the location of the Physics department, the workshop hotels (note that Fenix and Tuela are side by side) and the reception venue. They are all within walking distance of each other. For the workshop dinner, transportation will be provided (more details later). See below for information on how to get from the airport to the hotels.

Arriving in Porto

Porto's international airport (Francisco Sá Carneiro) is connected by direct flights to many European cities, and some North and South American ones. If you can't find a direct flight, the best connecting airports are Lisbon, London or Paris.

Alternatively you could consider flying into Lisbon or Faro (some low-cost airlines fly to both of these), and then traveling to Porto by train. You can check the train timetables here. The journey should take about 3 hours from Lisbon (direct train), or 6 hours from Faro (change trains at Lisbon), assuming you take the fastest trains. Note that for the faster trains (Alfa or Intercidades) it is wise to reserve seats in advance, as they are often full.

From the Airports to the Hotels

The Airport is connected with the City Centre and all the main hotels in town by the AeroBus. This leaves the airport every 30 minutes (the first is at 7:45am, the last at 7:45pm) and goes through all the main hotels in town, stopping at the city centre (Avenida dos Aliados). You can just hop in and buy the ticket from the driver - it will cost €2.5, and will be valid for unlimited subsequent travel on the bus network until midnight on the day of purchase. (Depending on your airline and type of ticket you may be able to travel free by showing your boarding card.)

The AeroBus stop should be visible once you go through the arrivals exit. Make sure that the bus is marked AeroBus. (Regular buses between the Airport and the city centre - numbers 56 and 87 - also have stops nearby.) Note that when boarding the bus you must tell the driver which hotel you want - the bus will skip the hotels for which there are no passengers!

AeroBuses also run every 30 minutes for the return journey back to the airport. These must be booked by your hotel. Just tell reception (before 8pm the day before) what time is your flight, and they will advise on which one you should take and book it for you.

If you arrive after the last AeroBus of the day has left, you can also take a taxi (there is a taxi stand just outside the arrivals exit). Overcharging of tourists is unusual, but just in case you may want to discuss the fare with the taxi driver before you leave. A typical fare for a journey from the airport to any of the hotels is about €20.

Visas

Visas may be required for citizens of several European and non-European countries. If in doubt, please contact your local Portuguese embassy or consulate (an up-to-date list of contacts can be found at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Please bear in mind that some Portuguese embassies are notoriously slow, and that this is a particularly busy period of the year. You are advised to apply for a visa at least 6 WEEKS in advance. If you need a formal letter of invitation in order to obtain a visa, a teaching leave, or for any other reason please contact the organizers.

Phrase Book (English / Portuguese):

1. General
Yes / Sim
No / No
Where / Onde
When / Quando
Maybe / Talvez
Please / Por favor
Thank you / Obrigado
You are welcome / De nada
How / Como
Here / Aqui
There / Ali
Excuse me / Com licença
Sorry / Desculpe

2. Greetings
Hello / Olá
Welcome / Bem-vindo/a
See you in a while / Até já
Good morning / Bom dia
Good afternoon / Boa tarde
Good evening / Boa noite
Goodbye / Adeus
I've missed you / Tive saudades tuas
I'll miss you / Vou ter saudades tuas
Cheers (toast) / Saúde
See you later / Até logo

3. Acquaintance
How are you? / Como estas?
I am fine thanks / Estou bem, obrigado
What is your name? / Como te chamas?
My name is... / Chamo-me...
What do you do? / O que é que fazes?
I am... / Eu sou...
Where do you come from? / De onde vens?
I'm from... / Venho de...
How old are you? / Quantos anos tem?
I am ... years old / Tenho ... anos

4. Useful moods
Angry / Zangado
Happy / Feliz
Better / Melhor
Worse / Pior
Excellent / Excelente
Good / Bom
Bad / Mau
Hungry / Com fome
Ill / Doente
Beautiful / Bonito
Ugly / Feio
Delicious / Delicioso
Tired / Cansado
Sleepy / Com sono

5. Connecting
I understand / Eu percebo
I do not understand / Nao percebo
How do you say? / Como se diz?
What does it mean? / Que significa?
Do you speak english? / Fala ingles?
Please write it down / Escreve isso, por favor?
How do you spell it? / Como se escreve?

6. Getting around
When does it arrive? / Quando chega?
Arrive / Chega
Leave / Parte
Ticket / Bilhete
Ticket office / Bilheteira
The ferry / O ferry
The bus / O autocarro
The bicycle / A bicicleta
The metro / O metro
The train / O comboio
The tram / O eléctrico
The plane? / O aviao?
Where is the...? / Onde é a...?
Near? / Perto?
Far? / Longe?
Straight ahead? / Em frente?
Right? / Direita?
Left? / Esquerda?
Street? / Rua?
Avenue? / Avenida?
Neighbourhood? / Bairro?
Bus stop / Paragem de autocarro
Station / Estação
Carriage / Carruagem
Peer / Cais
The airport / O aeroporto
I want to go to... / Quero ir para...
How long does it take? / Quanto tempo demora?
Is this the bus/train to...? / Este é o autocarro/comboio para...?
How many Km? / Quantos Km?
The centre / O centro
The other side? / O outro lado?
The beach / A praia
The mountain? / A montanha?
The hospital / O hospital
The restaurant? / O restaurante?
The hotel / O hotel
The police station / A esquadra da policia

7. Staying there
Where is the hotel? / Onde é o hotel?
Rooms / Quartos
Apartments / Apartamentos
Do you acept credit card? / Aceitam cartão de crédito?
Do you have rooms? / Tem quartos?
Do you have parking? / Tem estacionamento?
For one night / Para uma noite
For two nights / Para duas noites
How much is it? / Quanto custa?
Is breakfast included? / O pequeno almoço está incluido?
Can I see the room? / Posso ver o quarto?
Where is the toilet? / Onde é a casa de banho?
It is very expensive / É muito caro
Open / Aberto
Closed / Fechado
ATM Machine / Multibanco
Key / Chave
Towel / Toalha

8. Health
I am a diabetic / Sou diabetico
I have fever / Tenho febre
Medicine / Remédio
Epileptic / Epileptico
Asthmatic / Asmático
I have a heart condition / Sou doente cardíaco
I am allergic to... / Sou alergico a...
Stomach / Estômago
Headache / Dor de cabeca
Antibiotics / Antibióticos
Penincillin / Penincilina
Drugstore / Farmácia
Band-Aid / Penso rápido
Bandage / Ligadura
Call a doctor / Chamem um médico
I need a doctor / Preciso de um médico

9. Times and Dates
What time is it? / Que horas são?
At what time? / A que horas?
Since / Desde
Until / Até
Yesterday / Ontem
Tomorrow / Amanhã
Today / Hoje
Morning / Manhã
Afternoon / Tarde
Evening\Night / Noite
Later / Mais tarde
Hour / Hora
Day / Dia
Week / Semana
Month / Mês
Year / Ano
Week-end / Fim de Semana
Monday / Segunda-feira
Tuesday / Terça-feira
Wednesday / Quarta-feira
Thursday / Quinta-feira
Friday / Sexta-feira
Saturday / Sábado
Sunday / Domingo

10. Emergency
Help / Socorro
Run / Fujam
I need help / Preciso de ajuda
Can I help? / Posso ajudar?
Fire! / Fogo!
Call the police / Chamem a policia
Keep Calm / Mantenha a calma
Go away / Deixe-me em paz
I have been robbed / Fui assaltado
I am lost / Estou perdido

11. Miscellaneous
Water / Agua
Juice / Sumo
Beer / Cerveja
Half-pint / Imperial
Pint / Caneca
Red wine / Vinho tinto
White wine / Vinho branco
Bread / Pão
Ham / Fiambre
Cheese / Queijo
Egg / Ovo
Bacon / Bacon
Chips / Batatas fritas
Vegetarian / Vegetariano\a
Food stall / Quiosque de comida
Lunch / Almoço
Dinner / Jantar
Menu / Ementa
Store / Loja
Shopping centre / Centro comercial
Toilet / Casa de banho
Bar / Bar