Practical information for participants in the Conference on Creole Languages
(U. of Coimbra, Portugal, SPCL June 26-27, ACBLPE June 28-29, 2001)

The registration fee (covering all four days of the conference, including
the banquet) is PTE [Portuguese escudos] 8.000$ (US $40 or equivalent in
euros; PTE 4000$ or US $20 for students with a photocopy of identification),
which must be received by May 15th. On-site registration will be PTE 10.000$
or US $50 (PTE 5.000$ or US $25 for students).  Checks in PTE or euros
should be payable to the "Colóquio sobre Línguas Crioulas."  To save on bank
fees, checks in US dollars should be payable to John Holm.  Mail to
                             Prof. John Holm
                             Grupo de Estudos Anglo-Americanos
                             Faculdade de Letras
                             Universidade de Coimbra
                             3000-447  COIMBRA Codex, Portugal

Hotel reservations can be made in English on line through Ms. Carmen Ramalhao at Viagens Abreu apais.coimbra @abreu.pt (singles cost  from about US
$40 per night with breakfast; doubles about $45).  Reservations must be made
by May 5th; more expensive rooms may be available later on from $63 per
single or $68 per double, depending on high-season availability.

 Participants will need to make their own flight arrangements well in
advance since they will be travelling in high season.  Don't forget to get
Portuguese money at the airport when you arrive!  From Lisbon airport, take
a cab (which costs about 1000$ PTE or Portuguese escudos = US $5 or slightly
more Euros) to Estação Oriente (train station).  OR, from Oporto airport,
take a cab to Estação Campanhã (about 3000$ PTE or $15).  Prepare by
printing out a schedule of trains to and from Coimbra at the Portuguese
Railway's website,  http://www.cp.pt
(also in English)

Once in Coimbra, take a cab (they all have meters and are not expensive)
from Coimbra B train station to your hotel (see information on reservations
below).

To register at the university (starting at 3 pm on Monday, June 25th) you
can take a cab to the Faculty of Letters of Coimbra University (ask for "a
Faculdade de Letras").  There are also buses going up going up the hill, but
these are trickier to
use (take a number one from Portagem, the main plaza by the bridge).  Your
registration materials will include a city map.

Lunch will be available at University cafeterias for about 700$ escudos
(US $4).  Since the university area is located on a rather steep hill, it's
hard to hurry back up cobblestone streets for an after-lunch paper, whereas
the university  cafeterias don't require leaving the area.  On the other
hand, suppers in downtown restaurants are nice--usually good food at good
prices (especially in the Baixa, the old Arab-style maze of streets and
sidewalks downtown).  American-style coffee is not available at the
university, but an excellent Portuguese expresso ("bica") or coffee with
milk ("meia de leite") can be had at the bar on the fifth floor (next floor
up from the entrance) at the Faculdade de Letras.

On the evening of Wednesday, June 27th we're having a banquet (included in
your registration fee) at an excellent regional restaurant by the Castle of
Lousã.  We'll meet in front of the Faculdade de Letras at 7 pm sharp and
drive to Lousã in a bus (it's a 30 km trip).  There are four courses
including "bacalhau com migas" (a cod dish) AND "javali com castanhas" (wild
boar with chestnuts--let John Holm know when you pay your registration fee
if you want chicken instead of  pork), plus hors d'oeuvres, dessert, wine,
etc.

If you want to strike out on your own or with a friend before or after the
conference, there are plenty of worthwhile tourist destinations not too
far from Coimbra: Montemor-o-velho (castle), Figueira da Foz (beach),
Conimbriga (Roman ruins and mosaics), Tomar (castle monastery of the Knights
Templar), Fátima (place of religious pilgrimage), Buçaco (king's
palace/hunting lodge with park).  Check out the Portuguese Tourist Board's regional website
http://www.turismo-centro.pt

Here is the Conference Program.

For any other inquiries, please contact
 

Tometro Hopkins

President, SPCL
Linguistics Program/English Department
Florida International University
University Park, DM 453
Miami, Florida 33199, U.S.A.

 
 

E-mail:  hopkinst@fiu.edu

Tel.  +1 (305) 348-3096

Fax  +1 (305) 388-3878

(fax only if you do not have e-mail)