Festa de Tabernáculos: Portugal

[View Feast of Tabernacles: Portuguese Version]

Feast in Portugal 2008: Costa de Caparica

The fishing village of Costa de Caparica, just outside Lisbon, will once again be the site for the United Church of God Feast in Portugal.

Services will be held at the Hotel Costa da Caparica which is 4 star hotel on the sea front serviced by restaurants and eating facilities with continental esplanades on the wide sidewalk just outside the hotel. Click here for more feast site information.

Language: Services will be held mainly in English with translation into Portuguese. There will be a few messages in Portuguese, which will be translated into English. Please bring a small portable FM radio with an earpiece for you to tune in to the translation.

Location of services: 8th Floor, Hotel Costa da Caparica, Av. General Humberto Delgado, 47; 2829-506 Costa de Caparica, PORTUGAL. First service will be at 8pm on Monday October 13th.

Services times: The opening service will be Monday evening October 13th at 8pm. Services will be held in the mornings, except on the Sabbath which will be in the afternoon. On the 1st Holy Day (October 13th) there will be a Portuguese Bible Study at 10:30am and the service will be at 3pm. On the Last Great Day (October 21st) there will be services in the morning and afternoon.

Reservations: To register for the Feast please download the '2008 Feast Registration – Portugal' form and submit your registration by e-mailing the completed registration form to the festival coordinator (Jorge de Campos) at Jorge_decampos@ucg.org

Please ensure you complete the information in the registration form with details about all the people that will make up your group, and for whom you will be paying. Please do not assume that you are registered to attend the Feast in Portugal, by simply e-mailing or faxing the registration form. Please ensure you get confirmation of registration from the festival coordinator.

Accommodation is available at the same hotel as where the Feast will be held. Very special rates have been negotiated at the same price as last year. To get these special rates you need to book through the festival coordinator upon registration. Although no deposit is required, your early booking is appreciated for our planning.

Accommodation rates:

• Single room: 56.50 euros/night (or 67.00 euros if sea view requested), including breakfast;

• Double room: 63.00 euros/night (that is, 31.50 euros per person if you share), including 2 breakfasts;

• Double room with sea view: 79.00 euros/night (that is, 39.50 euros per person if you share), including 2 breakfasts.

• Extra Child in room till 3 years of age: Free, if sharing room with 2 adults, including breakfast;

• Extra Child from 4 till 11 years old: 16.00 euros/night, if sharing room with 2 adults, including breakfast. NB: There is an absolute maximum of one extra bed per room. No exceptions.

• Children from 4 till 11 years old in separate room: 25% discount over adult price.

• Children 12 years old and older, pay adult rates at the hotel.

• Suites are also available, but the hotel is not offering special rates on the suites. Typically they are more than double the price per couple per day. Booking 2 rooms is more cost effective than booking a suite. They do not have inter-leading rooms. Please ask the festival coordinator for the pricing details of the suites, should you be interested.

Additional hotel information:

• There is internet and wireless capability at the hotel. The wireless connection does not have a strong signal and the sensitivity of your wireless card in your laptop will determine whether you will be able to log on from your laptop in your room or not.

• The rooms have a small fridge and there is a hair dryer. Remember voltages are 220V/50Hz and US appliances (110V/60Hz) do NOT work in Europe.

• Cell phone frequencies are different in Europe than in USA. Better check with your cell phone provider. A good option to phone home is to use a phone card or a PC program such as Skype.

What is the dress code?

As we are coming before God please ensure that the correct dress code is adhered to. Suit and tie for men and modest apparel for ladies. Please avoid plunging necklines or revealing clothes and revealing beach attire. The hall is air conditioned.

How should you take money to Portugal?

The banking system is very effective from a 'universal' point of view. Therefore the most cost effective and practical way is to use credit cards (for instance, to pay the hotel, to pay for meals, etc.), and when cash (euro's) is needed, then withdraw money using your debit card via an ATM machine in Portugal. The fees will be lower than using traveler's checks. Traveler's checks are not as practical and easy to use as they are in the USA. Dollars may be exchanged at the airport or at banks, but their working hours are limited. Please make your Credit card company is aware of the change in spending pattern, before you leave for the Feast.

What about offerings?

Offerings should be in euro's. There will not be IRS tax deductible receipts for offerings in Portugal.

More Feast Site Information

Costa da Caparica is south of Lisbon, across the river Tagus, and is easily reached from Lisbon airport in about half an hour by taxi. It is a pleasant fishing village with a market literally around the corner and various shops on the fisherman's street within walking distance from the hotel where the feast services will be conducted and accommodation is available. You basically will not need to hire a car during the feast, as the tours include transport and all facilities, restaurants, etc are within walking distance from the hotel where you will stay and where we hold services. As some have said, you 'fall out of bed' into the meeting hall.

The region where Costa de Caparica is situated is called Almada in the "Costa Azul" (Blue Coast) and is a popular tourist destination. Costa de Caparica is well known for its extensive sandy beaches (more than 16 mile /25Km) with fine and white sand. The Atlantic, the Tagus (Rio Tejo) and the picturesque banks marry together to make a multitude of possibilities and diversities that make the Blue Coast a wonderful destination for the Feast in Portugal.

The river Tagus separates Lisbon downtown (in the North) from Almada (in the South). A large suspension bridge joins the two areas. There are frequent busses and ferries between Costa de Caparica and downtown Lisbon. The best way to get from the airport to the hotel is via taxi. It should cost you about 30 euros, depending on traffic. Make sure the driver has the fare meter running. We have not got an organized transport from the airport to the hotel, as the arrival times of the brethren are varied, and it is not practical nor cost effective to organize such a bus service.

The proximity to Lisbon allows visits to historic sites, such as where the first navigators left to find the 'new world', castles, museums, etc. Special group tours with tour guides in English will be organized during the Feast. Please use the following websites to get more information about the hotel, places to visit in Lisbon and general information:

• www.hotelcostacaparica.pt/ for view of the hotel and conference room where the Feast will be held;

• http://www.atl-turismolisboa.pt for Lisbon tourist information;

• www.portugal.org for general information about Portugal;

• www.portugalvirtual.pt/_tourism/geninfo.html for general facts about traveling in Portugal, such as taxis, driving, weather, currency, opening hours, and some useful words;

• www.portugalvirtual.pt/80drinkeat/index.html for food - what to eat and what not to eat!

• Portugal Tipping & Etiquette Guide:

  In Portugal, usually tipping is not considered a pleasant thing to do in public with other people watching. But it is always quite welcoming money when this is done in private. For instance in the restaurant it is more appreciated if you leave it on the table. When dinner is well served, tip 1 to 2 euros.

  Taxis: They already add a fee when they charge the taxi fare (in case he is very nice, tip 1 euro).

  Hotels: Your courtesy (for instance if something goes wrong and the receptionist helps, tip 1 to 5 euros).

  Haircuts: Tipping not necessary
  
  WC (two important letters to remember: it is the sign in Portugal for the Rest Rooms / Toilets): Tipping not necessary

 —Jorge de Campos