Coimbra Portugal

Coimbra is one of the most impressive places Cindy and I have been so far in our travels. Our esteem for the city, I think, comprises equal parts admiration for the city itself -- its history, architecture, ambiance, cuisine, mystique -- and the respect and love we felt for the people themselves -- their industry, happiness, musicality, and openness. The city has had centuries to develop its unique and appealing atmosphere; it's existed astraddle the Mondego River for nearly 1,500 years. It's a pleasing blend of modernity and antiquity, with architectural reminders from the Romans, the Moors, and the Spanish, sitting cheek by jowl with sleek, modern shopping malls, high rises, and train stations. Coimbra started its life as Aeminium, a Roman town, around 563 a.d. The city is home to the University of Portugal, which took up residence in the city in 1537, making it the second oldest continuously operated university in the world. The university imbues the city with a youthful, passionate air, as well as a rollicking diversity. Coimbra is equal parts music and food. You can hear the strains of fado echo through the stone streets and walkways. And the Portuguese are masters of preparing salted cod, which they call "bacalhau". The powerful aroma of bacalhau wafts through some districts, but it is truly delicious! Portuguese say there are as many ways to prepare bacalhau as there are days of the year. We can tell you that they're all (at least those we tried) very tasty! We truly fell in love with the place!

We also used our pied-a-terre in Old Town Coimbra as a jumping-off point for exploring Aveiro, Lisbon, Sintra, and Belem, each with their own stories and points of interest. We spent barely a month and a half in Coimbra, and did not exhaust all the opportunities that presented themselves. This is a city -- and a country -- that we truly fell in love with, and I have a feeling we'll be back soon.

Coimbra

University students march through Old Town

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Coimbra --
For a quick overview:

From our experience, the Portuguese enjoy pomp and splendor, and they get joy out of dressing up their surroundings for holidays.

One thing we learned early on is that the Portuguese love their pastries. And they're very good at it!

Se Velha de Coimbra (the Old Cathedral), a 12th century church, served rich and poor alike right at the boundary between Baixa and Alta. The cathedral was built in the 1100's, when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal.

The balcony of our apartment, in Coimbra's Old Town, just below the University. It was hard to believe it was the middle of December!

The Pedro and Ines Footbridge connects the Green Park with its counterpart, the Parque do Choupalinho, on the west bank of the Mondego.

The Cemeterio da Conchada. This lovely place is visible from nearly anywhere in the city. Perched on a bluff above the river. The cemetery dates from the mid-1800's, and harbors some of the most sumptuous mausoleums we've ever seen.

Inside the Museu Machado de Castro, some amazing works of art. This medieval knight is by the Portuguese master sculptor Pero.

We toured the University before we left the city. It's a stunning example of education. There are colleges of Medicine, Law, Science and Technology, Humanities, Psychology, Pharmacy, and Sports Sciences. It houses over 24,000 students. King Joao III moved the university to Coimbra from Lisbon in 1537.

Fado is part of the heart and soul of the Portuguese people. There are two variants of fado: Lisbon fado is sung solely by women, and expresses the yearning of the lover for the missing loved one.

Our apartment was next to the Torre de Almedina, part of the defensive wall that separated the Baixa, or poorer lower city, from the Alta, the wealthier upper city. We walked right through this Moorish barbican gate, separating the two districts, every day.

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Aveiro --
For a quick overview:

An official greeter at Aveiro's train station.

The parks are lovely, and designed to delight all ages.

Former seaweed harvesting boats, the moliceiros, have overhauled and painted, becoming tour boats instead. For about 10 euros, a traveler can relax on board one of these craft and get a lazy tour of the city.

Aveiro has many buildings boasting prime examples of azulejo, the lovely blue tile used to adorn buildings throughout Portugal.

Aveiro is an easy train ride from Coimbra, and worth a day of exploration.

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Lisbon --
For a quick overview:

We got to Lisbon the day after New Year's -- January 2nd -- and Christmas decorations still festooned the city. This magnificent tree is in the Praca do Comercio (Commerce Square).

Lisbon is absolutely filled with lovely squares and sculptures everywhere you turn.

Sintra is a pretty tourist town just outside of Lisbon -- an easy train ride. One of its attractions is the Quinta da Regaleira, a fanciful country mansion and grounds open to tourists.

The Monument of the Discoveries was built in 1940 to to honor Portugal's beloved Infante Henrique, or Prince Henry the Navigator.

Did I mention Lisbon reminded us a bit of San Francisco? This is the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge, spanning the Tagus River.

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We arrived in Coimbra three weeks before Christmas, and had ample opportunity to enjoy the city in all its decorative splendor.

From our experience, the Portuguese enjoy pomp and splendor, and they get joy out of dressing up their surroundings for holidays.

Boas Festas! Happy Holidays!

The balcony of our apartment, in Coimbra's Old Town, just below the University.

We spent many a glorious day hanging out there, enjoying the air and our home-cooked meals.

It was hard to believe it was the middle of December!

Beautiful flowers bloomed everywhere in the city. Behind the beautiful flower in the foreground is a Bird of Paradise plant.

In the square below our apartment, a lovely woman, resting her weary feet, awaits her lover. Our apartment was next to the Torre de Almedina, part of the defensive wall that separated the Baixa, or poorer lower city, from the Alta, the wealthier upper city.

We walked right through this Moorish barbican gate, separating the two districts, every day.

One thing we learned early on is that the Portuguese love their pastries . . .

. . . and they produce them with love and great expertise . . .

. . . and great variety! Pastry shops sell liquor; it's common to see folks kicking back with their favorite baked goods and a glass of port. Delicious!

Coimbra is a glorious mix of old and new. Here is a lovely modern roundabout . . .

. . . just below the 17th Century Convento de Sao Francisco.

Se Velha de Coimbra (the Old Cathedral), a 12th century church, served rich and poor alike right at the boundary between Baixa and Alta.

The cathedral was built in the 1100's, when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal.

Roman aqueducts . . .

. . . tower over city streets near the University.

The Portuguese love their green spaces. This is the Coimbra Botanical Garden . . .

. . . It connects the university with the city at large. Note the aqueduct in the background. Another prominent green space . . .

. . . is the Mondego Green Park that straddles the Mondego River.

The Green Park has stately promenades through statuary and groves of trees . . .

. . . alongside playgrounds and whimsical areas for children.

The Pedro and Ines Footbridge connects the Green Park with its counterpart, the Parque do Choupalinho, on the west bank of the Mondego.

An exploratory walk through the city took us past statuary -- this one commemorating Portuguese soldiers in WWI . . .

. . . and beautiful "azulejo" tiles on buillding walls . . .

. . . to the gates of the Cemeterio da Conchada.

This lovely place is visible from nearly anywhere in the city. Perched on a bluff above the river . . .

. . . it is a profoundly moving city of the dead.

The cemetery dates from the mid-1800's, and harbors some of the most sumptuous mausoleums we've ever seen.

It's a moving tribute to the Portuguese and their love and esteem for their loved ones, even after death.

Coimbra reflects many different cultural and architectural influences. This medieval gate marks the entrance to the Museu Machado de Castro.

The Museum is a striking example of modern architecture nestled within the confines of the University campus.

. . . but within its depths lie the remains of the original Roman Forum, built when the city was known as Aeminium.

Inside the museum, some amazing works of art. This medieval knight is by the Portuguese master sculptor Pero.

A 14th-century sculptor of Jesus in his tomb . . .

And one from the 16th century by Portugues artist Joao de Ruao.

And a lovely 17th century Pieta.

Coimbra from the west bank of the Mondego, across the Ponte de Santa Clara bridge. The University crowns the city.

We did a load of exploring while in Coimbra, all by foot. On one of our sojourns, we came across the city's Observatory.

Unfortunately, it was closed. It had taken a lot of damage in a pretty savage wind storm in October.

But it was a fascinating place to explore!

Part of the University Library, with its breathtaking vaulted ceilings. Bats live in the ceilings, keeping insects away from the books.

The University's Museum of Technology houses Galileo's original Telescope.

Fado is part of the heart and soul of the Portuguese people. There are two variants of fado: Lisbon fado is sung solely by women, and expresses the yearning of the lover for the missing loved one.

Coimbra fado is sung solely by men, and expresses concerns about student life, and the young man's sorrow over a broken relationship.

Aveiro

While in Coimbra, we made several side trips to interesting towns and cities. Aveiro is a coastal town northwest of Coimbra. It's often called "the Venice of Portugal". Situated on a lagoon, the city has canals connecting various locals, with colorful boats, called "barcos moliceiros" -- seaweed boats -- that have been repurposed as touring vessels on the city's canals. As with much of Portugal, Aveiro is a mix of old and new. Much like Coimbra, it's a college town, with a vibrant feel of youth and growth.

An official greeter at Aveiro's train station.

Aveiro has many buildings boasting prime examples of azulejo, the lovely blue tile used to adorn buildings throughout Portugal.

It also has excellent examples of gargoyles and monsters complementing doorways and windows.

Joao Afonso, a favored son of Aveiro. He was integral to Portuguese exploration of Africa in the 1400's.

The Aveiro Cathedral, with its bell tower.

Aveiro's original industries were salt making and seaweed harvesting.

But these two occupations eventually dwindled, and Aveiro re-defined itself.

The rough working boats, the moliceiros, were overhauled and painted, becoming tour boats instead.

Aveiro turned to tourism as its new industry. The old town has been painted and cleaned up, with an art deco feel to many of the buildings.

And now tourists are treated to a water-borne review of the city.

For about 10 euros, a traveler can relax on board one of these craft and get a lazy tour of the city.

The parks are lovely, and designed to delight all ages.

Aveiro is an easy train ride from Coimbra, and worth a day of exploration.

Lisbon, Sintra, and Belem

We had an inkling to spend a little time in Lisbon, so we actually rented an Airbnb apartment there for a few days during our stay in Coimbra. Lisbon is an easy train ride from Coimbra, and we found getting around the city on foot was simple and enjoyable. Public transportation within Lisbon is very straightforward and inexpensive. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, and home to half a million people (though the tourists easily triple that number . . . ). Much like San Francisco or Rome, it's situated on several hills, and roaming the city entails a lot of climbing. The city has several funicular cars, as well as a (to my knowledge) unique elevator to ferry folks to the top of some of the loftier hills. Also much like San Francisco, the city rests on a sizable fault line, and suffers from earthquakes. A massive earthquake in 1755, which triggered a tsunami and led to a conflagration, almost totally destroyed the city (and much of Portugal). A great deal of the city was rebuilt from scratch after that devastating event.

It's an exciting city to explore! While in Lisbon, we made a day trip to the lovely town of Sintra, a resort town in the mountains west of Lisbon, and we visited Belem, home of the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries).

Lisbon Night Life