Leaving Spain to Portugal - Coimbra

 It was another civilised start to the day with meeting in the lobby at 10.  Today we had a bus trip over the border to Portugal and specifically the town of Coimbra.  The bus was approximately a 20 seater so there was lots of room.  Fi and I took the back seat and it was the best as it was slightly elevated so we not only saw out the sides but the front for a 180 degree view.  

The freeway was as the others in Europe…we travelled fast and smoothly, stopping after 1.5 hours for a rest stop.  All there was was a Petrol Station (1.65 EUR for Diesel!) with a supermercado onsite.  

We had a quick Cordato coffee and toilet stop and then explored the Mercado…..surprise….penises and guns!  

Enlarge and look closely!

Available in the Service Station!

 As we reached further west, the scenery greened significantly - paddocks with trees, paddocks with animals and crops - things were looking much more fertile than we had seen between Madrid and Salamanca.  

Another few hours down the road we came to the valley floor and followed the river to Coimbre. It is a riverfront city in central Portugal and the country’s former capital known for a preserved medieval old town and the historic University of Coimbra. It was,  as many European towns,  slightly neglected at entry and we passed houses and medium rise unit blocks.  People are used to being. In high density in these places.  Four or so levels of units, with the ground floor being shops of one type or another.   

On arrival we refreshed and then met for lunch at a local restaurant before a walking tour of the old quarter of the city.  We enjoyed Bacalhau - a local cod delicacy and cooked in a variety of ways.  

Shredded Bacalhau with potato and topped with Gambos

We both enjoyed a glass of Vino Verde

A tour of the city Coimbra which is known as the Oxford or Cambridge of Portugal — the home of its most venerable university. 

The old town invites you to wander and feels slightly Arab-flavored - a maze of narrow streets, timeworn shops, and tiny tascas (budget eateries). One of which we had a delicious dinner in (Grilled Sardines). 

After lunch we did a relaxed walking tour, visiting Coimbra University - one of only 5 in the world listed as a World Heritage Site.  It has a world renowned library however we did not get to see that, rather just admiring the architecture and sheer scale the place.  

While wandering around campus, you we saw students wearing black capes, the traditional school dress - something like a Cambridge cape.  

Walking up and down old alleys, we saw the ‘Old Cathedral’ which was built in the 1100s.  It is considered one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in Portugal.  

A little further on we came to the New Cathedral - a Jesuit church from 1598 and it became Coimbra’s most important building in 1759 when it was made a Cathedral.  

It was a lovely walk up and down - and we returned to the hotel and went to the Rooftop bar with our fellow travellers to enjoy a cool drink while looking over the rooftops.  

Rooftop bar  in Coimbra

At the end of the day, we split from the group and found a 5 star Google Reviewed restaurant (Carma) in the alley across from the hotel where we enjoyed local dishes of fish (filleted sea bream and grilled sardines) with a salad - and enjoyed a talk with a young American who has just graduated college with a degree in philosophy and who is doing the Portuguese Camino!.