An Education in Coimbra

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Bom Dia,

I arrived in Coimbra early in the morning, well, early for Portugese as it was 8am, proceeded to leave my stuff in the hostel, and then started walking around the city. Coimbra thrives around it's university, which happens to be one of the oldest in Europe. One of the highlights of the city is a visit to the university, which is housed in a former royal palace situated at the highest point in the city. Prior to the university, Coimbra had been a Moorish city, which was visible when I entered the old town through the Moorish gate. As I continued up towards the university, i walked past two people dressed in flowing robes. As I learned later, they were students who wore the traditional robes because they were writing exams. For some reason, the robes looked familiar, most likely because they reminded me of the Harry Potter films. Then I remembered that J.K. Rowling lived in Portugal, and it all made sense.

Once had reached the top of the hill, I entered the courtyard of the university. The buildings and grounds are far prettier than either of the universities I attended, and the views of the countryside were sweeping! The university is still in use, so tourists cannot visit every section of it, but there are various parts that are open to the public. The most famous of these is the Biblioteca Joanina. It's the original library in the school that has books from the last 600 years. Despite the collection of antique books, they are not the main draw, nor is the pretty exterior architecture of the building. The interior of the library is exquisite. There is a gorgeous, painted ceiling, incredibly architectural detailing including Chinese-style paintings on the bookcases as the building was completed shortly after the founding of Macau. The floor, tables, and chairs are all made from Jacaranda wood that was brought in from the Portuguese colonies in Africa, and then there is gold adorning the tops of each bookcase. It was the most incredible library I had been into, even more incredible than the Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin. After staying the limited allotted time in the library, I moved on to the chapel, which was covered in azulejos and had beautiful paintings adorning the walls, as well as one of the more beautiful organs I had seen. Next up was a beautiful hall with a richly decorated painted ceiling, and stunning views over the city. It was even possible to see the "New Cathedral" which was built in the 16th century and the "Old Cathedral", which was built in the 11th century. One of the really interesting things about the two was how different they looked. The "New Cathedral" was ornately designed in the Baroque style, whereas the "Old Cathedral" was Portuguese Gothic, but with really thick walls and really small windows. The reason for this design was because when the "Old Cathedral" was built, there were still Moors present in the south of the country and the cathedral might have to be used as a place of refuge or a fortress should the Moors attack. The last building open to the public at the university was a lecture hall with some incredibly uncomfortable-looking wooden benches and table in it after which I enjoyed some views from the courtyard, before heading back down the hill and over the river to Parque Mondego which provide excellent views back to the old town, as well as a couple of historic ruins in its own right. The park was green and quiet, and a good place to relax after such a long morning.

After relaxing for a while, and possibly falling asleep on one of the benches in the sun, I headed over the modern pedestrian bridge, past the architecturally-distinctive park amenities buildings, and I entered the botanical gardens, which are operated by the university. It was nice and shaded, with some pretty squares and fountains, but it, not surprisingly, was an uphill slog to get to the top. At this point, exhaustion overtook me and I decided to go an relax in the hostel. I relaxed for a while and then headed back across the water to take some photos of the old town as the sun set, changing it from a beautiful white to hues of pink and orange. I enjoyed my dinner while I watched the colours chance, before heading back to the hostel, which was located next to the "Old Cathedral".I had booked one bed in an 8 bed dorm room and, surprisingly, no one else showed up so I had a private room for 1/8 of the price!

The next morning I wanted to visit Conimbriga, reputed to be some of the best preserved Roman ruins on the entire Iberian Penninsula. I went to the tourism office and asked how to do this. A timetable was produced, and I was told to go to the bus stop. Here is the conversation, to the best of my recollection:

- Me: "Which bus stop?"

- TO: "The one out there."

- Me: "But there are many different bus stops out there."

- TO: "Not these ones, the far ones."

- Me: "So the one by the train station?"

- TO: "Yes."

- Me: "What will the bus look like?"

- TO: Looks at me strangely "Like a bus."

- Me: "There have been three different busses that have come past as I've been talking to you. Is it a specific colour?"

- TO: "I'm not sure."

- Me: "Does it have a logo or a company name?"

- TO: "Maybe a lightening bolt."

- Me: Does it have a destination written on it."

-TO: "Maybe."

- Me: Thank you, you've been very helpful."

So I went to the far bus stop, not having a clue what to expect. It was getting close to the time the bus was supposed to leave and no busses with lightening on them had "Conimbriga" posted so I just started asking every single bus that stopped. Fortunately, one of them was the right one so I was whisked away through a couple of little villages to the Roman ruins of Conimbriga.

The city itself is located in the middle of olive and pine forests, on a plateau that has a ravine surrounding it on three sides, making it a strategic location in between Porto and Lisbon. The city was a residential and trading area, so it was not designed for defensive purposes, at least until the 4th century AD when invading groups made it necessary to build a 4 metre thick wall to protect the city, in effect cutting the city in half. That being said, since the city was not really used for defensive purposes, it is very well preserved. Most of the remaining buildings are houses, but the baths, theatre, and forum are still present. There are still stones in the road through the city, metal bolts from the hinges to the gate, and ovens from which the baths were heated. However, the highlight of the city is the stunning collection of mosaics that are in several of the houses, including one house which at over 32,000 square feet, has several mosaics in it. There was even a museum attached to site which housed many of the small artifacts that had been excavated from the city.

Upon returning to Coimbra, I headed to the Museu Nacional de Machado de Crasto. The museum showcases the history, art, and culture of the city. It is a very interesting building architecturally because the foundations are Roman, the lower walls are Medieval, the courtyard is framed by a 17th century mansion and one of the wings is modern. Despite this, it all fits together incredibly well! The interior was fascinating, with Roman tunnels in the basement, and everything from 19th century altar freezes and coral sculptures, to medieval sarcophagi and half of a stone chapel that needed to be preserved because of the threat of flooding. If you only have time for one museum in Coimbra, I recommend this one.

One thing I do not believe I have touched on much is the food in Portugal. It is simple, but extremely tasty. An example of this was when I went to Ze Manuel Dos Osos, one of the popular restaurants in town. The place is tiny, only seating 20 people or so, but it is excellent. I had a delicious meal of chanfran, marinated goat, and a terracotta pitcher of wine, all for under €10. It was a delicious way to end my visit to Coimbra.





Things I learned in Coimbra:

- Coimbra is rumoured to be built on one of the steeper hills in Portugal. My legs can now confirm this to be true.

- I finally had a Pastel de Nata, the traditional Portuguese custard tart. I now know something had been missing in my life up to this point.

- The tourist information centre does not really have many suggestions for what to see and do in Coimbra, which is surprising, considering it's kind of their job to know that stuff.

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