Blogs from Coimbra, Central, Portugal, Europe - page 2

5 September 2016, Monday, Rest day and exploring Coimbra. Still walked 4.62 miles. Karen here. Today's blog is long and deals with the wonderful university with its stunning library, reflections on books, keeping in shape when your university is at the top of a hill, and the old cathedral with few Biblical scenes to be found. Our rest day in the lovely university town of Coimbra will be spent traveling up the hill to the university - and then down the hill. These students must be in very good shape!! We saunter back to the main plaza that welcomes travelers crossing the Ponte Santa Clara Bridge. Harlan finds a narrow, straight up alley way and off we go. We arrive, huffing and puffing, in a square, that fronts the entry portal into the original palace grounds, ... read more

We drove to Coimbra but you can also get here by train or bus. Our hotel Coimbra Vintage Lofts used to be a factory and had a parking garage across the street. We did not move our car until it was time to leave because you can walk all over this city and you do not need a car, bus or taxie. This is a college town and it was Portugals capital for 100 years. The Romans and Moors were also here. In the Roman times Coimbra was called Aeminium. A river runs through the city and you can walk along the river and stop to visit shops. The old town is up from the river about five blocks. There is a pedestrian only street that runs parallel to the river in old town with lots ... read more

Had a minor set-back this morning, the first of the trip (I've been waiting for it). Happened when I accidentally got on the wrong bus out of Lisbon, one going South when I'm heading North. But I quickly realized my error, told the bus driver to kindly pull over as soon as possible, grabbed my luggage, hailed a cab, was rushed back to the bus station, boarded the right bus, and miraculously arrived in Fatima with no real damage done. I factored enough time into my schedule at Fatima that I actually left on the bus I wanted to in the afternoon. No harm no foul. This event, though, has made me think of many things, mainly about how travel is truly an odd combination of intense planning and calculation, almost down to your every step ... read more

The expansive generosity of the Verdade family was expressed once again as we were shuttled down the road to Coimbra. This was particularly appreciated because of rotating strikes on the part of the train service. I suppose they imagined us waiting at the station, with kids, for a train that might never come...depending on the whims of the union. But, good natured lovingkindness won over civic unrest. Coimbra is the home of Portugal's oldest university. It is the part of the country where one begins to notice the strong influence of Moorish culture. When Afonso Henrique threw off the Moorish yoke in 1145, Portugal as a distinct society began its development. But a large part of that identity is Arabic in origin. You can see it in the architecture and the music, in the darker skin ... read more

Stizemo u Pombal, mesto sastanka sa ljudima volonterskog kampa. Suplja se ekipa, 14 ljudi iz evrope i sire, i odlazimo u piceriju gde dobro klopamo i tad sam vec bio ubedjen da ce ovo biti pravi oporavak. Vozimo se do mesta gde cemo biti dve nedelje, i sve manje imamo pauza u ragovoru. Vec sutra nas vode na plazu ali voda je suvise hladna i talasi preveliki da bi uopste pokusali nesto vise od brckanja u plicaku. Prvih par dana nismo morali da radimo, a posle ce se pokazati da je u rad koji cemo uraditi vise pro forme. Kao prvo posao nam je besmislen jer smo uzeli jedno mesto na obodu gradica i ocistili ga od korova i granja kao da ne bi poceo pozar, a takvih mesta ima beskonacno. Ali dobro, radimo po 2-3 ... read more