Coimbra, the old capital of Portugal

Storyline: Portugal Take 2

Life got in the way and we haven’t posted anything for a long time. We are currently in Coimbra, the medieval capital of Portugal, its steep hills rising from the Rio Mondego. The scenic views from the oldest Portuguese university, and one of the oldest in the world, perched on the top of a hill makes it worth one’s slog up the steep slopes and stairs. The old historic centre, with houses steeply stacked one over other, dates to Moorish times.

We’ve been here for a few days now. With Alex’s persistent cough, our planned activities have been curtailed and we simply enjoy strolling in the medieval centre, walking by the river and of course one sunny day we braved the hills and walked up to the university grounds.

(The old city is quite small and the walk uphill would not normally give us pause: 15 minutes or so uphill isn’t usually much of a challenge, but it feels like quite an accomplishment given my health on this trip – A.)

Our main goal was to visit the Joanine Library. It is a fascinating place. Our tickets included visiting the St. Michaels Chapel, the Royal Palace and the Academic Prison.

The chapel dates from the 11^th century, but it was redecorated and with an organ dated from 1733.

We missed the Chemistry Laboratory and Science Museum because everything closes at 1PM and reopens at 2PM. Our entry time for the library was at 10:40 and one doesn’t have a lot of time in. Ten minutes as a matter of fact.

They first take you through the prison and then through the reading room. All the photos are from there. Photos were not allowed in the main (Joanine) library.

(We think that the five minutes in each section is probably to give our bodies time to equalise temperature so we’re not sweaty, which reduces the effect we’ll have on the precious books in the library, a process we previously experienced on our tour of the 14^th Century Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padova, Italy– A.)

The library is spread on 3 floors of a building with thick walls (2.11m or 83in) designed to maintain a constant temperature of 18 to 20C (64-68F). It hosts about 200,000 volumes of which about 60,000 can still be consulted, and many have been digitized to be made available to scholars without risking the fragile paper.

Speaking of fragile paper, a dapper older gentleman fielded questions as we squinted at names on ancient book spines that filled shelves at least three metres tall on each of the main floor and mezzanine. “Why is that section of shelves empty?” he was asked. The story he told gave an insight into the care and maintenance given to the collection:

Approximately 800 volumes at a time are taken and placed into a vacuum chamber for about 21 days. The process is designed to kill any small insects and microbes for which the paper is a food source. Once through this process, every page of every book is vacuumed. I didn’t hear the frequency that this process is performed, but it is a major task, and despite it probably being a labour of love for the staff, it must get pretty repetitive after a while. Having to be incredibly careful with the pages, it must take days to vacuum all the pages of each book. But the books are irreplaceable and of incredible value.

The University of Coimbra was founded by King Dinis in 1290.

After the library we visited the Royal Palace and then headed towards the botanical gardens. It was lunch time and we scouted a small street for a place to eat.

There was a cafeteria/restaurant with a terrace overlooking the river. Here we shared the menu of the day (Prato do Dia). It included soup, main dish with 2 flounder steaks, rice, potatoes and veggies, a desert, coffee, and a glass of wine. All this for 8.50EU! (Tax and tips all in).

We poked our heads through the botanical gardens fence and since it is winter despite the 22C temperature today, many deciduous trees were naked.

Continuing down the hill we walked by the ancient aqueduct dating to Roman times when it was supplying the upper village with water. It was originally surrounded by covered porticoes.

Further along we ran into a nice garden (Jardim da Sereia) with a tea room.

As always with our luck, the tea room was closed until March. That day finished with walking down the steep streets to our area and making a dinner dish at home.

On another sunny day we strolled down the hills to a place on the riverside with a few restaurants. Patios with umbrellas by the river. We chose Pizzaria Itália. The name is misleading. It has a rich menu (pizzas included) but our main goal was the sangria.

Never had fruits so fresh in a sangria jug. We enjoyed soaking up the sun and sipping sangria. We’d repeat this the next day, again soaking the sun, trying different dishes and in the end I ordered tiramisu.

(Not just tiramisu…it was a special desert and I was surprised when Diana ordered it. She’s usually sweet-averse, but she was in the mood for this behemoth. Three scoops of ice cream, four pieces of tiramisu, cream, almond liqueur and chocolate sprinkles served in what looked like a vase! – A)

Boy, was this an eating challenge, or what! I did not believe my eyes! The size of this thing?! (I reluctantly😉helped her out after I had my disappointing cheesecake – A)

For the evening we had plans to attend a fado performance. Santa Cruz Church is 5 minutes from home. The adjacent café with the same name hosts fado every evening at 6pm. That is perfect for us since most run later and we are in bed by then.

And so we positioned ourselves strategically at a table close to the scene but away from the busy area. The table itself had a nicely designed marble top.

The café celebrated its centenary in 2023 and is one of the series on the European Historic Cafés Route. The architecture of the café dates to 1530, with original high vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, wood panelling, marble-topped tables and leather chairs. The latter I must admit were not very comfortable for my old body and back.

We ordered the two local beers (had to try them) and a charcuterie board. The board was way too small for the price. But hey, the music was free.

And we really liked singer António Dinis’s deep and playful voice. Coimbra’s fado is different we were told and yes, it is a lot more uplifting and animating.

After the performance the trio circulated, offering CDs of their music. While waiting for change, I chatted with the guitarre (Portuguese guitar) player. He had toured several US and Canadian cities some 20 years ago. His memories of that folk festival tour are very positive.