Out & About Coimbra

For the past week I've been camped out at the hostel in Coimbra, Portugal. Coimbra is kind of in the middle of the country, and about 40 kms inland from the coast. The city is primarily a university town, and the university itself is the oldest in Portugal. It also used to be the capital of Portugal from 1139-1256 CE and it's also the birthplace of six kings, and indeed, the nation of Portugal itself.

After discovering that the map the hostel gave me was outdated (as I got hopelessly lost on my first morning, trying to locate a swimming pool), I wound my way down the narrow cobblestone streets to the tourist office to buy a newer map for €0.20. Having a good map goes a long way!

The centre of the city is split between the upper town past the Arco de Almedina and the lower town which centres around the Largo de Portagem. I discovered the town from the top of the hill downwards as first, but enjoyed walking up the hill as well. Coimbra's old town is located on the top of a high hill, and straddles both banks of the Mondego river. The Moors described the place as being "indefeatable" although they were ousted for good from the town in 1064. The old town has a wall around it, and many towers and entry points - most have been absorbed into neighbouring buildings but you can still go inside the Torre de Almedina.

Above: a view of the old town and the university (note the clock tower) on the top of the hill.

Walking around Coimbra is not for the faint of heart. Good walking shoes and keeping your eyes on the path are required at all times as the sidewalks are made from very slippery (especially as it rained every day while I was there) and often undulating or potholed square cobblestones. One of the women I met in the hostel had two falls while she was in the city for only a few days. In fact, there's one set of stairs leading up to the university that are so treacherous that they have been nicknamed by students as "the back-breakers." 

Above: an example of the sidewalk cobblestones. Now imagine steep hills and rain. Eeeeee!

The town has some beautiful historical buildings, and even though I was here for a whole week, I didn't get to see them all. Here's some samples however:

Above: the Parque de Santa Cruz at dusk. This beautiful park needs some love as I discovered parts of it had been vandalized (including one fountain statue of a mermaid that had been beheaded). I imagine this park would have been stunning in its heyday.

Next two photos: the Sé Nova (or new cathedral) and the Sé Vehla (old cathedral). The day I visited the new cathedral, there was a wedding on so I couldn't go inside. I did manage to see inside the old cathedral however, and it's worth a visit as it's considered the finest Romanesque building in Portugal.

Below: Another spot of note that is lovely to look at, and sit by is the Jardim da Manga, which was built by monks. There's a really nice café that one can sit and enjoy the fountains.

The university itself used to be the palace of King Alfonso, but became the university in 1537. It's royal looking edifice is impressive to say the least. I wandered around the main courtyard but I wasn't up for paying admission or looking at museums that day, so I feasted my eyes on the exterior of the building.

Above: like Porto, the senior university students in Coimbra often wear full black suits with a black wool cape. It's easy to see how J.K. Rowling used this as her inspiration for the school costumes at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.

Below: this being a university town, I wasn't surprised at all to see this type of practical joke of putting an empty bear bottle in the hand of a statue on campus. 

Below: In the old town there was a delightful street with crochet strung between the buildings, and crocheted flowers in the window-boxes. Lovely to walk under!

Above: an artist rendering of the Portugese guitar, which is used primarily in the music of Fado. Fado expresses "Soledad" which roughly translates into "the presence of absence" as the music is about longing and loss - often about love, but also to mourn the passing of one way of life into another (e.g. finishing university and embarking in life in the world out there). 

What did surprise me about the city was how much graffiti there is about, and most of it is political with a socialist or anarchist bent. Ok, people have views, and I don't mind graffiti when it's on metro walls or livening up and industrial area, or as an art mural etc...but frankly, some of the graffiti was ruining the look and feel of the town as the taggers (I'm looking at you "SLUG") have tagged some important and historical buildings (including churches) with their nonsense. Some slogans are thought-provoking like these ones below, but the vast majority was what I call egocentric tagging. It's a shame really. I asked a local if it was the students doing and he said no, he thought it was random people doing it.

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I took two day trips from Coimbra. I meant to take three, but the train durations made it impossible for a simple day trip to Tomar. Perhaps next time. 

Day trip #1: Figueira da Foz.

I had one of those moments when I knew I needed a day off to do nothing but soak up some sun. So on the one day that no rain was forecasted, I took the train to the coast to a resort town called Figueira da Foz. The train was €6.85 return and took about an hour each way. I had no map when I arrived, but I could see the water and followed it along to a small sheltered beach. This town is where the Mondego river meets the Atlantic ocean. I wasn't in the mood to snap photos, but I will say that I had a lovely day doing nothing but relaxing, swimming, and working on my tan.

Day trip #2: Luso & Buçaco.

Part of my self-care while I'm away is to seek out massages where possible. One of my deciding factors to stay in Coimbra was its proximity to the town of Luso known for its spring water and thermal spa culture. I booked a massage and headed out on the train on Wednesday. The train was €5 return and only took 25 minutes to reach Luso. The town is nestled in the foothills of the national forest of Buçaco, which has within it a maze of walking paths, chapels, and sacred cedar trees planted by the barefoot Carmelite order of monks. 

My massage was scheduled for 2:15pm, and I had about an hour and a half to kill, so I decided to go for a bit of a hike to enjoy the nature of the forest. The climb is steep, but levels off after about 30 minutes of walking.

Above: a typical forest path, quite different than the coniferous forests that I'm used to in Canada.

Below: the Fonte Fria, fed by the greatest of the forest's six springs.

Below: When I finally crested the hill, I was rewarded with the site of the beautiful former Carmelite monastery and gardens.

I had to hurry back down the hill to make my appointment, otherwise, I think I could've spent all afternoon wandering around the forest (note to self - if I come back here, I want to stay the night to better enjoy all that this town and surrounds has to offer). The spa where I had my massage is probably the most beautiful and well-laid out that I've ever visited. Definitely would return!