Days 35 & 36: Coimbra and Conimbriga

Disclaimer: All voyages in this blog are being taken safely in the comfort of our imaginations - based on our plans and intentions for travel in 2020. What is reality after all? 

On our library door, back home in Melbourne, is a poster of the interior of the University Library in Coimbra:

We first went here we think in 1988 and have been reminded of its splendour. The same poster was also on the wall of our bedroom in a guest house (Casa Pombal) on a second visit some years later. It was on our schedule to return.

We spent two full days in Coimbra, one wandering around the University (the oldest in Portugal we are told), and one driving the short 20 minutes to the excavations of the Roman site of Conimbriga, near Condeixa-a-Nova.

A day around Coimbra

We started our city wanders in the old University, perched on its steep hill above the river. Our apartment is on the other side of the hill, and though it's fairly high up, it's still really only half the climb. So we hauled ourselves upwards.

The University's main square is the starting point:

with its statue of Dom João III steadfastly ignoring the view and focused on the University buildings:

We learnt that this king Dom João III succeeded Dom Manuel. He had 10 children and saw them all die. Among many other 'achievements', he was responsible for initiating the effective colonisation of Brazil, dividing it into hereditary captaincies. But he also re-established the university in Coimbra in 1537 and invited big-shot scholars to teach here in what had previously been a royal palace.

We wandered up to the main entrance and bought tickets for a tour. From these steps, you can look back over the square:

The tour took us through many ceremonial rooms and halls in the University:

and out onto a rickety balcony on the sheer side of the building that overlooks the city:

But the main purpose of taking a tour is to get access to the library:

Surprise surprise! As we were waiting to go in, the previous tour came out ... and there was Melbourne acquaintances Ian and Mary, who had just found out all about the library. We delayed a moment to have a drink with them:

and Ian filled us in about what he'd learnt of the library:

"The Joanine Library was built in the early eighteenth century at the behest of Portugal’s King John V, and was constructed to house the book collection of the University of Coimbra. The structure was built in the university courtyard on the ruins of a medieval royal prison. The exterior is characterised by stone walls, brick vaults, and a timber roof covered by clay tiles, and throughout the 1720s bronze workers, glaziers, painters, and other craftsmen ornamented the interior. The stone floor is patterned with geometric motifs, and the plaster ceilings are decorated with allegorical trompe-l’oeil paintings. The library was finished in 1728 and housed its first books in 1750."

He went on to say: "Today it is one of the most significant archival libraries in the world. It contains some 56,000 volumes, many of which date from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The library represents the importance of education and knowledge and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2013. It maintains its original function while also serving as a museum and cultural events space."

We had to see it again for ourselves, so farewelled Ian and Mary and hurried in to look at walls and ceiling:

It was just as stunning as the poster on our own bibliotica geral. 

After a little more wandering in the University square, we headed to the nearby National Museum Machado de Castro, with its emblematic entrance courtyard:

It is built on the largest surviving fragment of a Roman building in Portugal:

This is the Criptoportico Forum Aeminium. The Roman city of Aeminium started 2000 years ago on this hill and the spot now occupied by Machado de Castro National Museum was the Roman forum. The cryptoportico as built to avoid the slope of the hill and to create an artificial platform. This Roman construction supported the courtyard and its surrounding buildings. We were able to tour this underground site:

Other nearby sites that we dropped into include the old church - the Se Velha:

and a visit to an interesting street statue of Tricana:

This is a bronze statue of a young woman seated laying her arm over a 'cântaro' (a large double handled vessel). Passing locals told us that Tricana is a folkloric character from Coimbra. She is described as the woman of humble and hardworking origin who participated in the daily life of the city. She is usually characterised wearing black skirt, a small apron, blouse, scarf on the head and the shawl drawn over the shoulder. The 'cântaro' that she carries is to offer water to the travellers who arrive at the train station and she takes this door-to-door for residents. She is also the domestic, the clothes washer and the seller of fruits, vegetables, flowers and breads. They told us that rubbing a hand on the statue's foot gives good luck.

Time for lunch we thought, so found a little Chinese restaurant, reputed to have the best Chinese food in Coimbra:

After lunch, resumed our wanderings, down to the lower town and through the Barbican Gate:

and to the Santa Clara bridge across the river, where we could look back to the old town's hill:

A little further round, we found the remains of an aqueduct that brought water to the town:

before retiring for a rest.

Conimbriga

Conimbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portugal - about 16 km from Coimbra (or Aeminium as we now think of it). We again went here in 1988 (we think) and remember being impressed by it. Again a poster of one of the mosaics is on a wall back home.

However, maybe we have seen too many spectacular excavations since, as this was OK and certainly extensive, but we were not as blown away this time. as we may have been (when we were here just after the Romans left). We remember the remnants of the city wall that cuts across the site, and this is certainly impressive, though much degenerated (huh, our ancient Roman friends would not have been impressed by the maintenance):

There's a gateway punched through this wall and this leads to more excavations (which seem to be on-going), with some areas under cover:

and some in the open:

Was this the original of the mosaic on our spare bedroom's wall? We'll need to check when we return - as it seemed much smaller this time in situ:

There was a bath outside the walls:

but sadly it was empty so we couldn't dive in. So it was back to Coimbra.

And dinner

We ate in a few interesting places over the two days we were here. As well as the aforementioned Chinese restaurant, we were recommended to a small traditional house restaurant:

that advertised its links to Zeca Afonso:

as well as some photos on the wall of Zeca Afonso. It seemed to be a place for people 'in their cups' as it were:

Another time, we ate (again) as Casa Patricia - which we now suspect is an Iberian chain:

It was a churrasquaria - or barbecue style restaurant - so we had piri-piri chicken (frango piri-piri):

We much prefer this to Nandos!

And afterwards we headed out for some Coimbra fado:

This is the local genre, traditional performed by students and, until relatively recently, traditionally male. Times have changed, and our performance was by both male and female singers.

And so, a quick evening look at the lights of the town over the river:

and it was back to bed, ready for the gruelling one hour drive to Porto the next day!