Discovering Coimbra

Another Holy Week, another day off on my own. This time, I decided to strike further afield, and drove down to Coimbra, in Portugal.

It's not a drive to be made lightly. Porto is just over two hours away, and Coimbra is a little over an hour away from Porto. So, a drive of three and a half hours, at least. By the time I saw the signs pointing to the exit for Coimbra, I was sick of the highway. 

When I drove off the highway, I shut up the navigator, and decided to follow the signs that pointed drivers to the university, in hopes of finding a parking garage. I found one that serviced the market building and finally turned off the engine. Then, I started climbing. 

Light in the Natural History Museum

Driving down, most of the countryside to the south of Porto is not as hilly as further north. Still, it seems that the steepest hills are the ones where the ancients decided to place the towns. Coimbra, like Porto, is not to be lightly traipsed if you're out of shape. As usual, the points of interest are at the top of the hill, this time the university.

By the time I got to the top, I decided it had been worth it. Many of the buildings are at least from the eighteenth century, and the views are wonderful. Luckily, I ended up at the building where the tickets to tour the different buildings are sold. They seem a bit expensive to me, but, with the exception of the natural history museum, which was closing for the afternoon at 12:30, and the Joanine Library, which I was scheduled to visit at 1:40, I could wander at will through all the open buildings. 

Lecture hall.

First was the natural history building. It was an impressive 18th century building, and the museum was housed upstairs, off two lecture halls in which, in one's imagination, one could see students in black suits and capes listening to the lecturer propounding behind the giant wooden table. The museum was interesting in one section, with all different kinds of instruments. The other section was dedicated to stuffed animals, skeletons, shells, plants, minerals, and African artifacts. It's not a politically correct museum. The display was first created over a hundred years ago, and one must understand that. One must also understand that Portugal had colonies in Angola and Mozambique. It was a different mindset that created that museum, and placed African cultural items in a natural history museum, and not in a world art museum. 

The former Royal Palace in the Patio das Escolas.

From there, I went along the cuadrangular streets to the center of Coimbra, the highest point, where the Patio das Escolas now is. This was once the alcazaba, a fortress built by the Arabs. Before this, the Romans had an outpost here, as evidenced by mosaics found in an excavation. For about three hundred years, the Arabs held the land, and then spent another hundred years or so embattled with the Christians, who would finally keep hold of Coimbra after 1116. This enclosed area was once the Royal Palace when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal. The university, founded in 1290, was moved here in the 16th century. 

Here, I ate lunch in the student canteen before my visit to the library, and wandered around various of the buildings. There was a group of students, dressed in black suits with white shirts, their capes next to them, on the steps of the chapel. Later, they posed on the main staircase, wearing their traditional black capes, and carrying black leather folders with purple and red ribbons, with a photographer in attendance. I don't know what had happened, but in the main hall inside, visible only through windows along a gallery above, papers and a laptop were on an illuminated table, suggesting some kind of examination. 

At around 1:30, I went to the entrance to the Joanine Library to await the hour. The entrance was through the old dungeon, now much cleaned and with white-painted walls. Even part of the structure had been changed. From there, we went upstairs, to a floor with contemporary bookcases filled with part of the rare books housed in the library. This floor was once used for different purposes, including possibly a sleeping area for some professors. When our group had seen the area and had congregated next to the door leading upstairs, the guide opened it and told us we could not take photos. Absolutely no photos were allowed. We climbed up, and entered the noble third floor, and had our breath taken away by the beauty. Of course, I snapped a fast photo with my camera and then took out my phone, just like everyone else. 

Discrete photo of the Joanine Library.

The noble floor is divided into three chambers. The bookcases are on two floors, the second consists of a balcony. They're made of noble woods, decorated with gold leaf. The first chamber the wood is black, the second is reddish, and the third is dark green. The ceilings are painted with allegorical paintings, and the arches mirror each other and the massive front door. Heavy opaque curtains hang at the windows, and enormous polished tables stand at the sides. There is a portrait of King Juan V at the end opposite the door. It's a beautiful library that does credit to its priceless books, once the most important books published in Europe from the 15th to the 18th centuries. When it was finished, the library held 60,000 volumes; not bad for the 18th century. Scholars can still consult them now.

One of the reasons for no photos is so as not to frighten the bats. We couldn't see them, but there are bats in the library. Every evening, the tables are covered with special covers, and the bats come out to feed on paper-eating insects. It is one of only two in the entire world (the other is the library of Mafra Palace, outside Lisbon) to have a colony of bats for such a purpose. It does beat insecticide.

The center nave of Sé Velha.

After the visit, I decided to wander down the winding streets to visit the old cathedral. There are two, the new one up by the university, and the old one just down the hill. I'm attracted to old, so I went to the Sé Velha, as it's called. It was built in the 12th century, at the time of the Reconquista, and took the place of another one on the same site. Of that, there only remains a foundation stone placed next to the altar, which says Maria Virginius (if I remember correctly). It's romanesque, and the strong walls resemble a fortress. 

Then I wandered down different streets, and got to some streets with shops and lots of tourists and locals wandering along. There was a feel of an old town that had no problem with visitors, and even encouraged them. It's quiet and very much dominated by the university and all the students that congregate there from all over Portugal, and other parts of the world. Youth is very much welcome, and the old is also carefully kept. While Porto is very much a working city, Coimbra is thoughtful and carefree. 

Little girl playing chess with grandpa.

It was after 4:30, and I decided to start the trip back home. Instead of taking the highway from the start, I decided to take the national road until I got close to Porto. Trust me, unless you're going to deliberately visit a place along the way, don't do it. While the highways all charge toll, they are very necessary when travelling distances in Portugal. The national roads are congested; precisely because the local people don't want to spend money on the tolls. I was also lucky in another aspect. As I was nearing Porto, I decided to find a cheaper gas station at a large supermarket to make sure I had enough diesel for the trip back. Diesel and gasoline are much more expensive in Portugal than Spain. Supermarket gas stations are cheaper because they're self-serve and have only one person at the check-out accepting payment. I found one, and sat in line for over a half hour. All along the national road, gas stations had had extremely long lines. I had no idea why. The next day, I read in the newspaper that there was a strike in Portugal of the truck drivers that delivered fuels, and that thousands of gas stations had run out of gasoline and diesel. I was lucky.

I got home late that night. It was a long trip, but I want to repeat it again some day. There's still much left to see in Coimbra, and I will return.

 

At the bottom of the hill.

A street in the old quarter.

Looking up to the university tower.

The railings are necessary.