Welcome to Portugal - Coimbra

COIMBRA:

'Kweenbra' or 'Coymbra' - The way it's pronounced depends on the region of Portugal in which you are standing. We heard it both ways from a variety of people and were assured they were both correct.

Coimbra is home to the University of Coimbra, a UNESCO world heritage site. It has a highly regarded medical curriculum, sustainability and the population is quite diverse.

The day was a tad rainy when we arrived, but held off most of it's downpour until later in the evening. The city is well adorned with phenomenal marble buildings.  Below is three shots of one of the main squares in the old town, going from left to right.

We were warned that Coimbra was quite hilly.  That doesn't cover the half of it.

For scale of steepness - and this goes on for about 300 meters.

Please enjoy the data from our walks around Coimbra and it's elevation.  

Day 1

Day 2

 We took a bus to some of the higher elevations to see how the bus system was.  They do eventually come regardless of what the schedule says.

The old town is quite nice and right by the river. The Mondego River is also a wonderful walk. Fado in Coimbra is sung by men, whereas in other areas are sung by women. The street art, etc. was fun and we did get to walk along what was the old city walls.

Part of the  Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimage routes across Europe that end at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. These wayfinders aren't obvious, but are interspersed along the route.

 The town is quite beautiful at night.

We did have a wonderful room at the Hotel Astoria right on the Mondego River at the base of old town. This shot was from our 'turret' room in the castle like structure.  We had three windows giving us an expansive view. Our stay included breakfast and I think for 2 days, it was $175.

JR has a video of our room here

The breakfast area was amazing

We ended the second day with a Royale with cheese and a chicken sandwich. We were exhausted and just wanted to go to bed so Burger King fed us and gave us €2 beer (for 14oz). The beer was tasty and the food consistent.

Next up - Caldas da Rainha by way of São Martinho do Porto