Another beautiful sunny day in Portugal. A little overcast to start as we drove from Condeixa to Coimbra. During the late Middle Ages, Coimbra was the royal capital of Portugal and evolved into a major cultural centre. Like some other places we have visited it has much influence from the occupation by the Moors. In addition, their university has been in existence longer than any other Portugese-speaking nation. There was an excellent article in the Vancouver Sun Travel Section written by Rick Steves that helped prompt me to visit this city on the way to the Douro Valley.
It was only about a 15 minute drive from our Pousada to the University of Coimbra (Velha Universidade). Our GPS did locate an address we provided and again more parking luck as we found a parking spot pretty quickly despite the fact there were very few parking spots. The University is on the top of a hill and a large number of tourist buses were parked. There were some graduates walking around in their convocation gowns so that might have explained why it was so busy.
Our number one goal was to see the Biblioteca Joanina. Tickets were 9Euro each for the Biblioteca (Library) and St. Michael's Chapel and the Throne Hall. Our Library tour was good for the 12:00 time slot. Each time slot was 40 minutes apart. We purchased our tickets around 11:15 so had some time to visit the other two historical buildings.
The gigantic square that houses the three main attractions listed above.
The chapel ceiling about 500 years old. I have to say the chapel seats that we couldn't touch were very soft. Normally these seats are wooden and hard. These seats were soft. Maybe due to the fact royalty sat in them rather than the peons. ;-)
The royal coat of arms in the chapel centre. This area was once the royal palace and capital of Portugal until it was given to the University of Coimbra.
The Private Examination Room with a canopied ceiling where the Doctoral candidates do their oral exams.
The Hall of Arms with paintings of the various kings of Portugal.
The University's highlight and what I really wanted to see was one of Europe's best surviving baroque libraries. The library possesses over 55,000 books in its 18th century splendour. I am fascinated by the age of these books and how many other curious persons had read them over the years. Of course these books were off limits and written in Latin. The interior is all wood to keep the humidity low. Another cool feature is the library houses bats that eat the insects/moths and are a chemical free way of preserving the books. At night the custodian places leather towels over the tables to protect the wood from bat droppings. There are three floors. In the basement is what used to be the royal jail. The library reminded Lana "of a Harry Potter movie." Cameras are verboten!
The door to the Joanina Library.
The entrance to the Joanina Library. You need to queue up for your start time indicated on your timed ticket.
Steps from the original Royal Jail (more than 500 years old) in the basement.
Ancient manuscript in Latin. Of course, it isn't in focus as no cameras are allowed so Lana got in a picture (under duress from Randy!!!) as a quickie.
Another camera shot that was not allowed, but gives you a chance to see how the library is organized. The books on shelves behind screens and unavailable to anyone except under extreme circumstances.
We saw this restaurant when doing our touring so stopped for a watermelon, red fruit and orange juice. Their lunch buffet wasn't traditional Portuguese food so we moved on.
This band of young female Medical School students was wandering the campus and the old town below playing and singing songs as a fundraiser. Very haunting music. Their first stop was serenading the diners at our restaurant. They were good musicians, but not great singers.
Ate lunch down below the University at Restaurante O Trovador in the Alta area of the old town. Lana read about it in the Lonely Planet guide. Check out the wine pour for my order of their white house wine. That was a large wine glass that is more than half full! The owner explained this is a house white wine from the Douro and was a blend of two white Portugese white grapes; Arento and Farnao. Very tasty and cheap!
Lana's Tuna Nicoise (spelled on the menu Nice's) salad. Fresh ingredients. No green beans, but improvised with boiled cabbage.
Randy's order of roasted pork with pineapple and boiled potatoes and rice. Both our dishes were very good and the owner was pretty friendly. When we arrived and decided to eat outside there was nobody eating. Within a reasonable time other tables were taken.
* Observation * In Portugese restaurants, after you are seated, they will quickly bring you bread, olives, sometimes cheese, butter and other plates as appetizers. You would think they are free/complimentary, but NO. If you eat anything from any of these plates you will be charged on your bill. We figured this out very quickly. You simply leave the plate uneaten and you won't find a charge on your bill.
You say "a conta por favor" if you want your bill after finishing your meal. Typical in Europe that you will wait ages for your bill after eating unless you make a scene of asking. We now know how to ask politely.
The historical entrance to this ancient city. Hmmm, tourist stuff right nearby....
The Baixa area of ancient Coimbra. The newer section of the city is in the distance.
Lana took this picture as we were exiting Coimbra. Lana states "the name McPrego doesn't sound very appetizing."
I needed to use a washroom while in the older part of Coimbra and the fee was 20Euro cents. Actually, pretty good deal as it was clean and tidy. There are few 'public' toilet facilities in the cities. Also, we purchased two pastries for 2.40Euros and they were brilliant!
Of course, this city is on hills so there was lots of walking up and down. Some very steep streets and mostly cobblestone. The older part of town was like the older parts of Lisbon in that you can get lost very easily. Again, the Moorish influence.
By 14:30 we are in the car and trying to program the GPS for the Douro Valley wine/hotel destination. Nope, it won't accept any addresses we provide. It finally accepted the town of Peso da Régua which is near our destination. Again, I had printed out directions from Google Maps that would help us we hoped to find Quinta do Vallado. Regardless, it would be a long drive to the Douro Valley and our winery/hotel.
Yes, another bad experience navigating to our destination. We did get to the Douro Valley and to Peso da Régua, but that doesn't get us to our Quinta do Vallado. The Google Map directions were wrong and eventually took us past the town and up river. With luck though, Lana received a phone call from the winery/hotel at the time we knew we were lost. The first phone call got us closer, but not really. It took three phone calls before we could find their place located down a small road and then on the other side of a small tributary! The directions they provided were incorrect and referred to a sign on a roundabout which didn't exist. Oh yeah, lots of roundabouts in Portugal. No lights, but easier to get lost. In addition, the GPS kept saying "Satellite connection lost." Yes, big help. Do I sound bitter and frustrated? The topper was on arrival, we couldn't find a parking spot. We created one. :-)
You can see Quinta do Vallado from the road across the tributary.
Pretty cool bathroom! There is a bidet beside the toilet. Two sinks. Bathtub as well.
King-sized bed. Very comfy with separate reading lights.
Our private balcony!
Just outside of the balcony and main wing of the modern section of the winery/hotel.
Check out the vineyard terraces against the steep hills in the distance.
Another perspective. These slopes are steep!
Lana's favourite aspect of our room is the bathtub.
Complimentary welcome of a nice bottle of Vallado red wine and real grapes. Plus, on arrival we were treated to a glass of white port. Wow, it was delicious and when we asked about purchase they indicated "not commercial" which means you can't buy it. Only for paying guests like us. Good way to keep us returning and to stay for dinner. ;-)
We decided to drive into Peso da Régua for a casual meal. We came across Gato Preto (black cat) Restaurant on the main drive near the Douro River. When we entered we were the only diners. First order was a 1/2 bottle of white Douro wine (5Euro) and our entrées. Our total bill was 21.30Euro for wine, two water, two entrées and bread. Good deal and the food was good too. By the time we left, there were four other tables of customers.
Randy's first order of Portugal's national dish of salted cod = Bacalhau. This was grilled with onions and peppers. It was huge and filling. Lots of bones though. Very salty which I like. Definitely, I will be ordering more Bacalhau!
Lana's order of Pork Entrecôte (ribs). Lana liked her ribs (seasoned with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon). The fries weren't as good as last night though.
After we arrived back at Quinta do Vallado, we found that some of the other guests had left with their cars so we actually got a regular parking spot! Yeh! In addition, we decided to explore the immediate grounds. We found their vegetable and flower gardens. Parts of their onsite vineyard. The beautiful infinity swimming pool and grassy area. Plus, they have a pool table. Very quiet setting along a tributary that flows into the Douro River.
8 kms walking today.
No comments:
Post a Comment