Coimbra Explored on Foot and by Stomach

After our previous day of rest we decided on an early start for our day of exploring Coimbra. We grabbed a taxi for 6 Euros and headed up to the university which is perched on the highest hill in town. Our driver was true to the Portuguese taxi code of getting your passenger to their destination as quickly as possible up the narrow windy roads. Today we only "almost hit" 3 people.

When we arrived at the top there were already many tourists and students gathering for the day. It must be strange being a student at a university that was started in the 1200's and has hundreds of tourists milling about each day. This was the first week of classes and many students were partaking in orientation tours themselves. THeir guides were older students dressed in traditional black capes, ties and black pants or skirts. It felt very medieval.

We paid for our tickets and also secured audio tour speakers which helped us enjoy the historical aspects of the place. Although it is always strange to hear a British voice guiding us through Portuguese or Italian sites. The main square is surrounded by medieval buildings and opens up on one side to show a great vista of the surrounding town. In the middle of the square there is a large statue of one of the university's early benefactors.

Highlights included lots of great art; an ancient library which was used until about 50 years ago; a prison for wayward students; a court for academic disputes and best of all - we got to peer through a window and see an actual Doctoral defence in progress. THe defence was in a large church like room with spectators (likely family) sitting on pews; a judge like figure in robes presiding from a high chair and about 7 people adjudicating from a high bench on the side. All of these judges were dressed in academic robes. In the middle of the room sat a middle age man at a small desk and he was doing most of the talking.Off to his side was a young woman in regular clothes. She didn't seem to talk much. We remain curious on how their process works. It seemed much more intimidating than MI State.

After our tour of the University we walked over to the National Museum and saw amazing 16th C religious art, including the famous Black Jesus. There was a modern looking restaurant at the museum with a fabulous view, but we did not taste their food.

From the museum it was a pleasant walk DOWN through windy narrow streets (glad we didn't try walking up). There is a large church/monastary which we visited quickly and tasteful shops. We bought a 2 CD Fado collection along the way down. They have nightly Fado performances and Port tastings. We also saw some fun installation art - umbrellas lining one street.

The clerk who sold us our tickets for the University tour recommended a local restaurant on the river. He said it was more expensive, but very good. It was a bit hard to find because it is not on an actual street, but part of a small shopping building that sits in the park and right on the river. Strangely it is named the "A Portuegesa". When we found it we knew this was going to be special. Our waiter had a huge personality and ensured we had a delightful experience. We decided to sit under some umbrellas right at the riverside. From our table we could see a solitary swimmer in the river and ducks underneath our feet. After looking at the menu he took us inside to view the fresh fish and explained our many options. The fish was so fresh they almost squirmed. We had choices of Skate, Grouper, Dorado, Sea Bass, Sole and Lobster. We chose a Dorado and they weighed it and told us the very reasonable price for 2 people. With our waiter's help we selected a local white wine and had an informative discussion about Portuguese wine. He then brought out a special bottle of red wine and poured us both a taste, instructing us to let it breath for about 15 minutes before trying it.

When the Dorado appeared it was perfectly grilled (on charcoal) and the waiter expertly filleted it into two pieces. It was delectable and one of the best we had had on this trip and perhaps anywhere. I did express my disappointment in receiving oiled potatoes instead of fresh fried chips - but this was rectified quickly with a smile. The chips were also great, as was the fresh salad. We really enjoyed this restaurant and our waiter. When the meal was just about done we finally tasted the red wine and it was worth the wait. Medium bodied, nice complexity and deep ruby colour. We liked it enough to order it by the glass at our hotel later in the evening. Thanks to the producer's marketing it was only 3 Euros a glass!

It was a quick 10 minute walk across the river back to our hotel. We took a quick rest at the pool and then met our new Ohio friends in the lounge to catch up on our days. We ended up joining them at the hotel's restaurant for a light dinner. The staff (with the exception again of the Sommelier) continued to disappoint with their lack of attention and warmth. A huge contrast to our lunch experience and again evidence on why they no longer have their Star. For the high price the food was just ok.

And so ended our last night in Coimbra. David and Charlotte we hope to see you again real soon.

Quinta das Lagrimas - Poolside, Spa, Dinner, Friends

Our task master agreed to a day of rest today. The Quinta is situated on 50 acres and the actual building has long hallways and much walking. Breakfast is served near the pool and consisted of the usual fare. We have learned that fresh expressos are available on request and much better than the usual coffee. After breakfast we sent our laundry to the front desk. In by 11, back by 6 - well not quite. Late, damp, better to get this down elsewhere.

The pool is large and clean and today there were no other guests around it other than the two of us. We read, swam, sunned and relaxed. Around 5pm we both went for massages to rid us of aches and pains. We recommend the Spa and its staff. Very competent.

Tonight was to be our on-site dinner in the ambitious restaurant. We started with the "welcome wine" in the lounge which tonight was a TInto - pleasant, but unremarkable. We then started talking to a wonderful couple, David and Charlotte, from Ohio, Idaho, Georgia and Maine. They are retired and seem to move around a lot. We found common cause in Public Health and travel and had a great conversation.

Then it was time for dinner. The Sommelier was wonderful. A sparkling personality, quite pregnant (with her first baby - a boy) and an extensive knowledge of wine. She steered us through great wine choices and kept checking in with us. She was the highlight of this meal and the next. Unfortunately all of the rest of the staff were formal, stand offish and after taking our order and explaining our dishes never checked in to see if we were happy, and had to be chased for follow up and eventually the bill. Monica had veal with a foi gras sauce (which was undetectable) and I had duck which was tough and overdone. Its too bad for this hotel that their restaurant can't get it close to right. It is unlikely that they will regain their Michelin Star anytime soon.

Coimbra Attained

We left Lisboa Monday morning about 11am heading to Coimbra. Our Fiat Egg Beater was delivered to our hotel. Let me introduce you to this little car. First of all it could fit comfortably in the trunk of our previous Van. The size of the car actually fits better in the narrow roadways here; but the engine is also small and doesn't like hills or highways. Next time a BMW!

The road signs on Portuguese roads are plentiful and many are very different from North America. Leaving Lisbon our GPS could not get a signal so as Monica shook the Tom Tom I found myself at a set of lights that had red arrows, yellow arrows and eventually many honking horns behind me urging me to move forward. But I also had several rows of cars streaming all ways in front of me. Finally I made it across the intersection, and for just a moment thought I was in Vietnam again. Pulling over behind a line of parked taxis we contemplated our directions. Monica left the car to consult a taxi driver - who spoke French, but not English while I used talk therapy (CBT) to convince the Tom Tom to connect with the world. We were both successful and soon on our way.

Coimbra is normally about a 2 hour drive north of Lisboa. Our navigator (Monica) suggested a few stops along the way. The first destination was Obidos, a charming infinitely photogenic village with a Moorish castle. The streets are narrow and lined with many shops determined to sell local specialities to tourists. There was even a lovely guitar player sitting under an archway using the great acoustics to sell his CDs. Despite the commercial aspects the streets and buildings were worth the visit. We also bought some local cherry Ginjinha and a cork purse.

Our next stop was a small seaside fishing village, Nazare. Although the beach road was lined with restaurants the rest of the village was an authentic working fishing town. We had parking karma and were soon site seeing along the sea. It was windy, otherwise we would have been tempted to take a dip. This town has an amazing long and deep beach.

For lunch we consulted Trip Advisor and found an out of the way restaurant down an alley. The owner was delightful and started us off with small glasses of port. He had spent 7 winters in Toronto working at - of course - Portuguese restaurants. We shared grilled sardines which were delectable followed by delicious grilled Dorado. We also shared Monkfish rice which was less impressive.

Following lunch we drove to Alcobaca where we briefly walked around and saw an old Monastery. Then we were off on the final leg of our journey to Coimbra. Unfortunately at this juncture our Tom Tom no longer recognized the roads. Apparently we were on a rather new highway which was not in our maps. Ever resourceful Monica saved the day while our Tom Tom kept telling us to turn left about every kilometre - a difficult task on a highway.

Arriving in Coimbra we easily found our hotel, the Quinta das Lagramas - a part of a collection of small luxury hotels. The staff were friendly and quickly checked us in and parked our car. Our room was large and vintage with twin beds. Monica liked the room, Joe not so much. Internet connection was poor.

The hotel is located on 50 acres of garden which are beautiful. The public rooms are spectacular with an ancient library, art work everywhere and a lovely pool. When we checked in we asked for a reservation at the "Michelin Star" restaurant only to find out they had recently lost their star. Two meals which we will describe later made it clear why the Star was lost and is still far out of reach.

After a brief rest we headed down to the Wine Tasting Room for the nightly "Welcome Tasting". Our first night we were offered a local sparkling. Since we were still full from our wonderful Nazare lunch we decided to order a small repast from the bar menu; a small soup and a vegetarian sandwich. And then off to bed.

Tomorrow - Exploring Coimbra, Mixed Food Reviews and New Friends

Last Days in Lisboa (Lisbon)

After a wonderful evening with the whole family we prepared to start going on our separate journeys. Monica and I were enjoying a relaxing breakfast in the hotel garden when Sarah and Josh popped in to say hello. We were surprised (well perhaps not too surprised) to see them since it was almost 11am and they had declared intentions of an earlier start. They then went off by taxi to Belem for famous pastries and a start on joining the local monastery. They then explored the city, sampled local cherry brandy and had an early dinner. Poor Josh had to get up at 4am to travel home.

David and Anuzya surfaced by noon and together we explored the nearby museum - Museu National de Arte Antiga. Free admission was provided by our hotel. This museum has the largest collection of art in Portugal and seemed to go on forever. They also have a lovely garden restaurant where we sat and enjoyed a light lunch. Then Dave and Anuzya packed, grabbed a cab and flew home.

Monica and I went to Salgardiera for traditional Portuguese food. They didn't have our reservation, but found us a table. Great service, food and wine. Monica had salt cod and I had GOAT. The chef was especially gracious.

After dinner we went up to the hotel's rooftop library where we met two fellow travellers from Atlanta. We ended up talking with them until midnight. The husband was a mathematician and the wife a PhD historian. Too bad Josh wasn't awake to partake.

The next morning we rendez-voued with Sarah at breakfast and spent time chatting until she too had to catch her plane. Monica and I were now alone in Lisboa and a bit sad that all our family were gone.

But we quickly recovered and walked down to catch a local streetcar to Belem. Unfortunately when it arrived it was packed full of tourists and we couldn't board. So we grabbed a taxi which only cost one or two euros more and arrived at the Belem Monastery. The architecture and historical interpretations were fascinating. Afterward we headed for the famous Belem bakery where the delicious custard tarts were first made. We found a seat inside and where then joined by a german couple who asked to sit with us. The custards were very good, but not substantially better than similar ones we had elsewhere.

After coffee and custard we bought two tickets for the "Yellow Bus", a tour vehicle from which we hoped we could hop on and see parts of Lisboa. The tour was disappointing largely since our ticket wouldn't let us transfer to the more interesting downtown line. Lots of waiting around and then not allowed to Board. Not a good business model, nor customer friendly. We suggest avoiding the local tour bus companies here.

Abandoning the tour idea we went to the Barrio Alto Hotel with a rooftop patio. From here we had a great view of the city and found two business school buddies, one from Portugal and another from Japan communing with each other. They were fun to chat with.

For dinner we decided to try a small local community eatery. For the first time we had the option of chicken and took it. It was grilled to perfection and served with salad. Very low key and delicious. It was fun to watch local people enjoying themselves and be the only tourists in the place.

And so end Lisboa. The next morning our egg beater arrived, also known as a Fiat Punta and we headed north to Coimbra with several fun stops along the way.