Coimbra

Students clown around in Coimbra

The day we arrived was hot so we skipped our usual first activity of doing a walk through town. Our campsite "Parque Campismo Municipal de Coimbra" was far from town and google maps had no information on the local public transportation so we decided to get an Uber to the museum which we guessed would have air-conditioning. Uber turned out to be cheap here!

Fado music by alumni of the university

The museum was very interesting with so many layers of history - literally.  The foundation is what used to be the understructure of an ancient roman forum! I added a few pictures to the album but it is described well here:

Machado_de_Castro_National_Museum

By the time we emerged from the museum, it was cooler and we enjoyed listening to fado music along with drinks and a snack. We then wandered the town before having a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant and got another Uber back to camp.  

The next day we took a walk, or maybe more like a climb.  

Our photos here. Click on the "i" for descriptions.

This city is fine for students with strong legs but I don't know how the seniors manage it! 

We toured the University and found it very interesting. This place had a prison, a stunning library and resident bats who eat the insects that would otherwise cause damage to the ancient books.  

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the library so here's a link to pictures and more information:

Biblioteca Joanina


Rick Steve does a good job of describing Coimbra here.

Next: Porto