We booked four nights in Coimbra, partly to avoid cycling during the rainy days in the forecast, partly because we are now close enough to be sure of getting to Lisbon for our flight, but also because we wanted to take time exploring this town.
If we thought Porto was tough, Coimbra's hills are steeper, it's lanes narrower and it's buildings and cobblestones more crumbling, all of which add to its charm. As do the students crowding the cafes and bars at night and the tourists from all over (we have heard lots of English, French, German as well as Portuguese) in the downtown restaurants and attractions. Some places are busy- we had to line up for a 20 minute, scheduled visit of the old library, while others are quiet- for half an hour we were had the Santa Clara church and cloister all to ourselves.
Coimbra seems to have even more churches than other cities in Portugal (if possible) and we dutifully read the pamphlets and downloaded the guides of those we visited. Steve thinks he can now identify Romanesque, Baroque and Renaissance architecture and iconography, but still gets confused with Mannerist altars and can't figure out what the 3 cherubs below the Virgin signify.
It did rain lots, so between churches we relaxed, went out for drinks, made our own suppers and thoroughly enjoyed Coimbra.
The new Santa Clara monastery was commissioned by King Joao in 1649. The queen's silver casket is in the middle of the "retable" above the alter. It seems the king's decorative tastes were more ornate than one might expect for monks.
The old Santa Clara Monastery was built in the 13th C and abandoned in the 16th because it was too close to the river and regularly flooded. It has been drained, excavated and is being meticulously cleaned and restored. Looks amazing solid for a building that was half under water for 300+ years.
The austere lower level of the university library. No photos are allowed in the upper floor so you have to go to their website to see the ornate shelves, walls and ceilings.
Why the 3 not-so-holy cherubs at the feet of the Virgin? This one is in St Michael's chapel at the University, but we have seen this a few times in other Portuguese churches.
