I was disappointed by our lack of time to explore Coimbra in the spring. Not so this trip. The rest day from riding provided us with lots of opportunity to explore, and explore we did. Coimbra is sometimes called the City on the Hill. It's skyline in dominated by the outline of the university here. It is interesting to note that while the church steeples are visible they are not the highest points - as in other places in Portugal. In the center of the city the university life is obvious - or at least it has been during both our visits. In May students were celebrating the end of the school year. There were parades down the streets in the robes of academia - the students wear black robes that get decorated with badges and other items as their studies move forward. First year students, though, do not; initially at least. Groups of students move through the city singing a variety of songs. They're loud, and boisterous, as they draw attention to themselves. In most groups one or two students appear to be in charge - I suspect students further along in their studies directing the younger students along the way. This time round they were celebrating the beginning of classes on Monday. At one of the cafes the waiter explained that we'd come at the two times of year when these activities were most evident.
On the evening we arrived we had one of the nicest meals of our trip to date. The restaurant was hidden in one of the alley's of the old city. We'd chosen it largely because of the good reviews on Google Maps, but the die was cast when Tripadvisor rated it as the second best restaurant in Coimbra. The meals were different - I had boar shortribs with mushroom rice. Sandy had a cod soup. The price was reasonable. The food was delicious and beautifully presented.
On the morning of our day of rest we rose slowly. Not needing to pack and get our luggage to the front desk for pickup was a nice change of pace. We went down for breakfast at about 9 and aimed to be at the university for later in the morning. It was a climb up the hill through streets that went in unpredictable directions. The maps weren't clear so we wandered in the directions that made the most sense to us. Eventually we reached the old Cathedral. We went in to this building dating from the 12th century to see what art work was there and the gothic cloister. We looked at some of the tombs - the founder of the city - or rather, the leading citizen at the time the city was recovered from the Moors - history in Portugal is often fluid with the perspective of the victors over the defeated; as one era moves to another the lines and stories of history shift - just as Conimbriga where we visited the "Roman" ruins. There the community that existed before the Roman Empire invaded lost it's identity with the arrival, and establishment of the "Roman" period. In Portugal Mosques became churches...some have signs of inhabitation and use before the Moors...and so history shifts and changes over time.
From the Cathedral we climbed further upwards finally coming to the Joanina library. The university of Coimbra is one of the oldest in Europe - established in the 12th Century. Many of the buildings through the old city were at one time university buildings owned and established by orders of the church, changing hands with the times. On some we read of the expulsion of Jesuits or others at different periods during their history. The library required tickets to explore and the options available through an app to purchase the tickets were perplexing. There were a variety of choices and options - a cabinet of curiosities (whatever that is); a Royal Palace; the Chemistry department; were all possible points of interest at the university. Finding the ticket office took us on a sojourn across the campus passing the Medical Faculty and others. My primary interest was seeing the medieval library which others had described as "not to be missed". Our tickets came with a time of admission - 1:40 in the afternoon. With about an hour to go we did tour the Royal Palace - at one time the home of the monarchy in Portugal - or at least this region of Portugal - it is not the building where students defending theses might give their defense. Rooms are decorated with portraits of the Presidents of the University during the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. They've run out of room on the walls for more. The Great Hall reminded me of the legislatures of our Provinces - particularly the legislative assembly in Quebec City. It was once a throne room. It's interesting that features would be common to all. It was somewhat disconnected to see a modern electronic whiteboard one on side of a room decorated with relatively austere, but functional seats, chairs and tables from the 17th century.
The library was something more than I expected. The tour begins on the lowest of three floors - the basement so to speak where the empty rooms were once the "academic prison." Students who'd broken the rules of the university would be held until decisions were made regarding their place at the university. There were two small cells hidden behind a spiral staircase. Not a lot is known about the use of these cells. There is little information available about the types of offenses that might have been a reason for punishment. They are plain cement walls approximately 5 feet wide by 10 feet long. Ones imagination allows for much to be considered - certainly they wouldn't have been comfortable. After 10 minutes on the lowest floor we moved up to the second floor and the first level of books on the shelves. Filled with ancient texts the library is said to have copies of all the academic books written in Europe during a period of about 300 years. One becomes aware that our era is abundant with books in ways that no previous generation has known. My parents generation were familiar with the use of the Bible within their curriculum in public school during the 1940's and 50's. Lessons might include stories from the Bible for exercises in English and language arts, for example. How times have changed. On the top floor of the library we encountered the ornate shelves and tables that spoke of ancient studies. McGill University in Montreal is one of the oldest in Canada having hosted students for about 200 years. This library was in use well before that time. The oak shelves and tables may, in fact, be original to the room. The shelves reach to the ceiling with ladders to recover the books. There are three sections to the long open room. Coats of arms by the ceiling. The room is designed to protect the books. Bats are released at night to protect the books from insects that might otherwise destroy the books. The tables are covered each evening to protect the finish of the tables from the bat's excrement. It is an amazing place to see.
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| Second floor of the library (pictures were not allowed on the top floor) |
Jeff Rock had caught up to us arriving in Coimbra on the afternoon of our rest day. We arranged to meet for dinner and met another pilgrim who'd been walking with Jeff for a couple of days - forced by him, she said, to walk 120 kilometers in three days. Dagmar, from Germany, is a middle school teacher. We shared stories of our adventures. Jeff had been to Fatima and we talked about the spirituality of the journey as we ate dinner together at a "Bacaulau" restaurant. Bacaulau, Cod, is the mainstay of Portuguese cuisine. It is usually salted and dried then rehydrated for cooking. There are 101 ways to cook it in Portugal and one is never really sure what exactly will come to the table. There are casseroles and recipes of grilled cod. We learned at the restaurant that there are different terms for the various parts of the Cod - some come from the center of the fillet; others from the edges; some from close to the tail and yet more close to the head. The waiter used a diagram to show us the cuts of the different recipes on the menu. Sandy, Jeff and Dagmar had cod. I settled for a Salmon steak. As we left the restaurant we discussed the possibilities of our paths crossing yet again. Jeff was jumping ahead to Porto the following day, we had three days of riding to before we would reach Porto, Dagmar's Camino would continue separately. We wished each other well with the hope of reconnecting later in the trip - we may catch up to Jeff closer to Santiago; we'll see.
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