https://photos.app.goo.gl/fiLTsUhDNzGDZ9Ls9
From gorillas to convents
Amazing. With a prediction of 95% chance of rain today, we awoke to crisp blue skies. I need to learn how to interpret the weather report on this side of the Atlantic. No rain today. Not one drop. The news that New Mexico is on fire puts a damper on the moment. A sobering reminder…
Nature’s Gothic bamboo arch
The dramatic storm front that threatened to drench us yesterday was, like most things Baroque, needlessly exaggerated. A sprinkling here and there, but, for the most part of the day the lowering clouds swept overhead, disappearing by evening when we took a walk up to the top of the Coimbra campus for the dazzling view….
The daily news round up
The great Portuguese unmasking Today I noticed several people inside buildings without masks. When I pointed that out to Grubb, he said “huh?” Grubb has added The Portuguese News online, an English language Portuguese newspaper to his daily news scan. Sure enough, just today most mask mandates have been dropped. Except on public transportation and…
Photos
University of Coimbra https://photos.app.goo.gl/gGPbkPKXPbbLUsCt9 Our AirBnb in Coimbra As you’ll see, not as modern as our place in Porto. This apartment is in a designated UNESCO heritage building so there are limits on updates. It is located just a block below the University and a couple of blocks from the Botanical Gardens. We can see…
Unfurling umbrellas
Storm clouds swirled in this morning, towering billows of dark grey shot with silver, outtakes from a gloomy Baroque masterpiece threatening to unleash the fury of two weeks worth of withheld rain. With the temperature dropping it was time for the down vest and knit cap along with the umbrella. Today we were going to…
Travel words to live by…when you feel like it
What is your travel mode? We all do it differently I’m sure. Have some tips, tricks or pearls of wisdom or silliness to share? Love to hear them. Here are some of ours. Eat what you want. Try everything. Sugars and fats be damned. You know it’s impossible to gain weight when you travel. Everyone…
Are they escaped Hogwarts?
What’s with the students sporting long black capes? A little research and I’ve got a vague answer. The black cape has been a university student’s uniform here for 500 years. “Here” being Coimbra but also seen in Lisbon and Porto as well. Why a black cape? As opposed to some kind of hat or other apparel?…
Photos: Welcome to Coimbra
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jFDQ5Ljpsd9DsNEP7
College Town
After a couple cups of Delta coffee (since coming here I’ve become a snob in that regard), we boarded a quick train to Coimbra. Our initial plans for traveling in Portugal had us renting a car, but the Covid crisis priced us out that option. So no increased heart rate going into the centripetal swarm…