COIMBRA (Portugal)

In today’s post, we don’t walk very far. Two reasons: A swollen ankle and torrential rain. Here is just a summary of the two larger cities we have visited so far on our Portuguese Camino:

  • Lisbon has an old-world charm that will win any tourist’s heart. This beautiful city was the starting point of our Portuguese Camino. You can read about our first big city on the Portuguese Camino here.
  • Tomar may be much smaller than Lisbon, but this medieval city should be on anyone’s must-see list when visiting Portugal. You can read about our second big city on the Portuguese Camino here.

The distance between Tomar and Coimbra is 93.5km (58 miles). A distance we covered in three days, but we did it in different ways:

  • Berto took the bus with me on the first day and the other two days he walked (in pouring rain).
  • I didn’t walk at all. On two of the three days I travelled by bus and on another day, I got a ride with one of the locals.

Here are some of the highs (and lows) of the three days:

Day 7: Alvaiazere (33.2km):

I thought my swollen ankle would be better after our rest day in Tomar, but actually it got worse. The day we left Tomar there was a heavy downpour and we decided to take the bus to the next town, Alvaiazere.

Bus terminal in Tomar

This means that unfortunately we cannot show you the hiking route between Tomar and Alvaiazere. But we can show you what we bought in Alvaiazere …

Dinner on the left and a pharmacy trip on the right

(You can read about the hiking of Day 7 here)

Day 8: Rabacal (31.1km)

Berto walked this stage in heavy rain, meaning he could not take any photos. The owner of the albergue where we stayed in Alvaiazere asked his son to drive me to Rabacal. It is a very small town with a population of only about 1,000 people.

It may be a small town, but they have a lovely church

There is even a pool at the hostel

Hostel O Bonito (wet clothes hanging everywhere to dry)

It was in Rabacal that the owner of the hostel identified the potential problem for my ankle. She mentioned that it looked like an allergic reaction. According to her, in some pine forests there are pine caterpillars that can be stepped on and their larvae can be irritating to human skin. Looking back, I remembered how many caterpillars we encountered in the woodlands and suddenly everything made sense … the painful, but also itchy feeling.

My foot and lower leg were now completely swollen

(You can read about the hiking of Day 8 here)

Day 9: Coimbra (29.2km)

What can I say … this was another rainy day! Berto only managed to take a few photos towards the end of the day’s walk.

Historic aqueduct close to Coimbra

First view of Coimbra at Cruz dos Mourocos

Beautiful buildings on the hike into Coimbra

More lovely buildings (there’s always a church somewhere)

Narrow pathways

Berto crossed the Mondego River when he walked into Coimbra

(You can read about the hiking of Day 9 here)

In the meantime I crossed the Mondego River by bus. It started to rain when we stopped in the city center and I wasted no time getting to a restaurant. On the menu: Pastel de nata and a very tasty bowl of soup.

This was my view of Coimbra – buses across the Mondego River

Delicious Pastel de nata and a hot bowl of soup

Coimbra:

Coimbra is regarded as the university city of Portugal, but for over 100 years it was the medieval capital of the country. The University of Coimbra (UC) was founded in 1290 and is one of the oldest universities in the world, while it’s the oldest in all of Portugal.

While I was trying to find our accommodation for the night, I had some photo opportunities in the older part of the city.

The Church of Sao Tiago, a Romansque building from the end of the 12th century

Walking in Almedina Square there is a pretty statue of half a guitar half a woman that is meant to be a tribute to Coimbra’s fado

Almedina Square

After a great search, I finally found our accommodation for the evening. Olive Street House was located in a very narrow alley. We were lucky to get a double bed room again … a place where I could lie with my swollen foot in the air until Berto arrived.

The very narrow street where I found our accommodation

Our wonderful room at Olive Street House

When Berto eventually walked into our room (wet and tired), I just gave him a chance to take a quick shower before we went on a hunt to buy me hiking sandals. After walking about 5km we found an outdoor shop which, to my relief, sold hiking sandals … maybe not quite what I had in mind but it would have to do as I wanted to walk further!

Seeing more of Coimbra on the hunt for hiking sandals

Church of St. Bartholomew, built in the 10th century

Monastery of the Holy Cross, founded in 1131

There are many squares with bars and restaurants for a weary pilgrim

More amazing buildings

We wish we had the time and energy to visit Coimbra University, a place so famous in Coimbra. But at the end of a rainy day and after our search for hiking sandals, we only had energy for one more activity … a cold beer and a plate of food.

That all important beer at the end of a long day

I was looking forward to walking again the next day … but would it be too soon? We will tell you more in our next post when we visit one of the most beautiful cities on the Portuguese Camino (and probably in the whole of Portugal).

Camino sign on a sidewalk in Coimbra