Coimbra - 23 June 2023

The next morning we boarded a coach to travel towards the Douro river and our cruise ship. This would take us several hours so the journey was split into smaller segments, our first real stop (apart from a comfort break) was in Coimbra. Coimbra has a preserved medieval old town and the historic University of Coimbra.

There was a shopping stop for those wishing to see the local wares or partake of local fare. We walked up and down the main streets and then I did manage to find a lovely chocolate shop on one of the side streets. Don't know how I managed to sniff that one out :-)

The University of Coimbra is well renowned for a number of different reasons, one of which is that J K Rowling was living here for a while and the Baroque library at the University and the robes that the students wear are remarkably similar to those seen in the Harry Potter films. Photographs were unable to be taken in the Library but it is interesting to note that they had covers to go over the huge library tables at night. Apparently they have a bat colony that inhabits the rooms overnight and are encouraged as they keep the insects down and prevent them from destroying the very many ancient tomes that are stored there. They do leave their trail though, hence the table covers.

After Coimbra University we were taken to a restaurant for lunch and had a typically Portuguese meal whilst listening to local musicians playing typically Portuguese music. Not my cup of tea but interesting none the less. The restaurant hospitality and the student waiters/waitresses from the University were both excellent.

After lunch we proceeded on our way to Porto, actually to Gaia, on the opposite bank of the Douro to Porto. We arrived in time to get settled into our cabin onboard the river cruise boat and get changed for dinner. The evening was going to prove to be a fantastic show that we had not realised would be had. See the next page for the details of the evening in Gaia.