Coimbra

We started our day at the beautiful Coimbra which is the town on the way to Porto, where the oldest university in Portugal, and one of the oldest in the world, is located. We did a VoiceMap tour which took us around the city, and learned some great stories about the importance of Coimbra university in the scientific and liberal arts. The city still feels buzzing and alive with the students, as Coimbra is the most prestigious university in Portugal and probably on the Iberian peninsula. The most stunning site is the old university library, which is full of centuries old manuscripts and old wooden shelves and tables. There’s also a beautiful old chapel with the walls covered in gorgeous hand painted intricate tiles. Finally, a beautiful two-storied hall, where the private examinations of the students are still being held, as well as the degree award ceremonies. All these old classical traditions are balanced by the very rebellious and run down looks of the student dorm buildings, which are called Repúblicas. After extensively exploring Coimbra (we also did a VoiceMap tour of Jewish Coimbra, which was quite repetitive with the regular VoiceMap tour by the same author), we drove to Porto where we checked in to a very cool hotel from the Chic and Basic chain. This one was themed Gravity, which was reflected in many decoration elements being upside down and hanging from the ceiling.Read more