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Coimbra (Sé Nova)

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    • TravelerRob’s Rambles ‘23
      22
      Day 17

      Coimbra- Velha Universidade

      May 28, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

      Coimbra was great but wet! A fantastic old university town with centuries of history and a magnificent botanic gardens. Overnite the football celebrations continued til at least 4am and I had a great view of the fans and Coimbra Prison from my bedroom balcony. After breakfast it was time to wander! Housed in the Royal Palace, Biblioteca Joanina was built in 1717 by Dom Jao V ( looks like Henry V111) Containing 200,000 books dating back to the 12th century it is awe inspiring. Baroque in style with frescoed ceilings and fantastically carved wood panelling. St Michael’s Chapel organ is massive and seems to hang from the wall. The Main Hall in the Royal Palace is like Hogwarts dining room. Reckon the whole place inspired JK Rowling. The Se cathedral and cloisters were beautiful. Tiles are everywhere and I particularly like the 13th century image of angry sheep!! A pity it was too damp to spend hours in the gardens. Caught the train to Porto, met a nice American with a rescue dog Fina, which bit me !! So I finally get to use a bit of my medical kit and am sitting back in my hotel thinking about the next leg of the trip… ‘singing in the rain’.Read more

    • TravelerRoadtrip Europa
      Day 16

      Dag 16

      April 28, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      De stad Coimbra bezocht vandaag. Als eerste de Botanische tuinen van de Universiteit bezocht. Daarna naar de universiteit zelf. Dit is een zeer grote site met verschillende gebouwen. Waaronder het koninklijk paleis en de oude bibliotheek. (Hier mocht je geen foto’s maken)
      Daarna nog even rondgewandeld in de stad en een lekker ijsje gegeten. S’avonds een eitje gebakken want ik had in de stad al een hamburger op.      Read more

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    • TravelerPortugal 2024
      212
      Day 4

      Morning of day 4

      April 1 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      This morning, we went a university, founded in 1290, the University of Coimbra (UC) is one of the oldest universities in the world and the oldest in all of Portugal. Up until the early part of the 20th century, it was also the only Portuguese-speaking university in the world.
      Beautiful campus. Was for prestigious male students until the 1800's. The most interesting part was the library. It was a scene out of Harry Potter with 2 levels of books, accessible only by the librarian, the 2nd level accessible by ladder only. Decorated in beautiful wood with real gold inlays.

      Fun facts
      *The library has a jail in the basement.
      *Students that were caught speaking any language other than Latin would be placed in that jail.
      *The picture attached of weapons are what the University guards carried with them.
      *If you were late to class, caught leaving campus, didn't agree with professors and university beliefs, unacceptable grades, you were sent to jail.
      *At night, the release bats into the library to eat the insects in order to keep the insects at bay.
      *No photohlgraphs allowed in the library.

      Ww also viewed the church and secret rooms for the professors. The University sits on a hill. We walked up and down many stairs.

      Very interesting tour. Great lunch today- Tosta de Bacalhau. Yum!      Read more

    • Camino Portuguese
      111
      Day 8–9

      COIMBRA

      April 8 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      On our journey from Algorge to Coimbra, we encountered a less-than-ideal day for riding. It was chilly and windy, and the rain poured intermittently, which forced us to take multiple stops along the way. These stops allowed us to meet fellow Canadian pilgrims we had previously encountered at an Albergue (camino hostel) the night before. This is one of the cool things about the Camino: the impromptu run-ins along the way and the story-swapping. We were fortunate to have discovered the Roman ruins in Conimbriga, which we may have otherwise missed.

      We decided to cut the day short and crossed the Santa Clara bridge to reach Coimbra, the third-largest city in Portugal. This time, we chose to break away from the usual albergue accommodation and stayed at Zero, a minimalist Japanese concept hotel that featured rooms made of wooden boxes. Although the rooms were small, we were glad we weren't claustrophobic. Following a quick shower, we set out to find a place to eat. We stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall gem that offered typical Portuguese dishes.

      Afterward, we explored the city further and climbed the steep cobblestone sidewalk that led to The University of Coimbra, one of the oldest in the world, established in 1290. We were awed by its stunning architecture and the spectacular view of the Mondego River. We also had the opportunity to witness a "Praxe," a freshman initiation ritual that is akin to rushing a fraternity or sorority. It was an interesting spectacle.

      On our way back to the hotel, we decided to take the Portuguese version of the Exorcist Steps, an adventure in itself, but we made it back to our Japanese box safely. Overall, despite the challenging weather, we had a full day of memorable days filled with unexpected adventures and experiences.      Read more

    • TravelerPORTUGAL 2023
      Day 6

      University of Coimbra

      March 30, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Coimbra has been an educational institution since around 1200. The university was originally a Royal Palace. The ancient library has around 60,000 books and is a current reference source for students. You will see some students wearing formal robes around town and around campus. Reminds you of Harry Potter when you see them.
      A degree from Coimbra in either medicine or law is considered prestigious.      Read more

    • TravelerPortugal, Morocco and Spain
      111
      Day 13

      Coimbra Day Two

      April 12, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Our first rainy day. We made the most of it visiting the Museum National de Machado de Castro and Roman Crypts. We started with exploring the extensive ancient Roman crypts and halls - we got a bit lost - they were that big. From there the museum followed with ancient sculpture and relics. Next paintings, then paintings, then ceramics, then jewelry. It was never ending. We quit for lunch at noon not getting through to the last quarter. Our heads were full.

      Our bellies were not. We ate at the museum cafe with a view overlooking the town. I was taken by the density of houses and the lack of cars everywhere. They just didn’t fit in lots of the alleyways. It afforded a sense of quiet and peace hard to obtain when you have to fight to talk above traffic. There are pastelerías everywhere you turn. Sheryl bought some almond tarts to share for dessert.

      We had tickets to see a most important part of the old university - the Library. It was stunningly beautiful - however - we had exactly 10 minutes to explore the two library rooms with no possibility to take photos and no signs or other information about the library. We were frustrated that we just couldn’t really understand what we were looking at. Why were there some shelves empty of books? What was the significance of the place to the university and how was it organized? How did they access the impossibly high shelves? What were the symbols and representations painted on the ceilings all about? Etc. Honestly, it seemed overpriced and disappointing.

      Connected were the halls for students to present their dissertations for their degrees with a court of scholars seated in the large hall. It seemed like it was deliberately designed for intimidation. This building was connected to the palace with beautiful tile work.

      Even with the cloud and rain, we still walked and walked and walked the streets/alleyways getting periodically lost and returning back to the same squares. Tomorrow we leave for Porto. I see port in our future.      Read more

    • Portugal y Galicia
      Day 19

      Coímbra

      July 21 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Coimbra ha sido la Antequera portuguesa. También me recordó a Avignon. Qué subidas y bajadas. Dignas de no olvidar. De sudar. De mirarnos con complicidad y decir: “allá vamos”. Cogemos el carrito, Izei en la mochila con Andoni, yo agarrando la parte de abajo, y “pa’lante”. Es cierto, las ciudades con encanto, bonitas a rabiar, son bien empinadas, escarpadas, empedradas. Son dignas de pueblos que se defendían desde lo alto. Son preciosas y sufridas. Son parte de lo que hacemos viajando. Sufrir mientras disfrutamos. Es la adrenalina. Es el placer que encuentras en el dolor. Es el sentimiento de satisfacción tras un esfuerzo increíble, como cuando nació Izei. Es alegría. Sobre todo, con ellosRead more

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    • West Europe - North Africa
      Day 111

      Coimbra!

      July 14, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      Giro veloce a Coimbra con annesso pranzo-cena fregatura in cerca di una Francesiña vegetariana,a avevamo davvero troppa fame a quel punto, dopo tutti i giri nelle aldeie ed il trekking senza toccare cibo 😅.
      L'abbiamo poi trovata in periferia in un posto davvero molto bello, la taverna Cumpostu (seconda cena 😀!)
      È stata una lunga ricerca, ma ce l'abbiamo fatta!
      Per le poche ore passate Coimbra sembra molto giovane e viva, sicuramente da rivedere.
      È anche una bella cittadina universitaria.
      Dani dice che ha troppe salite 🤣!      Read more

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    • TravelerPortugal Lissabon nach Porto
      Day 4

      Universität Coimbra...

      February 7 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Nach einem guten Frühstück gings wieder rauf auf den Hügel zur Universität von Coimbra. Zuerst haben wir uns den Zeremoniensaal angesehen. Die Universität verfügt ebenso über eine kleine Kapelle. Beeindruckend hier war vor allem die große Orgel. Einzig in der Kapelle hat es extrem gestunken, weshalb man nicht lange dort verweilen wollte. Anschließend gings in die Universitätsbibliothek. Beim ersten Raum war ich etwas enttäuscht, da es in keiner Weise interessant war aber als wir dann in das Hauptgebäude geführt wurden, war ich fasziniert wie prunkvoll sie ist. Leider durfte man hier keine Fotos machen. :/ aber ihr könnt sie euch wie bei Harry Potter vorstellen.

      Im Ticket war ebenso noch ein Besuch im Wissenschaftsmuseum inkludiert. Das war naja semi interessant. Man konnte einiges auch ausprobieren aber die Hälfte dieser Geräte war außer Betrieb. Im Museum für Kuriositäten waren alle möglichen Steinsarten ausgestellt und Tiere in Gläsern bzw. Tierskelette oder ausgestopfte Tiere. Der botanische Garten befindet sich gefühlt noch im Winterschlaf. Die Gartenarbeiter sind aber schon fleißig am gartlen.      Read more

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    • TravelerEurope 2019
      Day 32

      University of Coimbra - the Library

      October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We headed up to the University this morning to explore the campus. First thing we did was purchase tickets to enter the various buildings, and secured a time to visit the library. It is broadly accepted that this University was founded on 1 March 1290. For many years, the “General Studies” alternated between the two largest cities at the time, Coimbra and Lisbon. After three centuries of roaming, in 1537 the University settled definitely in Coimbra, as ordered by King João III. The University of Coimbra is Portugal’s oldest University, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We explored the large courtyard that has a statue of King João III, and has lovely views down to the river.

      We visited the library, known as The Old (Joanine) Library, at 11 am, as it is timed entry. There are three levels in the library. The Academic prison is on the first level. It was used until 1832, and was where students served time for having committed disciplinary offences. There is a middle floor, also called depository 4, which was used to keep books to which only a restricted group of staff had access. The top floor, referred to as the Noble Floor, is unbelievably ornate and contains thousands of books. It is divided into three sections, has three ceiling paintings, ornately carved columns supporting the shelves with lots of gold, and a royal portrait of King João V. Interestingly, there is a colony of bats that also reside in the library to keep the insects such as moths under control, as they can eat the books. Each night the tables and other furnishings are covered in leather sheets to protect them from the animal droppings. No photos were allowed on the Noble Floor.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Coimbra (Sé Nova), Coimbra (Se Nova)

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