University of Coimbra

We knew when we booked our hotel for four nights here that we were in for some rainy weather in Coimbra. Had it not been for the Weather Network's forecast, we likely would have only planned on a two day visit, but riding in the wind and rain is very unappealing, particularly this early into our journey.

As it turns out, there's lots to see and do in this Unesco World Heritage city, so between showers we'll be able to make the most of our time here.

Coimbra is a preserved medieval town that served as Portugal's capital in the 12th and 13th centuries. The university was founded in 1290 and is the 10th oldest continuous operating university in the world (for trivia fans, Bologna is #1 followed closely by Oxford).

Like Porto, the topography here is extremely hilly with the university sitting high atop the hillside. The narrow, winding cobbled streets that we became accustomed to in Porto are everywhere here, with medieval stone walls and ancient buildings bordering both sides.

When we arrived on Saturday we strolled through the old city center and up the hill to the university. Unfortunately, as we neared the university, a construction crew was operating a crane on the street we were climbing and had blocked off any further access. We had to turn around and head back down the hill, but we took a different route to take in as many of the sights as possible. Beautiful scenery and vistas were everywhere.

As predicted, we awoke Sunday morning to the sound of wind driven rain pelting down onto the windows of our room. By noon the rain had pretty much stopped falling, so we ventured out to try some of the local goodies.

We've realized that the Portuguese have a very serious sweet tooth.There are pastry shops literally at every corner, all of them doing a very brisk business. Right around the corner from our room is Pastelaria Briosa, a shop that displays many awards for their creations. I had a piece of Bolo Formigo, a sweet, moist almond, walnut and chocolate cake that was scrumptious. Brenda had five almond meringue cookies (okay, she had three and I had two) that were also spectacular.

Afterwards, as we walked along the plaza, we noticed a sign advertising VII Mostra de Docaria. With our limited Portuguese, we were able to figure out that it was a show with something to do with desserts and cooking demonstrations. Since it was happening at that very moment, we got directions to the place and set off. As instructed, we climbed the hill towards the university, went past the statue of Diaz, skirted the Botanical Garden, walked past the Pope, admired the Roman aqueduct and went around the penitentiary.

I've been to countless wine tastings where all kinds of producers are offering samples of their products, but this was the first time I've ever seen pastry owners behind the tables. Pastries from all over Portugal were being offered up by some of the best shops around. Many of them looked similar, but each region had their own twist. We bought a couple of pieces to bring home for dessert,bolo rançoso for Brenda and toucinho do céu for me.

After we had finished drooling over all the treats, as we headed back towards our room, the weather was worsening and we decided to go back to our room, crack open our €3.00 bottle of sparkling wine and eat our desserts.

It doesn't get sweeter than that.Read more