Portugal. A Very Neat Place. Beyond Lisbon. Part Two (Coimbra). (September 2019)
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Known as the "city of students," Coimbra, sited on a hill overlooking the Mondego River, is an attractive and lively college town northwest of Lisbon. The University of Coimbra is Portugal's oldest, and one of the oldest in Europe. Founded in Lisbon in 1290, it was moved to Coimbra in 1308, returned to Lisbon in 1338, and permanently relocated to Coimbra by king Dom Joao III in 1537, on the grounds of the Coimbra Royal Palace. Our visit coincided with exam day for some classes, and students milled and relaxed, and occasionally had to swim upstream against tides of milling tourists. Coimbra holds another must-see Portuguese landmark that we couldn't see, the Baroque 18th century Joanina Library (Biblioteca Joanina).
Here, the bell tower and entry
The university's mosaic seal
Break between exams
Above right: Dom Joao III moved the university back to Coimbra in 1537.
Below: the university grounds overlook the Mondego River.
Above: the Chapel of St. Michael
Below: old palace chambers
In the old city center is the fine Monastery of Santa Cruz.
Outside, more street mosaics
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.