Once more we boarded the tour bus for our next destination. It was a drive of 18 miles (30 kilometers) along the main roads to reach the city of Coimbra. Despite the fact that it was midmorning, we grabbed the chance to snooze while the bus was cruising. Exhaustion was setting in with all the activities.
The city of Coimbra is the fourth largest metropolitan after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga. It was a settlement during the Roman era that evolved as it was occupied by different influences. The middle ages brought prosperity as it became the capital city of Portugal. The first university of Portugal was established in Lisbon and later transferred to Coimbra. This helped the city evolve further into a major cultural center after its decline as a political center of Portugal in the late middle ages.
Our next destination was to visit the University of Coimbra.
The university was located on a hilltop overlooking the Mondego river. The campus was wide and open in the middle. Historic buildings, most notably Paco das Escolas, the university tower, Joanina library, and the courtyards, surrounded its periphery. We were the only ones, except for a few others, in the middle of the courtyard that day. Classes will not officially resume until a week later.
The University of Coimbra has been in existence since the middle ages. It was not surprising that we were looking at its faded yet still elegant medieval foundations, layered with Renaissance refinements, Baroque decorations, and Modernist touches.
We were heading to the far side of the campus to visit Biblioteca Joanina.
Random photographs of our travels. Memories found and captured in a photograph.
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It would have been neat to have gone to university at a place like this – with so much history and historic buildings.
Maybe. The place looks really nice and historic. I’m not sure about student life. I might end up at the bottom floor of the library (the prison).
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[…] Random photographs of our travels. Memories found and captured in a photograph. […]
I really like this photo from an architectual perspective, George. From the brick roof to the stairs, the lines are incredible. Great capture.
Thank you, Curt! I’m really glad that somebody else sees what I see. All I heard from the group was how hot and how bright it was outside.
I think that photography teaches us a lot about seeing the beautiful, historical, strange, George.
Same thoughts! I have been looking at everything with a different perspective. I always think, “what story does this photograph tell?”
I do a lot of nature photography, given I am often out in the woods. Grin. Photography has really helped focus me in on different things that I magic otherwise miss.