090516 Condeixa-a-Nova to Coimbra

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our Camino in 2016. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).

Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons) indicate that source in the caption.

We woke up at 7:10 am.

Monday, ‎September ‎05, ‎2016, ‏‎7:20 AM – Condeixa-a-Nova: view out our window of pool and round building on grounds behind Pousada de Santa Cristina, with morning fog in distance.

‏‎7:20 AM – Condeixa-a-Nova: wider-angle view out our window of pool and round building on grounds behind Pousada de Santa Cristina, with haze in distance; white and yellow arrows near trees on right led to the Training Circuit.

At 8 am, we went to breakfast buffet (included) in Restaurante da Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra.

After breakfast, we decided to check on the Training Circuit, which turned out to be just a short path that led to the end of the pool area.

‏‎8:53 AM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa Cristina – sign pointing to “Circuito de Manutenção – Training Circuit.”

‏‎8:55 AM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa Cristina – MT at old round building past the pool.

‏‎8:55 AM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa Cristina – view from the pool back to the Pousada.

At checkout, we paid the €7 for wine at dinner.

‏‎7:57 AM – Condeixa-a-Nova: part of information book for Pousada; under CHECK-OUT, after it says the check-out time is by 12 (noon), the Portuguese says “Caso deseje ficar até mais tarde,…” (If you wish to stay until later,…), but the English version erroneously translates it as “If you wish to stay large,…), which gave us a good laugh.

We departed the Pousada at 8:45 and tried to follow the map the desk clerk had printed out for us.

Google map with way the desk clerk marked (upside down) from Pousada de Condeixa Coimbra (at bottom left) to intersection with Monsenhor Manuel Paulino street near Hospital (with large diagram in top margin) and across A-12-1 highway to turn in Orelhudo (scanned).

We did fine until getting on Monsenhor Manuel Paulino (there were no signs marking the streets), but couldn’t tell which way to go at the fork near the hospital. We tried the lower road to the left, but could not see the A12-1 highway. So we looked at the diagram the desk clerk had drawn (part of the problem may have been that he was across the counter from us and drew this diagram upside down) and thought that maybe we should have gone left on Monsenhor Manuel Paulino. When we went back and tried that, the road curved around to the south, which was not good. So, we went back to the hospital corner and past it and then tried the right fork, which took us into a small settlement. When we asked for directions for Orelhudo (which was on both maps the clerk gave us and also in Brierley’s guidebook), the man first told us to go back to the fork and take the lower (left) road, but then he said we could just keep going the way we were headed. And we would get down there. We did the latter and got over the A12-1, and found the village of Orelhudo—at 10:12 am (almost 1.5 hours after starting out).

‏‎10:11 AM – Orelhudo: Don at city limit sign, with a big smile.

However, we then missed the right turn on Rua São Vincente, which the desk clerk had marked on the map. When we went back to that intersection, we saw ladies washing clothes (outdoors), like the clerk had told us, and they confirmed that we should turn there.

‏‎10:23 AM – Orelhudo: ladies doing laundry the old-fashioned way at outdoor pool by fountain.

Google map with way the desk clerk marked (upside down) from Orelhudo (at bottom left) to left turn at In Café to another left turn near School, and across IC-2 highway, then off map 1 km to Cernache, for which he drew the pelourinho (pillory) column in the top margin (scanned).

Next, we came to Ribeira de Casconha, which was not on any of our maps.

‏‎10:30 AM – Ribeira de Casconha: sign entering town, with coat of arms of Freguesia [civil parish] of Cernache, and a stand of cane growing behind it.

Ribeira de Casconha is a village in the freguesia (civil parish) of Cernache in the concelho (municipality) of Coimbra. Ribeira means riverbank.

The coat of arms of the freguesia of Cernache has a gold shield with a rampant red lion bearing a silver scallop shell; above the lion are two red pitchers; and below it are three wavy lines (blue and white). Above the shield is a silver crown with four towers, and around the sides and bottom of the shield is a white banner with the word “CERNACHE.”

Then we finally started seeing yellow arrows. However, most of the official Camino marker posts we saw this day had the scallop shell symbol pointing the wrong way. (In Spain, the marker posts rather consistently followed the rule of having the rays of the shell point the way, as guidebooks said; however, the Portuguese seemed to be unaware of this convention.)

‏‎10:43 AM –  Casconha: spray-painted yellow arrow on utility pole and official Camino marker pointing to left turn; the shell symbol on the marker pointed the wrong direction.

Casconha is another village in the freguesia (civil parish) of Cernache in the concelho (municipality) of Coimbra.

MT ‏‎10:50 AM – Casconha: official Camino marker post pointing to left turn; the shell symbol on the marker pointed the wrong direction. The sign below the shell and arrow is for Casconha, in the Municipio de Coimbra (Municipality of Coimbra), and has the coat of arms of the “Cidade de Coimbra” (City of Coimbra).

‏‎10:44 AM – Casconha: official Camino marker post. Note the blue arrow on the other side of the post, pointing to Fátima.

‏‎10:46 AM – After Casconha: bridge crossing over highway A12-1.

Soon, we arrived in Cernache, and came to the pelourinho (pillory), which the desk clerk had drawn on a map.

Cernache is a town, the seat of a freguesia (civil parish, pop. 4,048) of the same name, in the concelho (municipality) of Coimbra. There are numerous vestiges of the presence of Hispano-Roman peoples in this area, but development of the town began in the mid-12th century, when Dom Afonso Henriques (King Afonso I of Portugal) established his capital in Coimbra. At that time, Cernache (then calling itself Sernache dos Alhos) was the seat of its own concelho, with all the associated administrative and judicial functions. In 1429, the town was elevated to the status of vila (small town), and it received its foral (charter) in 1514.

A pelourinho (pillory) is normally erected as a symbol of the administrative and judicial authority granted by a foral (charter).

‏‎10:59 AM – Cernache: pelourinho (pillory) in middle of intersection.

At the north end of Cernache, we came to the Colégio da Imaculada Conceição (College of the Immaculate Conception). We went past the medieval-looking gatehouse onto the elaborate grounds of the school in order to find an administration building with a bathroom.

‏‎11:03 AM – Cernache: Torreão do Colégio (Tower of the College) at entrance of Colégio da Imaculada Conceição.

The Colégio Apostólico da Imaculada Conceição (CAIC, Apostolic College of the Immaculate Conception), aka Colégio da Imaculada Conceição (College of the Immaculate Conception) or Colégio de Cernache, is a school run by Jesuit priests for elementary and secondary education (grades 5-12). It was established in 1954 on the grounds of the old Quinta dos Condes da Esperança (Estate of the Counts of Esperança [Hope]) in Cernache. It began as a school dedicated to the formation of candidates for the Jesuit priesthood. In 1975, however, it was redefined as a college serving the region and thus began to grow. Since 1978, it has operated as a joint venture between the Jesuits and the Portuguese State. It is a private school but, due to agreement with the Portuguese State, all 800+ students who attend it only need to pay for meals. Recently, due to the international economic crisis and budget cuts imposed by the government on private Portuguese colleges, the school is in danger of closing.

The Quinta was founded in the 19th century by the Visconde de Condeixa (Viscount of Condeixa), of the Colaço de Magalhães family, who had amassed wealth in trade with Brazil. One of the last owners also had the title of Conde da Esperança, and acquired the Quinta through marriage to the last Condessa de Condeixa (Countess of Condeixa) in 1914. Thus the property would end up being known as the Quinta dos Condes da Esperança. With its pleasant park of grottos and exotic trees, including tall plátanos (plane trees), the Quinta was once one of the best in the country. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the Quinta began to decline and was in a state of abandonment. It was acquired in 1944 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to build a college.

The Torreão do Colégio (Tower of the College), at the north entrance of the Quinta, is one of the symbols of the CAIC. The tower is the fruit of the romantic passion of the Condes da Esperança (or the Condes de Condeixa), and its construction was intended as a medieval revival, in the Gothic style. In the lower floor of the tower is where the porteiro (concierge or doorman) works, and on the top floor are the facilities of the Association of Former Students of the College. This romanticism was also present in the creation of a grotto and sphinx-like statues guarding the gardens.

Cernache: carimbo stamp from “Instituto Inácio de Loyola [Ignatius of Loyola Institute], Colégio da Imaculada Concepção, N.I.P.C. [Número de Identificação de Pessoa Colectiva = tax number, for a company] – 506 914 364, 3044-519 Cernache.”

‏‎11:37 AM – After Cernache: MT at beginning of gravel path, with Camino marker at right.

‏‎11:50 AM – After Cernache: MT at a fork in the path; white arrows and X’s on the gravel path seemed to go our way (when there were no yellows), but eventually we learned NOT to follow them.

‏‎12:09 PM – Near factories before Palheira: concrete enclosure for water valve with blue and yellow hiking boots on top pointing to Fátima and Santiago, respectively; Santiago sign and hand-painted yellow arrow on left side and painted Fátima arrow was on right side.

MT ‏‎12:16 PM – Near factories before Palheira: blue and yellow hiking boots pointing to Fátima and Santiago, respectively.

‏‎12:41 PM – Antanhol: Don with sign for entering the freguesia (civil parish) of Antanhol; there are also signs for the Quinta do Limoeiro and the Crédito Agricola agricultural-based credit union and banking group.

Antanhol is a town in a freguesia (civil parish) of the same name (pop. 2,556) in the concelho (municipality) of Coimbra. In 2013, the former civil parishes of Assafarge and Antanhol were merged into a new civil parish of Assafarge e Antanhol (pop. 5,302).

At Cruz dos Mouroços, we stopped at Café Aranjo for the banho (bathroom), which both of us had needed since the cross-country part of the day’s route. We also bought 2 small bottles of water.

‏‎1:12 PM - Cruz dos Mouroços: view, from near church, of Mondego river valley and Coimbra in distance, with town of Santa Clara in foreground.

From the Plaza de la Iglesia (church square in Spanish) in Cruz dos Mouroços, one can get the first view of the Mondego river valley before descending steeply into the maze of roads and fly-overs (overpasses) that bypass Coimbra’s “Old Town.” One of the landmarks is the Roman aqueduct that is now sliced in half to allow one of the new roads to plow through the middle.

‏‎1:23 PM – Near Santa Clara: N-1 highway breaks through Roman aqueduct (telephoto 90 mm).

‏‎1:26 PM – Near Santa Clara: N-1 highway breaks through Roman aqueduct and frontage road passes through arch of aqueduct on right.

MT ‎‏‎1:33 PM – Near Santa Clara: Don on frontage road where N-1 highway breaks through Roman aqueduct and frontage road passes through arch of aqueduct on right.

‏‎1:26 PM – Near Santa Clara: frontage road, on which we walked, passing through an arch of the Roman aqueduct (telephoto 76 mm).

We then began the sharp descent to Santa Clara a satellite town of Coimbra.

Santa Clara (pop. 10,000) is a former freguesia (civil parish) in the concelho (municipality) of Coimbra. It is on the south (left) bank of the Mondego river, across from the city of Coimbra.

The Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha (Monastery of St. Clare the Old, Old St. Clare), popularly known as Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha (Convent of St. Clare the Old), was not actually the first church on this site. This convent was founded in 1283 and given to the Clarisse nuns shortly afterward. In the 14th century, Reinha Santa Isabel (Queen St. Isabel) took an interest in the convent and ordered a new church built (started in 1316 and consecrated in 1330) in the Gothic style, on the left bank of the Mondego. It was the original resting place of Queen St. Isabel (1271-1336), wife of King Dinis who subsequently became the patron saint of Coimbra. However, the Clarisse nuns had to abandon the convent in 1677 due to frequent floods from the Mondego. The half-buried church has been excavated and restored since 1995.

The Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova (Monastery of St. Clare the New), in the Baroque style, was begun in 1649 and built in the 17th and 18th centuries to replace the old one, still near the river but further uphill, on the drier land of the Monte de Esperança (Mount of Hope). The new church is Baroque, but sober and utilitarian is style and adorned with small turrets. In 1696, the tomb of Queen St. Isabel was transferred to the new church. The main altarpiece has a 17th-century crystal and silver urn containing the queen’s remains, while her original Gothic stone tomb lies empty in the lower choir of the church. Both monasteries are now National Monuments.

‏‎2:05 PM – Santa Clara: view of Coimbra (with University on high point) across Rio Mondego (mild telephoto 33 mm).

‏‎2:04 PM – Santa Clara: view of Coimbra (with the Ponte de Santa Clara bridge we would cross and University on high point) (telephoto 64 mm).

‏‎2:05 PM – Santa Clara: view of University in Coimbra (telephoto 360 mm).

Since our lodging voucher for Coimbra (as for most larger cities) did not include dinner, we stopped in Santa Clara 2:30-3:15 pm for a late lunch as our main meal of the day. We found a reasonably priced menu at the small Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres, just down few steps beside the Camino route.

‏‎3:08 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – exterior.

‏‎2:55 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – outdoor menu in Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English. Probably because we preferred bacalhau (cod), we did not choose the €7.50 “Menu económico (servido no prato) – Prato à escolha (excepto bacalhau, bife de vaca e chanfana) – Bebida (refrigerante, água ou jartra de vinho) – Café [Economical menu (served on a plate) – Plate of choice (except cod, beef steak and chanfana {roast goat stew}) – Beverage (refrigerated, water or pitcher of wine) – Coffee]” tacked on in the upper left corner.

‏‎3:08 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – Portuguese part of outdoor menu.

‏‎3:08 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – English part of outdoor menu.

Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres (Den/Nook/Hideaway of the Nobles) is a small but cozy restaurant, in the middle between the Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha (Monastery of St. Clare the Old) and the Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova (Monastery of St. Clare the New. It is picturesque with typical Portuguese décor, including azulejo tiles on the walls.

We had bread, olives, and tuna paté; main course (€8.50 each): MT bacalhau cozido com todas (boiled codfish with [sic! = with] vegetables [literally: everything])/Don baked bacalhau assado com batata cozida (roasted codfish with “punched potatoes” [literally: boiled potato]); ½ liter red wind; 1 small bottle of water—total €25.

‏‎2:41 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – MT’s bacalhau.

‏‎2:41 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – Don’s s bacalhau.

‏‎2:45 PM – Santa Clara: Restaurante Cantinho dos Nobres – Don’s bacalhau, after uncovering fish.

Then we continued toward Coimbra.

‏‎3:16 PM – Santa Clara: view across Mondego river to Coimbra, with University on high point (telephoto 76 mm).

Coimbra is a city (pop 100,000) and municipality (pop. 160,000). It is the fourth largest city in Portugal (after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga). About 460,000 people live the Região de Coimbra (Region of Coimbra), which comprises 19 municipalities.

The origin of the name Coimbra is unclear. Some believe it derives from Conímbríga (the name of a former castle-town farther south in the region of Coimbra), the first part of which is possibly named after the Conii (also known as Cynetes, one of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula), and the second part from Celtic or Gaulish briga, meaning hill. In Old Portuguese, the spelling was Coymbra. The name Coimbra is attributed to the Visigothic period (569-589) and to the coming of the bishop of Conímbriga to the Roman town of Aeminium, changing the name. Adjectival forms related to Coimbra include coimbrense, conimbricense, and coimbrão.

Coimbra was the original capital of Portugal from 1139 to 1255; the country was established when Lisbon was still held by the Moors. However, it is better known for its famous university founded in 1290, which crowns the hill and is the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world. Coimbra’s “Old Town” (called Cidade Alta or Upper Town) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2013. Down by the Mondego River is the Cidade Baixa (lower town, or downtown), the commercial heart of the city, with lively cafes, restaurants, pastry shops, and other shops.

Coimbra is one of Portugal’s oldest cities; it was already an important municipality in Roman times, when it was called Aeminium (the name is related to the place occupied by the town, a meneiu, i.e., the top of a hill). The city wall, originally built in the late Roman period, was nearly 2 km long and had 5 gates and a considerable number of towers. Administratively, it fell under the influence of the larger Roman villa of Conímbriga until the latter was sacked by the Sueves (Swabians) and Visigoths between 569 and 589 and was abandoned. Then Coimbra became the seat of the diocese. Although Conímbriga had been administratively important, Aeminium affirmed its position by being situated at the confluence of north-south traffic that connected the Roman Bracara Augusta (Braga) and Olisipo (Lisbon). Its river access also provided a route between the coast and the interior. The move of the settlement and bishopric of Conímbriga to Aeminium resulted in the name change to Conímbriga, evolving later to Colimbria and eventually to Coimbra.

Around the 8th century, the Visigoths established the County of Coimbra, with its seat in Emínio (the Visigothic name for Coimbra). The county persisted until the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula from the south, during which Coimbra was captured in 714. Although not a large city, in the general context of the Muslim-occupied Al-Andalus, Coimbra was the largest settlement north of the River Tagus (Rio Tejo). From the Muslim period came the name given to the city within the walls (the Almedina) and outside the walls (the Arrabalde). The Christian Reconquista forces the Muslims to abandon the region temporarily, but they retook the castle in 987-1064 and again in 1116. During the Reconquest, Dom Afonso Henriques (who would become Afonso I, the first King of Portugal) took up residence in Coimbra and set up a network of defensive castles to the south and west, including those of Rabaçal and Ansião. Afonso Henriques is buried in the Santa Cruz Monastery. Coimbra soon became famous for its University, founded in the 13th century, which is the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe.

Already in the Middle Ages, Colimbra was divided into an upper city (Cidade Alta or Almedina), where the aristocracy and clergy lived, and the merchant, artisan, and labor centers in the lower city (Cidade Baixa or Arrabalde) by the Mondego River, in addition to the old and new Jewish quarters. The city was surrounded by a fortified wall, of which some remnants are still visible. Meanwhile, on the periphery, the municipality began to grow.

The first half of the 19th century was a difficult period for Coimbra, when it was invaded by French troops during the Peninsular War. A force of 4,000 Portuguese militia recaptured the city in October 1810 and successfully held it against the retreating French army in March 1811. The city recovered in the second half of the 19th century.

In 1911, electric tramways were introduced to connect the old quarter with its expanding periphery. In 1940-1950, the residential area of the Alta de Coimbra was demolished to expand the University.

‏‎3:16 PM – Coimbra: view from Ponte de Santa Clara bridge toward Coimbra and the Banco de Portugal, where we turned left toward hotel.

‏‎3:17 PM – Coimbra: view from Ponte de Santa Clara bridge toward Coimbra and the University on the high point.

We crossed the Ponte de Santa Clara bridge into Coimbra and stopped at the Turismo (Tourist Office) for carimbos, a city map, and directions to our hotel.

Coimbra: carimbo stamp from “Turismo Centro Portugal” with logo.

The Turismo [do] Centro [de] Portugal (Tourist Office of Central Portugal) welcomes tourist to discover the sub-regions of the largest and most diverse tourist region of Portugal. One of those sub-regions is Coimbra.

We arrived at Hotel Vila Galé at 4:15 pm. The desk clerk said the name Galé has something to do with the southern portion of Algarve.

Tuesday, ‎September ‎06, ‎2016, ‏‎7:17 PM - Coimbra: Hotel Vila Galé – exterior (the only sign was on the right side of the overhang by the entrance).

Coimbra: carimbo stamp from “Vila Galé Coimbra. S.A., Cont. N.° 508 336 309.”

“Cont. N.°” (Número de Contribuinte = taxpayer number) seems to be same as N.I.F. [Número de Identificação Fiscal = tax number]. NIF or Cont. N.° is for individuals; NIPC (Número de Identificação de Pessoa Colectiva) is for companies.

We washed clothes and hung them to dry, and Don took a shower. Then Don used a computer near the hotel lobby to check on the Royals and Chiefs. MT went down to the pool to catch some sun and read.

‏‎5:17 PM – Coimbra: Hotel Vila Galé – view of outdoor pool from our window (the hotel also had an indoor pool).

‏‎5:17 PM - Coimbra: Hotel Vila Galé – view from our window of city with church/monastery at top left and University at top right.

‏‎5:18 PM - Coimbra: Hotel Vila Galé – MT reading by the pool (telephoto 360 mm).

Don used a computer near the hotel lobby to check on the Royals and Chiefs. Then he looked for map locations of two fado restaurants from previous online research. He also happened to find Fado ao Central (at Rua Querlos, 7, near the Almedina arch); it was open 10 am to 7 pm daily, with a daily 50-minute concert (no food) starting at 6 pm. The website suggested reservations due to limited space, and seating is first-come. Sounds good!