El Camino Portuguese Coimbra to Mealhada

El Camino Portuguese 

Coimbra to Mealhada

It was a day of three halves. I set out at 7.30 across the flat wide river valley north of Coimbra. By 8am I had left the city but it had started to spit but not heavy enough to warrant waterproofs. It steadily got worse and by the time I changed into wet weather gear, I was already wet.

By the time I finished the days walk it had rained all the time but once I was in the city again, the sun came out. It hoodwinked me and I set off to explore the city only to be rained on again. And now I have two sets of clothing drying in the hotel room and not the right clothes for tomorrow if they don't dry over night.

I had arrived in Coimbra the day before and just as I reached my hotel, it had started raining and it rained all night. The start of the day was overcast and the rivers and ditches were full.

Some fields were flooded, making the positioning of the irrigation system to the left of the photo rather superfluous.

Something similar to a scene from Harry Potter with some over sized pumpkins.

As the rain got worse, I moved my camera from its usual position on a karabiner on the chest strap of my rucksack to inside it to protect it from the rain, so no more photos of the walk.

There was no accommodation at the end of my days walk so I caught the train back to Coimbra for a second might in the same hotel. The weather had changed and it was bright and sunny so I took a tour of the city that I had foregone the day before as it was raining.

                                        

I went for a tour of the city and passed this Volunteer Firefighter Station, one of the grandest I have ever seen but useful for pilgrims as they often allow pilgrims to sleep on the floor for a modest fee.

Cominar boast two cathedrals, this is the 12th century 'old' cathedral and whilst working my way through the old city, I passed...

,,,the Iron Gate seen fro the Placa de Porta Ferrea into...

...Universidade de Coimbra with the Torre da Universidade tower to the left of the photo and the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) to the right.

Just to the left of the Torre da Universidade and just out of shot to the right are going left, the visitors cafe, the Capela de San Miguel (Chapel of St Michael), some administration buildings and the baroque building at the far left of the picture is the Biblioteca Joanina.

Just a short walk further on is the other cathedral the  'new' cathedral being a splendid 16th century edifice and much more ornate inside the the other cathedral but both are worth a visit to see how ecclesiastical architecture had moved on  over four centuries.

And then it began to rain again and I headed back to my hotel but stopped just to take a photo of this facade of a church and I expect that it has a lot of history but I was more interested in dodging under shop canopies and overhangs of buildings to get back to my hotel  before catching pneumonia fo=rom the pouring rain.