Tu 5/6 From Lisbon to Porto

 We were up at 6:45 am to put our suitcases in the hall.  We then went down for breakfast, similar to what we had yesterday.  At 8:00 am we were making our way to the coaches for the trip to Porto to board our ship, the Helgrim.

The first leg of the trip was 1.5 hours to a rest stop (what they call a technical break).  Refreshed we reboarded the bus and drove another hour until reaching the town of Coimbra.  Our first stop there was the old town where we walked up the pedestrian street and looked into the shops.  I had to sit down with a group of local musicians and join in with my operatic voice.

There are very steep streets that take off from the main street and head up the side of a hill lined with shops the whole way.  (I can't imagine walking on these streets with their steep inclines and cobblestones when it has been raining, it would be impossible to keep your footing.)

The tile work in the sidewalks is amazing.  Apparently, it stands up to the test of time as I could not find places where it had been repaired.

We then took the buses up to the top of the hill to visit the library at Coimbra University.  Founded in 1290 it is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world. We went there to visit the Julianna Library, a place that looks like it was taken right out of Harry Potter.  While we were not allowed to take pictures inside, I found a couple photos online that showed what we were able to see in person.

The library has three rooms and contains more than 40,000 books from the 17th and 16th centuries.  All the trim is carved oak covered in gold leaf.  There are bats living in the library and have for more than 200 years.  Every night they cover the antique tables with leather covers, and in the morning they arrive to find them covered with bat droppings.  Good news is that the bats eat the insects that pose a threat to the facility and the books.  

We then went next door to a chapel which has a huge pipe organ mounted on the wall (that is far too big for the room it is in).  The king who built all this wanted everything done to excess as a source of pride and power.

Our next stop was lunch at a local restaurant.  We had a traditional meal that included tomato and cheese starter, either chicken with potatoes and cabbage, or a cod casserole dish.  The cabbage was really good.  While I ordered the chicken (which was good), they brought around the cod dish for us to try as dried cod is a favorite in Portuguese cuisine.  I gave it a try and it was alright, a lot like tuna-noodle casserole.

Between courses we were entertained by a trio of Portuguese musicians with a singer, a classical guitarist, and a person playing the 12-string Portuguese guitar.  They were extremely talented and a joy to listen to.

Following dinner and our concert we made the final 90-minute trip to our boat parked in Gaia, a town on the opposite side of the river from Porto.  It was amazing to watch our bus driver make his way down the steep narrow, winding roads to arrive at our vessel.

Our boat was rafted to another Viking boat so as we looked out our window we looked directly into the window of a cabin in the boat next door (their curtains were closed).  

We attended the captain's welcome aboard reception in the main lounge, then went downstairs for dinner.  After dinner, which lasted from 7:30 until after 9:00, we went up on the sun deck to view the lights of Porto and the bridge the town is most recognized for.

It is now 10:30 and it has been a very full day.  We sail tomorrow morning at 7 (we may or may not be awake for it), and then transit locks at 8:40 and 11:30 before arriving at our next port.

Boa noite!

Dinner Menu:  Shrimp cake, veal sirloin, cheese cake with berry sauce

Daily Step Count:  6,234 walking around Coimbra and the University