I sat in the lobby with my laptop and a cup of coffee waiting for the breakfast to open. It felt like the perfect way to start the morning. When breakfast opened, I ordered a tomato and cheese omelet and found parsley pesto on the breakfast bar to  accompany my eggs. I finally felt like I had a filling breakfast.

We were picked up at 9:00am by Walter for our drive to Coimbra.  Since Walter and I had been talking about the Jewish population in Porto, he drove us to see the only synagogue in Porto.  The Synagogue in Porto was built in 1938 and is the largest synagogue on the Iberian Peninsula. It was sealed up like Fort Knox with a locked metal front gate and barbed wire along the top of the walls surrounding the building.  Walter said the only way to see inside the building was to make an appointment months in advance and then go through a vetting process with a very strict application.  

We then proceeded to Coimbra. Coimbra is one of the oldest and the third largest city in Portugal and houses the University of Coimbra. It is also home to one of the oldest cities in Portugal.  Please join us on our tour of the college/castle.  ​

We started in the chapel.  ​

Next we went to the library.  To get there one needs to walk through the college prison which was used for unruly students for short stints.   

The library houses some of the oldest first editions books in the world dating back to the thirteenth century.  It has also been said that it was the inspiration for the setting of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books.  Pictures were not allowed to be taken in the library but here are a few from the entrance way.  Here is a link to the library from the university.  

Bats in the Library:  The shelves in the library are made of oak wood which attracts bugs that feed off of the shelves for food.  Every night the furniture and books are covered with leather cloth so that bats, which live behind the shelves, can come out and feed.  Every morning the leather cloth is removed and the library is cleaned. This is how the books and shelves are being preserved. ​

Our group then did a quick walk through the castle proper.  

​

We met back up with Walter, who then gave us the grand downhill historical walking tour of the city.

​

While we were touring the castle, Walter made a reservation for us at one of his favorite restaurants: Solar do Bacalhau.  We finally had a proper Portuguese dining experience.​

After lunch, Walter drove us to Aveiro, considered the Portuguese Venice, due to the big canal that crosses the city center. Once there, we cruised the waters of the canal in the traditional moliceiro boat and had the perfect guide that made sure we understood everything he was saying.  Before we headed out Walter took us to this little shop he likes to visit when he is in Aveiro. There he treated us to Port wine and "ovos moles." These are the sweets which are emblematic of the city and is made with  eggs and sugar - the “ovos moles" (soft eggs) that are sold in wooden barrels or wrapped in a crusty wafer in different shapes. There is a statue dedicated to the sweets. "Ovos moles de Aveiro were created by the nuns of the Convento de Jesus de Aveiro. This sweet can be wrapped in a wafer that has a shape inspired by the seascape, covered with sugar or chocolate. It is also sold in hand-painted wooden or porcelain barrels."  

Aveiro is home to the “Barra” Lighthouse. This is the tallest lighthouse in Portugal and one of the tallest in Europe. This was the last stop of the day before heading back to Porto. ​

Earlier in the day, I had been asking Walter about the graffiti  along the highway. The tags were beautifully done although illegal.  He took us past an area that went under a bridge.  On the walls were huge murals done by famous artists in the area.  ​

We had to say goodbye to Walter.  We will never forget him. He will rank up there as one of the best guides we have ever experienced.  ​