Helena - I remember your warnings about Porto and Lisboa and booked apartments with elevators! We suspected Coimbra would be problematic too, but didn't seem to have many options to avoid stairs.

It's good exercise though - gotta keep up with the eating and drinking somehow:)

Enjoyed the Fado tonight - and the tiramisu!

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Fado
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Tiramisu


Also saw egg liqueur on a menu today...yikes.

Mel, are you allergic to eggs? Or you just don't like eggs? Just curious because of your funny comments about eggs:)

Mel, that sardine shop in Coimbra looked like the Comur shop. Comur has these fanciful shops all over Portugal (hint, hint...for xyz99 to fill up the suitcases!)
https://www.comur.com/where-to-find-...imbra/?lang=en

No hint needed, it's in my notes now 🤣

Sweet merciful Jayzuz - 65 steps? I think NOT!
A few years back I was concerned about DH's impaired mobility and the hills of Lisbon, so went on a solo visit to assess for myself. I learned that some places would simply be out of the question - e.g., Castelo de São Jorge - but uber made most places feasible. But no way either of us would have been able to negotiate 65 stairs to our lodging, with or without luggage!

Your notes and pics are delightful - though I am quite comfortable in 5 star ambience, I am no stranger to gritty and have enjoyed some great times in that sort of environment.
Carry on!!

No. Just a lifelong intense hate of them. Even the smell of cooking eggs makes me feel ill. Once had an hours long standoff with a counselor at girl scout camp who wouldn't let me leave the table until I ate an egg. She finally called my mom who told her she was wasting her time, that her girl would out stubborn the lot of them and to not even try.

Eggs are fine as a stealth ingredient, but not as the main attraction.

Fish and seafood have the same effect on me. I think I have an overly sensitive nose and gag reflex. Not much of a meat or pork eater either; it's a texture thing. In other words I'm a total pain in the ass.

I'm one of those people you don't want to have over for dinner, although I happily live off beans, lentils, salads, bread, cheese fruit, and vegetable side dishes.

I think I can understand 'gritty' to describe parts of Portugal. One of the reasons I like it, similar to Budapest in that you can tell people work and live there. The history is right in front of you. Vienna to us felt like a wedding cake, too frilly and made up.

A car for a portion of your trip would have been nice to get up into the mountains and the area around the Zezere glacier. Plenty of hikes and small villages. Seeing a women doing her wash at the town water pump, looked gritty but unchanged and interesting. We're staying in some of the smaller schist villages and looking forward to the peacefulness, Lisbon/Porto will be our hectic places.

Leaving for Porto in two days, Covid test today. Thanks for pics, wife and I enjoyed looking at Porto and getting us fired up.

BD & Progol plus anyone else Portugal-bound: enjoy your trips!
I am done. the Bucacao

*Bonus section
We see Mel tied up and seated in a chair in a dingy dungeon. Mel is muzzled--a rag has been tied tightly around their mouth. A single bare light bulb illuminates the dim room and it sways whenever the trams pass just outside. Mel is being interrogated by Russian operatives. The chief interrogator stands before Mel. He wears a monocle and bears a livid scar down one cheek.

Chief Interrogator (deep monotone voice as he offers pen for Mel to take): "You now sign zee papers Mel."
Mel (animatedly, doing best to speak despite being muzzled): "Owkineyesine...youvtiedmmihandzbeehinmibak?!" (how can I sign when you've tied my hands?)
CI (slightly more insistent): "Nyet Mel. No rezeest. Only sign zee papers, da?"
Mel is exasperated and says nothing.

The CI turns and calmly points to a subordinate. That subordinate immediately goes to the corner and removes an object from a black leather bag. The CI takes the object then moves close to Mel.
CI (clears throat then speaks): "OKyee Mel. I gived you hoportunitee for make right thing to do and sign papers. Now 'eet comes to thees."
The CI presents the object threateningly to Mel---it is a single brown egg. Mel's eyes widen. The poor, bound prisoner shudders then tries in vain to back away.

The subordinate suddenly picks up some audio on his earpiece. He cocks his head before shouting, "SEAL TEAM IS COMING, COMRADE! 'EES EGG DIVISION SIX--WE MUST MAKE THE RUNNING!"

I am done. the return to Mel's TR

Your imagination is boundless zebec:)

Zebec, you made my day!!!! I needed a laugh!

Our final day in Coimbra...a bit of rain, a bit of sunshine, a bit of grit. A whole lot of walking, a big green bear. Some steep hills, a refreshing jug of sangria, more steep hills, a stroll through a botanic garden. Street art, street music, and that most exciting of all things one must do while traveling...laundry.

Despite our rocky start we enjoyed Coimbra.

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Such fun seeing your photos every day.
Your photo of the sardine shop made me laugh as I remembered the sardine shop in Lisbon
where you could purchase a can with the year of your birth on it. I wonder if the sardines in it were actually from that year, haha!


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Sardines for every year

TPAYT - I suspect it's the same shop, just a different location - they had the year of birth sardine cans here too.

Maribel -- I've been meaning to ask you - what's up with the lack of toilet seats in public toilets, any idea?

Mel,
I haven't honestly encountered that, but I haven't used many public toilets in Portugal.

These crazy tinned fish shops are all over the country-- they do love, love, love their tinned sardines, like the Spanish love their tinned tuna (ventresca is the best). Once you've tried Spanish canned ventresca you'll never, ever eat Starkist again!


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Mel, your photos are just a pleasure - love the gorilla sculptured graffiti (?). Remarkable! Where is this?

I’m so glad you did like Coimbra, it looks like a very eclectic city, with so many fun sides to it.

Where to next?

Maribel wrote:

"These crazy tinned fish shops are all over the country-- they do love, love, love their tinned sardines, like the Spanish love their tinned tuna (ventresca is the best). Once you've tried Spanish canned ventresca you'll never, ever eat Starkist again!"

I don't know about our Spanish brothers, but I can assure you about us (portuguese): we do not love that tinned sardines. If you go into a portuguese home, you hardly find a can of it. Those Shops are a recent thing, for tourists. 10years ago, there where no shops for cans, but we used to buy a lot of tuna in supermarkets. Like 3 tuna cans, one of sardines (just in case). We really like fresh sardines. Cans are just a "help" with dinner.

Sorry, sorry, sorry about the misinformation, Helena! I should have written "love their GRILLED sardines", no?:) I love the freshly grilled sardines anyway!

Love the photos, but did you not go to Conimbriga?

Glad you continue to enjoy your time in Portugal, Mel. Don't know what it is, Coimbra just doesn't speak to me. I liked Lisbon and, judging from your photos, like Porto as well.

progol -

We ran across it walking around yesterday in a neighborhood over by the park that runs alongside the river.