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| Peter tackles the crossword |
Saturday 4th July 2015
We left Norwich at a reasonable time on Saturday morning and took the flight to Amsterdam and then on to Lisbon. Here we negotiated the bedlam that was the steaming car rental hall and eventually found another place with a car rental desk which was far less crowded. A well-kept secret. We collected our car - a brand new VW Passat automatic - and headed off north to our destination, a small village somewhere south of Coimbra.
Thanks to Google maps street view, I had pretty much 'seen' the route through the village and up into the hills in advance, and together with the written instructions from the house owner, we found our way there without trouble. The house we were renting is on a wooded hillside with about 4 other houses nearby, all well shielded with trees. We only got an occasional glimpse of the neighbours - all expats.
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| Malcolm brings the drinks |
We pulled up the car and texted the man who was going to let us in. He arrived from his house nearby and insisted that we go up to his house for a drink. He produced wine and glasses and was very friendly. Almost immediately we realised that he had a confession to make. He was acting as letting manager in an informal way and he had not checked up on the septic tank until that morning only to find, to his horror, that it was full! So, he broke it to us that we could not shower or flush the loo and he had made up a bed for us in his house and we could stay there and shower etc. until the tank was emptied. We made our excuses and left to go and unpack and take stock! We explored the house and courtyard and admired the swimming pool which looked very inviting in the heat. We decided we could manage by not flushing and by swimming instead of showering. We expected it to be fixed by Monday!
The house is very comfortable and the large kitchen is well equipped. A number of basics were in the fridge so we had a quick supper with whatever we could find, including some strawberries which looked great but were rather woody, and dropped into bed.
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| View from the balcony towards the pool area |
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| Another seating area in the courtyard |
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| Sunset from the balcony |
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| Strawberries |
Sunday 5th July 2015
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| A local peasant drawing spring water |
I got up early and had a swim while Peter
caught up on his beauty sleep. Then we
had a ‘light’ breakfast of fruit and a left over custard tart before getting water from the local spring (tap) and heading
off into the town (Miranda do Corvo) to see what we could see and to go to the supermarket.
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| Our first coffee and cake/roll. Very cheap! |
We have a map of the town but very few
roads are named on it and very few road names are visible on the streets so
with a bit of guesswork, we arrived at a square where we could park and started
wandering. We weren’t expecting great
things, it being Sunday; we were just getting our bearings. We found the market and the market square, a
café for coffee and yet another custard tart and a few shops, but not much
else. The covered market was, of course, empty.
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| The empty market |
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| Salt cod |
We headed back to the
supermarket. The smell of fish and salt
cod was all pervading and not particularly attractive. The fruit was blotchy and misshapen, and
overripe. We haven’t yet decided whether
they just don’t pay attention to exterior perfection (a good thing generally)
or had very bad turnover and stock control.
The meat at the fresh meat counter was largely unrecognizable in terms
of cut but we managed to buy some freshly ground beef and the rest of the stuff
for spag bol for Monday night and something for a salad lunch. Back at the house we ate our salad on the
upper balcony and then had a siesta!
Later, when it was a fraction cooler, we sat around the pool, dipping in
and out of the water and in and out of the shade. It was blissful. We are both into gripping books and so were
happy alternately swimming and reading.
The pool, once you are in the water is completely out of view of the one
house nearby and so costumes were not worn!
Woohoo!
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| Lunch on the balcony |
After our swim we went back to the town and
to the museum of the goat restaurant where we were the only people eating. Peter started with mushrooms on toast which
was a meal in itself and I had very spicey grilled prawns. To follow, squid/octopus and massive prawn
medley for Peter and stewed goat for me.
The food was interesting but not fine dining!
So far we’ve been pleasantly surprised by
the number of people who speak English which is a great help as, although we
struggle with a few words of Portuguese, the pronunciation is very hard.
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| A row of scarecrows! |
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Still working on a full septic tank so the
pool is very handy, but the washing up is mounting.
Monday 6th July 2015
We have had a message from the neighbor to
say that a mate of his says it’s OK for us to shower and flush. We don’t know on what evidence so we decide
to hold back on the flushing but I can’t stand the sight of the washing up
anymore so I get this done first thing.
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| Note the piercing blue sky! | | |
Then breakfast and another trip into our local town…this time with a better map
found in the sitting room downstairs and a bus timetable. This visit is much more interesting and
productive. We find the tourist office
and a delightful young woman who explains about the bus, the timetable and the
stop we need in Coimbra which we are visiting on Tuesday. She also takes out of a brand new box a
mobile tourist guide with maps and places of interest in English! And she tells us there is free wifi in the square
outside. We sit and Peter does his
emails and then we go off with our handheld guide.
It was really too hot for walking up and down
the steep streets of the old town but we did the main sights before returning
the device and asking about lunch stops.
We had omelette and salad at a quiet café in the cool before finding our
way back to the car and then the supermarket again to buy a proper bar of soap
(now we can shower) and more milk.
Back to the house for a siesta and then a
swim and reading my the pool. We invited
the neighbor over for a drink to show there were no hard feelings and when he
left we enjoyed Peter’s spaghetti Bolognese.
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| In Miranda do Corvo |
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| Pretty balcony |
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| Our guide |
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| Inside the church |
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| Wall painting |
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| Part of the cemetery |
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| Another chapel |
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| Colourful scene |
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| Look familiar! |
Tuesday 7th July 2015
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| Medieval house |
We got up early and drove into Miranda and
parked near the bus station. We bought
our tickets and boarded the fast bus to Coimbra which stopped very near the
office of the company we had booked a walking tour with. Once we had located the office we wandered
off and had coffee and looked at a shop selling things made from marbled
paper. When we got back to the tour
office at the appointed time we were met by our guide Marta who told us a
little about the office building – the Medieval House – before we set off. Marta’s English was good and we were soon
learning a great deal about Coimbra and the history of Portugal.
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| Mmm! |
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| English Cake on the left! |
This particular walking tour was entitled
‘Jewish Coimbra’ which made for an interesting focus from the history point of
view but less so from the point of view of what we were seeing as all trace of
the large Jewish population from previous times has completely
disappeared. We stared at a wall that
was the site of a synagogue and a row of washing in what was the Jewish quarter
and the outside of a watch shop in whose basement the mikveh has been
unearthed. However, we did see some
wonderful churches and other buildings and the spectacular courtyard of the
university. It was hard work going up
and down the steep streets in the heat and in the end we gave up and had a cold
drink. Marta was very
understanding!
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| Part of the old monastery, Coimbra |
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| Steps to the university |
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| Old roman forum |
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| View from the forum |
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| Gateway, Comibra |
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| Old city gateway |
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| The university |
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| Student in cape waiting for his viva |
She
left us at the top of the old town and we navigated our way down and found a
café in a little square where we had lunch in the shade. We returned to the stationery shop and made
a purchase and then caught the bus back with the driver hurtling round the
steep bends. Once back safely in Miranda
we went to Lidl to buy a few things for
dinner. Lidl in Miranda you may be
amused to know is exactly the same as Lidl in Norwich!
More lying about by the pool to cool off
before supper.
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| Ah yes! |
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| The pool |
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| Some difficulty keeping the wine cool! |
A very good day.
Wednesday 8th July 2015
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| Woman selling earthenware |
Wednesday is market day in Miranda so we
got into town at about 11.00 and had a look round the market. Lots of fish and women selling vegetables and
fruit and bread. Outside were the usual
household goods and clothes. We bought plums, tomatoes, rolls, two custard
tarts and some white curd cheese. Then
off to the free wifi in the park near the tourist office where we consumed our
tarts and connected to the outside world – in my case to book a place on a
pottery course starting in September.
Peter didn’t have much success with looking at his emails so we went to
a nearby café where the signal was better and had coffee. Then back to the house and prepared lunch. Peter managed to fumble a wine glass which
shattered against the side of the side sending shards everywhere including one
fragment into his eye. Fortunately I
managed to get it out with a cotton bud.
For a moment I had visions of driving to a hospital and sitting for
hours in a baking waiting area. We were
spared! After our salad lunch and a
glass of wine, yet another siesta! Life
is very relaxed here!
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| Difficult to keep the wine cool! |
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Thursday 9th July 2015
Thursday was too hot to do anything. We got up late and crept to the supermarket. We have now discovered Lidl - far superior to the food at Intermarche - and laid out just like Lidl in Norwich! We bought some basics and went back to the house for lunch, siesta and very cautious use of the pool in the late afternoon when the temperature had dropped.
Friday 10th July 2015
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| Festival of the trays |
Today was a little cooler so we made a trip to Tomar which our guide in Coimbra had told us was on the verge of a 4 day festival. Festival of the Trays to be exact, when girls carry large trays on their heads. We didn't see them (this is a 'stolen' picture). The parade takes place at the weekend but we were able to see the street decorations which were amazing with each little street in a different design.
We also visited the only original synagogue in Portugal which had it's own street decoration propped up outside the mikveh, recently excavated.
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