Coimbra

Coimbra has two parts, the lower or Baixa area and the upper or Alta. I am staying in a charming family hotel in the heart of Coimbra's old Arab flavoured lower town and I set out to explore its maze of narrow streets and stairways. I started off on the other side of the wide Rio Mondego and walked across the flag bedecked Ponte Santa Clara, which has been a link across the river since Roman times, to the Largo da Portagem. This old square has beautiful old buildings from the late 18th century surrounding it. Running off from the square is a delightful pedestrianised street  and I strolled down it until I got to the Church of Santa Cruz. This 18th century church with its grand exterior façade is lavishly decorated with enormous blue tiles that tell the story of the discovery of the Holy Cross by Saint Helen, who was the Roman Emperor Constantine's mother. Two other items stood out, a gorgeous Renaissance pulpit and a wonderful red and gold organ with striking black pipes. There is a combination elevator and funicular which takes one to the Alta area and saves an exhausting steep climb up its narrow lanes. Up on the Alta I visited the superb Machado de Castro Museum, which had statues from the 14th to the 16th century, including the Cristo Negro, a dramatic wooden statue of a black Christ. Also included in this former Bishop's Palace were northern European paintings, tapestries, ceramics including intricate tiles and ecclesiastical treasures. But the best was yet to come! Below is the two-storey Criptoportico, the vast , barren understructure of the 2,000 year old Roman forum upon which the palace was built consisting of galleries and arched corridors. It was wonderful to walk along these ancient cobbled paths and see the Roman brick work.  In one of the galleries was a striking bust of the of the Roman Emperor Trajan, which was sculpted during his lifetime. I'll explore more of Coimbra tomorrow.