Happy times sometimes come with sad days and today was one of those days. We have enjoyed our time in Porto, but today we are moving on to Coimbra.

We checked out of our room and then relaxed for a while in the library at the main hotel. It was very quiet, peaceful and comfortable.

When the restaurant opened, we went down and had a quick sandwich for lunch. We tried a new white wine from the Dao region called Pinho Pax. It was very good; dry, yet with enough fruit and minerality. We’ll definitely look for it when we get home.

Our ride was scheduled for 1:30 pm and our driver pulled up right on time. We’re once again using Daytrip and today’s driver was Nuno. It sounds repetitive, but once again we were pleased with our driver. He was very friendly and personable, drove safely, and provided lots of information about our destinations.

Instead of driving straight through to Coimbra, we planned to stop in the town of Válega. Our first concern was whether it was safe to stop in Válega with the wild fires in the region. We agreed that if it wasn’t safe, we would skip it. Luckily, the fires that ravaged the area two days ago had been extinguished, so we were able to stop.

Válega is a small town that lies south of Porto. It has a church that is beautifully decorated with azulejo tiles and was built to honor the Virgin Mary. It has undergone restoration work to keep it as beautiful as ever, with restoration continuing during our visit. The ‘illustrations’ seen on the exterior of the church and the interior side walls of the church are all ceramic tiles. The effect is absolutely stunning. During our visit, ladies of the parish were scrubbing the altar and arranging greenery for the weekend Masses.

And stunning on the inside:

We were so happy to have been able to visit the Igreja Matriz de Santa Maria de Válega. It was a little off the beaten path, but well worth the effort to get there.

Back on the road, we continued on our journey to Coimbra.

For those who haven’t heard of Coimbra, it is a town of great historical importance. At one time, it was the capital of Portugal. The capital was subsequently moved to Lisbon in 1256.

It is home to the University of Coimbra, which was established by King Dinis I in 1290. It is a prestigious university and is home to the Joanina library, which we will be touring during our stay.

In about an hour after departing Válega, we arrived in Coimbra. We are staying at the Hotel Mondego, which is located about a fifteen minutes walk from the University. Yes…..it’s all uphill…..

Our room is smaller than the one in Porto, but it’s clean and as we have a corner room, there’s lots of light!

Dinner time was easy, as we strolled the street behind the hotel. We called it “Restaurant Row”! Many different places and cuisines to choose from, all looking and smelling wonderful. We chose Italian, as pizza sounded good tonight.

Instead, we had a special beefsteak and spaghetti for two. Our waiter was great in steering our decisions. A bottle of Chianti became a bottle of Bairrada. Honestly, he was right on target. We can get pizza another time.

We had a great meal, bottle of wine and dessert for under €80. Our night was complete!

We made our way back to the hotel to digest our meal and get a good night’s rest. Travel days always tire us out and today was no exception.

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