Coimbra

The city draped on a (ok, several) hill(s) (68)

The start of our next-home scouting trip found us frantically wandering the bus level of Lisbon’s Oriente Station (metro/bus/train), quizzing anyone in a FlixBus jacket and a few nice people in line. There were buses everywhere! Turns out the one were taking to Coimbra had yet to arrive. We’re still not sure how we’re supposed to know where to find the bus we need should we take a Flixbus again.

Near as we can tell, the best play is to allow plenty of time to wander around and look for bus numbers. Arrive too early, though, and the bus isn’t there.

Our ride was fascinating. We saw and experienced things we weren’t expecting -from the villages of high-rise apartment buildings separated by deserted countryside, to seats with negative lumbar support, and the man in front of you instantly reclining into your lap. And, feet.

Legroom is tight in general. Perhaps a little tighter than usual on this particular trip.

On balance, we prefer the train. There’s a little more legroom, the aisles are a little wider, people’s heads don’t suddenly appear in your lap, and there’s more space for our luggage above us so we can access it during the trip. There’s also a bathroom, snack car, and the ability to get up and walk to either or both. The bus is cheaper, though (we can get round-trip bus tickets for two for 40€; similar train tickets are 75€), and takes about the same amount of time. We’ve also yet to hear of a bus driver strike. Which doesn’t mean there aren’t any - we’re just in the midst of a raft of train disruptions at the moment.

Our realtor recommended Coimbra to us - saying it was the only other city we really should look at. And, as usual, she nailed it. Coimbra is gorgeous - right up there with Braga. Old buildings of all periods and styles dotted throughout.

From the Medieval to the blandly modern, Coimbra has such a feel of old - and that’s before you add in the narrow alleyways.

Like Braga, Coimbra is rich in pedestrian walkways. We adore those as the freedom of movement they provide is unmatched.

We were delighted to dine at two reader-recommended restaurants, and can heartily endorse them. Both, naturally, were in the wonderful pedestrian walkways. First up - straight from the bus depot as it was too early to check into our Airbnb - was Fangas Veg, an absolutely charming eatery with great decor¹. Their menu describes the food as “snacks”; being rather hungry, we were a bit nervous. It turns out that a cannelloni was incredibly filling - and not to mention yummy! Also receiving high marks were the chickpeas puree and bruschetta.

Enough for Amy to feel full and not stuffed.

Puree that held its warmth for the duration of the meal despite the chill in the air. And just the right amount of bread.

Fresh and tasty.

Dinner was Seoul Chicken and Wow². Chicken drumsticks and wings so crispy with at least four sauce options. The Ganjang sauce was the better of the two we tried. And we agreed the sweet potato fries trumped the regular fries. Both restaurants were door-open kind of places, so rather nippy.

Speaking of the cold, it turns out our room didn’t have a heat exchange unit. We’re not sure if Coimbra was going through a cold spell, but brrr. The high for the day was 11C (52F) and by bedtime it was 4C (39F). The windows were wood doors with charming interior wood shutters, but you could see daylight right through the sides. This, at last, was the classic cold Portuguese winter interior. It only served to make us more determined to live in a building that has been updated and insulated. As for that night, we did have an electric heater, which we used in the bedroom with the door closed.

The view out the windows was an interesting mashup of rooftops. Plus a (probably) feral kitty!

Kitty quickly got fed up with having its picture taken.

The neighbors were a little … close.

Conclusion? Both of us made our decision in the first 10 minutes. The uber (we like to check out local uber rates - part of our extensive, patent-pending research process) picked us up and drove us to lunch. Up a hill. And down a hill. And up a hill. And back down. Rinse and repeat. We were white knuckling it the whole way. What really brought it home? Every time the driver had to stop, she used her parking brake.

Yes, there are parts of the city where it would be nowhere near that challenging, and we would not need to take the climbing ropes with us on a trip to the grocery store. But we like to walk, and go on meanders. Anything that puts a crimp in that is not good; if it makes life that hard, it's just not feasible. So, we will not be living in Coimbra.

On to Braga (again).

That’s all for now.

Love from Lisbon,

Amy & Scott

1. Thanks for suggesting it,

Nancy Whiteman

(spoiler alert: you were right about the hills as well)! Everyone, if you haven't already checked out Nancy's blog,

Expat in Portugal

, you should.

2. We appreciate the tip,

David and Malou

!