Our first stop of the day was at the Roman Ruins of Conímbriga, the most important Roman Site of Portugal. The archaeological site contains ruins of homes, stores, a forum, mosaics, and the important “Casa das Fontes” with its gravitational Roman fountain still in working order.
We then continued with an exploration of Coimbra, the former capital of Portugal and one of the countries oldest cities. We had a field trip through the old section of town and visited the University of Coimbra, where we got to see their incredible library.
Afterward, we enjoyed a performance of fado at a local fado house accompanied by an explanation of the history of this time-honored musical art form, recognized in 2011 by UNESCO on the Representative Lost of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Fado is a melancholic Portuguese folk music tradition, sometimes referred to as “Lisbon blues” because “fado” means “fate” and songs are often nostalgic and sad. I bought two CDs that were autographed by the fado singer.

Photos of Conimbra.

Views from old town Coimbra.

At the University. The university sits on top of a hill looking down on the town. It was originally a palace for the king who donated the building and started the university. First three photos are of the School of Mathematics.

Pictures of city taken from university

We walked down from the university to the old city. These photos were taken along the way.

Fado