To Coimbra

Sept 14, 2016 Coimbra 29km

An early start as today will be a long trek. At 6am I opened the shutters and then heard the rain. I looked to the skies and could see stars, which meant the rain was going to end. That was encouraging and we didn't need rain covers and umbrellas, but after one hour of walking, the search for a coffee stop ended in almost disaster. We kept asking for directions and walked off trail for the next two hours and thought we could reconnect with The Camino, and ended 2km off course. We finally gave up looking for the trail and took the bus. The humour in all this, we could see the trail markings from the bus.

Coimbra is an interesting university town built on a hillside overlooking the river. Many of the old buildings and monuments are well preserved and not surprising the number of tourists visiting. The centre of town is a maze of narrow streets with many cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops. We enjoyed lunch and a glass of wine at an outdoor restaurant observing locals, students and tourists. What a great day, despite loosing our way.