Day 1 Coimbra
Arrived at our AirBnB around 3PM. We live in the historic sector of the city. All I can say is -- the hills on cobblestone! After shopping for water, milk, etc at the neighborhood (small convenience) market that is 150 meters from our door, we ventured to get something to eat. We realized that we live next to one of the oldest churches in Portugal (never bombed, never fire, never earthquake) and there are many shops and restaurants and bars here. Additionally, the university students frequent this area because it is just under the university. So bravo to Joanne for picking the location. We stumbled upon a restaurant Tapas nas Costas where we had the best lamb chops, peppers, papas fritas (lol), steak, and sangria. I heard a lot of English (patrons of the restaurant), so I started talking to this lone young guy, who was originally Israeli but from Seattle. And, the couple next to us were from Lake Como, Italy. I spoke broken Italian, Spanish, and English to them. As I walked to the bathroom, I passed two women speaking (a bit loudly) English. I asked them were they from the US, and they said, "yes, ex-pats living here." They asked me if I am on the FB ex-pats group (Joanne is), and I invited us to sit with them to chat. One thing led to another, and they invited us to drink with them. We had to give up the table for a reservation at 8 (16:00), so we walked through the historic city. They HAD to show us this authentic Fado bar (not the touristic Fado house)- Diligencia as we were greeted by the bartender/owner (Josh pronounced in English, not spelled that way) and had traditional beverages. See pictures and video below. The Fado guitarists/singers showed up around 9:45 (17:45) and it was history after. Wow. Two older gentlemen and two younger. Portuguese (or Spanish) guitar. Coimbra certainly welcomed us with open arms.
More pictures will be coming.
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