Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FIRED UP
In the first week of May, Coimbra marks the end of the academic year with Queima das Fitas ( Click here ), a
weeklong party that serves as the country's biggest and best excuse to get roaring drunk. Literally, the name
means 'Burning of the Ribbons', because graduates ritually torch the colour-coded ribbons worn to signify partic-
ular courses of study.
In the wee hours of Friday morning, the Queima kicks off with the Serenata Monumental , a hauntingly beau-
tiful midnight fado performance on the steps of the Sé Velha. The agenda continues with sports events, private
black-tie balls, nightly concerts at the so-called Queimodromo across the Ponte de Santa Clara, and a beer-
soaked Sunday-afternoon parade called the Cortejo dos Grelados that runs from the university down to Largo da
Portagem.
In their rush to sponsor the various festivities, Portuguese breweries provide ultracheap beer, which is distrib-
uted and drunk in liberal quantities.
Along & Across the River
In an ecclesiastical counterweight to the university, a cluster of convents, together with
several other sights, sits on the far side of the Rio Mondego. Lovely green spaces stretch
south from the Ponte de Santa Clara along the eastern bank of the river. Parque Dr Manuel
Braga provides a haven of serene shade under stately rows of old sycamores, while the
Parque Verde do Mondego ( www.parqueverdedomondego.pt ; ) features riverfront bars and eateries, a
pedestrian bridge across the Rio Mondego and a small playground for kids.
CONVENT
Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha
( 239 801 160; http://santaclaraavelha.drcc.pt ; Rua das Parreiras; adult/student €5/3; 10am-7pm Tue-Sun May-
Sep, to 5pm Oct-Apr) This Gothic convent was founded in 1330 by the saintly Dona Isabel,
Dom Dinis' wife; it served as her final resting place until flooding forced her to be moved
uphill. The adjacent museum displays archaeological finds and shows two films, one about
the nuns who lived here, the other documenting the 20-year renovation that cleared the
river ooze that had drowned it since the 17th century.
Convento de Santa Clara-a-Nova
( 239 441 674; Calçada de Santa Isabel; admission cloister €1.50; 8.30am-6pm) Begun on higher
ground in the 17th century to replace its flooded twin, this convent is devoted almost en-
tirely to the saintly Queen Isabel's memory. Aisle panels tell her life story, while her solid-
silver casket is enshrined above the altar, and even her clothes hang in the sacristy. Her
CONVENT
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