Well waking up at 3:15 came awfully fast yesterday. Emily and I set on our way around 4:00 am for our approximately 3 minute walk to the train station with our chocolate sandwich and hard peach in hand. We got their about 27 minutes early and just awkwardly stood outside the train wondering if were supposed to just walk on.. or wait for someone to tell us. So, since we were clueless we waited for this gel haired man to finish smoking his cigarette and followed him on board. His seat would be right in front of me. For some reason, Emily and I decided that it would be necessary to talk in a British accent the entire time. We also felt the need to give the random people on the train with us names. There was Philip and Peter who not once opened their eyes--even when we had to show our passports. Impressive. Then there were the 4 British boys who kept staring at us. We named them Jonny, Harry, Grant and Joseph. Don't judge, it made the time go by much faster. There was a man we didn't bother to name, but let me tell you, he was ready for anything. He was ready for the perfect storm, a trip to the dessert and/or Africa. He had on a nice safari hat, about 8 rain jackets and some camo pants. He was ready to go! Then there was the girl who was sitting in her seat... inside her sleeping bag? Our favorite was crazy haired man. He always had a smile on his face and we did a nice wave after sharing zero words with each other. Funny thing is, after we were dropped off in the middle of the sketchiest train station ever we ran into this man as we were exploring through Coimbra. He attempted to speak to us in Portuguese but we didn't have a clue what he was saying. This language sounds like drunk Italian, French, German and Spanish. We tried telling him we didn't understand but he kept on talking. We finally just walked away. Well, here's the funny part. We saw him AGAIN. We saw this thing acting a bit spastic in the distance... well what do ya know... it was that same man! After not being able to speak a word to him he still wanted to say hello! What a doll.
Our first stop in Coimbra was a cafe that used to be an old church. It was beautiful. After our energy boost (which is exactly what the coffee will do, my sister Beth would love it ;) we we continued on our journey. We found a cute market with clothes, woven baskets and fruit! Precious. Then we found the prettiest park I think I've ever seen. It comes pretty close to Retiro in Madrid which is where I spend on planning my last day in Spain. There were 3 bridges that went across this river. One was a walking bridge that was made out of stained glass! Absolutely incredible.
On the other side of the bridge was an outside gym. Yes, complete with a stationary bike and machines for you to get a quality ab workout. We were feeling a little exhausted once we crossed the river. We had searched for the University of Coimbra high and low. It was a hike but it was worth it. We saw the most incredible views. So once we found some shade across the river we planted ourselves under a nice shady tree and took a nap.
One of our favorite moments was when we saw the big grass bear. No really, a big grass bear. We don't know why... but... here it is..
Our lunch was intersting too! We ate on a little patio near the top of Coimbra. We had a cabbage-y vegetable-y soup, roasted chicken, rice and fries..... and bread :)
We stopped by a little restaurant to have a fanta de naranja (orange fanta) in the afternoon we we needed another boost. Our waiter came up and said, "hello." We were already confused what language to speak in this country so we responded in English. Turns out this strange man speaks 7 languages and works at a kiosk. We asked him if he has ever visited the U.S and he said, "No, I've only been to Houston, that's in Texas." Emily and I just looked at each other and smiled. Before we left he told us to give NYC kisses for him.... We waved and walked away. Oh Portugal.
We got some pastries to go for our train ride back. We officially saw every inch of Coimbra! It was a wonderful excursion. We met some lovely ladies on the train and had great convos with them. They were a little repetitive but all is well ;)
As we were approaching Salamanca I looked out the window and saw the entire city lit up. It was the most breathtaking view I've seen yet. Everything came into perspective then. I love Madrid, and my love for Madrid has hindered my respect for Salamanca. I think the entire purpose of going to Coimbra was for the train ride back. Seeing Salamanca from the train made find the respect I've needed for it. I'm sad it took 3 weeks to happen but ya know, I'm so blessed to be here. Tomorrow starts the one week left countdown. Such a bittersweet feeling!
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