The Foggy Path
Rabaçal - Coimbra (18.7 miles)
Falling asleep was not too difficult in Rabaçal despite the church bells. Right across the street was a church that played musical chimes every 15 minutes followed by the bells to indicate the time. I believe these ended at 10 pm and started up again at 6 am. I had overslept in my corner bed and was the last one to leave the albergue in the morning. I went fast for the first few miles in the hopes of catching up to someone I knew. I found Adrie at another random wayside shrine/chapel built along the trail. It was a rest stop with a rudimentary pavilion and chairs. There was a table set out with snacks, cold water, coffee, and tea. I could see the used mugs of everyone that had already stopped there before me. I ate some graham cracker-like snacks and drank two cups of water before using the stamp to mark my own Credencial. I didn't feel like sitting down there because the chairs were all wet from condensation.
Next along the way were several suburban communities outside of Coimbra. One of these communities had a river flowing through it and I mean "through" it! The water had been diverted into canals and ponds which flowed directly under houses and pooled alongside them. This gave the residents direct access to the water in the river from a lower room. I'm not sure what they do when it floods.
Entering the city was fairly mountainous with steep climbs and descents. My knees began to feel stiff and sore from all of the hills. I passed under some aqueducts built in 1783 for the new Santa Clara Monastery. Part of the aqueduct was removed when they built the highway. I thought about stopping at the monastery but really just wanted to find a hostel and something to eat. Schools were just getting out and the city seemed very busy.
There were basically no signs for the camino and the recommended hostel websites and phone numbers from my guidebook did not work. Mattias found me sitting on a bench in the shade and said he was staying at the albergue back on top of the hill I had just come down. Eventually I found a place to stay across the river and near more restaurants and places to visit. The hostel is in a very old building with decorative tiles lining the hallways. I showered and had a snack before exploring the city.
I tried visiting the old Santa Clara Monastery, but it was already closed and it looks like they are doing some excavations around it. Most restaurants don't open for dinner until 7 pm, so I found a soccer field and watched the kids practice. Their coach was yelling the whole time and setting up scenarios that didn't seem to work out.
I then found a nice restaurant where I ate a ham and cheese pizza for dinner. As I was waiting for my check, I saw Christian and Adrie looking for a place to eat. Christian told me about scheduling a tour of the university library for 11 am. Adrie hadn't decided if she was going to continue walking the next day or take a day off. I returned to my room for the night and plan on sleeping in. There will be more to see in Coimbra tomorrow!
This morning the path was extremely foggy and remained so until after 1 pm. I didn't see much along the way other than the olive trees being harvested and pruned. I passed Adrie a little ways before the Roman ruins at Conímbriga. The museum there was still closed when I walked by and I didn't feel much like waiting.
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