| Once uppon a time in Coimbra |
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| by Gina Modesto |
Once upon a time, the time when there were still living kings and princes, there was a love story that Portugal could never forget. It was in 1340 when our prince, D. Pedro was about to marry. Tradition said his father, D. Afonso IV, had to choose his wife and introduce them in a big ceremony. So it was… but D. Pedro didn’t fall in love for his future wife Constance of Castile, he found out the love at first sight for Inês de Castro, one of Contance’s chambermaids. It was stronger than both, and besides his marriage, D. Pedro started to visit Inês every time he could.
When the king found out about this romance he tried to convince D. Pedro to give up of this love. Inês was arrested in Saint Clara Convent, so the prince couldn’t visit her. But they found a way to talk to each other. There was a rivulet around the convent and the lovers sent messages to each other in small paper boats. When Constance of Castile died, D. Pedro thought he was free to marry Inês. But their parents didn’t approve this marriage, they thought Inês could never become the Queen of Portugal. So, D. Pedro deciced to marry Inês in secret.
They lived together for many years and they had four children… They were happy, Inês didn’t care about what other people thought, she loved D. Pedro and she just wanted to be with him. They spent some time in a hunting pavilion which is known today as Quinta das Lágrimas ( Farm of Tears). One day, when D. Pedro was away, the king decided that the best solution for this problem was the death of Inês. So he and three nobles went to Coimbra to kill her. She was near by the rivulet in the Hunting Pavilion. When she saw them she knew what was going to happen, she begged for her life, because her children would grow up without a mother. The King was moved, but not the nobles. They just killed her with a dagger.
It is said that her blood remained alive in those waters. Today, if you look deep down you can see the red rocks: they have the blood of Inês, murdered for her love. D. Pedro could never forgive his father. He waited until he died, and when D. Pedro became the king of Portugal, he planed a very beautiful ceremony and Inês was crowned as the Queen of Portugal. Legend holds that Pedro had Inês' body exhumed and placed on a throne, dressed in rich robes and jewels, and required all of his vassals to kiss the hand of the deceased "queen". Then he sent his men to kill the nobles that have murdered Inês. Today, the corps of D. Inês and D. Pedro lay side by side.
Quinta das Lágrimas is one of the most romantic places in Portugal because you can feel this love story. The lines of the famous poet Camões are engraved in stone near by the rivulet.
Coimbra is romantic. You can walk through the streets and watch the Mondego River. You can go shopping and be delighted with the façade of the “Republics”, the houses of the students. And if you come in May you can wait for Thursday, at mid-night, near by the stairs of the Cathedral Sé Velha, and you can listen to the Fado of Coimbra. The Fado of Coimbra is a genre of fado originating in the city. It was adopted as the music of the university students, becoming known as a Student Fado, but it is usually considered the typical music of the city itself, performed with the traditional Guitarra de Coimbra (a kind of Portuguese Guitar).
This town is also called The City of the Students, mainly because it is the site of the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in Portugal – University of Coimbra. Great Portuguese poets and writers have studied in this University. It is also the place where the oldest and biggest students’ union of university students in Portugal was founded – the Associação Académica de Coimbra.
This University was brought to Coimbra in 1537, but its building is from 13th century. Inside of this University you can find its Chapel, with a Manueline style. But the most amazing is the Joanina Library, a baroque library with 250 thousands volumes. Over the entrance door, it exhibits the national coat of arms. Inside there are three great rooms divided by decorated arches, bearing the same style of the portal and entirely executes by Portuguese artists. The walls are covered by two storied shelves, in gilded or painted exotic woods.
And because this is The City of the Students, you can’t miss their festivals. The first one, Latada or Festa das Latas (The Tin Can Parade), occurs in the beginning of scholar year, and is a welcome to the new university students (called Caloiros). The Festa das Latas goes back to the 19th century when Coimbra`s students felt the need to express their joy at finishing the school year, in a loud way as possible, using everything they had that would make noise, namely tin cans. The highlight of this festival, which now takes place at the beginning of the academic year is the special parade known as the Latada. After marching trough the streets of the city the new students are baptized in the Mondego River.
The second, and most important one, takes place at the end of the second semester (beginning of May) and it is one of the biggest student parties in all Europe. It lasts for eight days! It is called The Burning of the Ribbons and it has many music festivals and so on.
Finally, you can’t miss the Botanical Garden, from the 18th century. This garden is like a small Island inside of the town, with numberless exotic trees, the “Bank of Seeds” and an Herbarium. There are trees and plants from all over the world mainly because of its micro-climate.
If you come to Coimbra you will realize this is a place of love, hate, history and nature. Each corner has a real tale to tell.
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