Doug and I had meetings in Coimbra and Porto on this day, so we were up early for breakfast.  I found the coffee to be better in Portugal than in Brussels -- I think it may have something to do with the close relationship with Brazil.  :)

We took the bus up to Coimbra -- about a 3 hour ride from Lisboa.  Coimbra is a University town, and the University of Coimbra is the second oldest university in Europe.  It dates back to the 1200's!  We did not have much time to see anything in Coimbra, but I did get a picture of the University.

Nachdem wir Porto verlassen haben, haben wir uns auf den Weg nach Coimbra gemacht, wo wir den steilen Aufstieg zur Universitaet gewagt haben und uns dort die Bibliothek und schoene Raeumlichkeiten angeschaut haben.

Nach einer kleinen Staerkung sind wir dann wieder zurueck in Richtung Auto spaziert und als wir in der Naehe von Lissabon waren, haben die Herren der Schoepfung ihre Chance gewittert und wir sind den Benfica Schals, die die Fans aus den Autos haengen liessen, nachgefahren, da offensichtlich ein Spiel stattfand.

Nach etwa 2 Stunden Stau haben wir dann, nachdem es keine Karten mehr im 55.000 Platz Benfica Stadion gab, im Einkaufszentrum unsere Lebensmittel besorgt und haben uns auf nach Hause gemacht.

Today is our second wedding anniversary!  At the Portuguese border no one wants to stop us and look at our passports.  Near the border we spot a huge fortress town called Valenca do Minho.  Parked at the bottom of the hill and climbed up into the city.  The other tourists realise that you can drive there and follw traffic light systems through the narrow openings in the walls.  There is a warren of streets inside with tourist shops and cafes and we indulged in some octopus vinegrette and coffee.

Coimbra is our next stop and we wander through the town and the steep cobbled streets.  Andrew wants to make it to the top but I am not sure that my blisters want to be punished.  Andrew keeps coming back down a few streets to insit that I keep going.  At the top there is a huge open square surrounded by a church with a very ornate interior, a university a statue in the square which looks a little like Henry VIII of England but is not and a view back over the town.  Batalha promised a cathedral with a very ornate exterior and we agree,  then find a camp site nearby at Nazare.  This ground had eucalypt trees in it and we decided for want of knowing what a 2nd wedding anniversary is that as Australians we would make it our gum leaf anniversary.  Thanks Mum for letting me know that it was actually cotton.  We have secured our Aussie flag at the top of one of our rear windows so that people seeing our number plates don't mistake us for Brits!

South through Portugal to Lisboa ( Lisbon) the famous port where many world explorers left from including Vasco de Gama who set off to explore for the Americas.  Unable to get round it on the ring road due to a wrong turn we cross the waters leading away from the city via a large exceedingly long modern bridge.  Mum reminds me that on our sea voyage to Australia in 1970 we did in fact stop here for the day back then.  We chanced on Cabo de Roca, Europe's most westerly point.  It is a wild, fragile, windy piece of nature with many lighthouses scatterd along the coastline and samphire one of the protected plants.  Gruncho, Cais and Estril suddenly have modern houses, blocks of units which we learn are mainly populated by Brits and Dutch.  Pushed on to Albuferia and a camp ground with large number of British holiday makers.  No toilet paper in the facilities and this is the begining of this issue and we are also back to the situation that used toilet paper is to be placed in bins and not flushed.