In the 15th & 16th centuries, Portugal was a vast empire, possessing lands in Africa, South America, Asia, & Oceana. After a couple of hundred years, it slowly lost power as the Dutch, English & French took over the spice & slave trades by conquering the scattered Portugese outposts. Eyes bigger than stomach situation. Then some disastrous military battles, an earthquake in 1799 that destroyed the capital city, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, the loss of Brazil (its largest territory), massive flight of Portuguese citizens to the US, revolution, corruption, bancrupcy, military coups, dictatorship -- well let's just say it's been a long, hard fall. At times, there has been such desperate poverty in Portugal that citizens resorted to cannibalism.
Roman buildings doubled as churches, forts, & stables
This is the venerated law school
The limestone statues of Coimbra are covered with car exhaust ash & other pollution
This is the view university students see every day, all the way down to the river
The school has a sacred tradition of students wearing these cloak uniforms. After graduation, students keep them for rest of their lives. J.K. Rawling lived in Portugal for years & you can see the Portuguese influence in numerous elements of her Harry Potter books.
See the owl in this clock tower?...the clocks are the eyes & the rest will be evident. Doesn't this look exactly like the mechanical Harry Potter owl?
This is the most famous sculpture in town
It's a woman shaped like a Portuguese guitar
She has the most admired tush in town
The biggest museum is full of religious art. Someone dug up destroyed life-size clay figures of what was a group sculpture of the Last Supper.
Restorers were able to painstaking put them together to a certain degree
I think the result is Picassoesque
The destruction of time can add a great deal to artwork
An ancient aqueduct now leads into a large & botanically interesting urban garden
It's lush even on a winter's day
Pink Japanese flowers are always the first to bloom... it is said that they bloom for Valentine's Day...& they do!
Portuguese cities are extremely hilly. You see vertiginous stairways everywhere.
Pastries are imaginative here...this is a cake!
People in Europe have much longer memories than Americans. There's more to remember. They don't have historical amnesia like we seem to. They think in terms of centuries. Ancient hurts still hurt. So do new ones, such as the Syrian refugee situation. Portugal is taking in families & giving them jobs, housing, & $700/month. This comes from a sincere desire to help. On the other hand, people born & bred for generations in Portugal who are unemployed, disabled, ill, or otherwise in need of government support get $200/month. You see the problem.
Cities such as Coimbra, where I am now, are built up layer after layer, over the centuries. Roman ruins at the bottom, vibrant & modern university town on top. Some of the ancient structures are abandoned underground ruins, some are still in use after 500 years, with law, medicine, & science classes in the same buildings.
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