13 October 2022 - The Roman ruins of Conimbriga
Miles driven today = 74
Total Miles to date = 2,277
It was another grey and misty start to the day. We decided to swerve the historical capital of Coimbra but a few kilometres to the south west of the city are the ruins of the Roman town of Conimbriga. Reckoned to be the most important Roman site in all of Portugal. So that piqued my historical interest straight away.
The Romans were here from the 1st Century BC to the 4th Century AD. The most prominent feature of the site is a huge 4 metre thick defensive wall which was built to protect the inhabitants from their enemies but this was only built towards the end of the Romans' time here and for logistical and financial reasons didn't entirely encircle the whole town. It is therefore the parts of the original town which lay outside of the wall that were of most interest to archaeologists as these were from an earlier period.
These properties included the "Swastika House" so called because of the patterns within the mosaics. I earwigged in on a tour party and it seems the Romans did trade with India and therefore the swastika may have been inspired from there as it has been part of Indian culture for millenia.
There is also the "Skeleton House", which got its name because after the original house had been demolished the site was used as a burial ground.
Also the "Fountain House" which was a grand structure with fountains, gardens and a number of mosaics. The Fountain House is covered to protect it from the elements.
Newer structures on the other side of the wall included 2 bath houses. This swimming pool has been restored to show its original scale. The forum had also been partially recreated.
These pillars were built using bricks which were made in the shape of dairylea cheese wedges.
An archway near the main entrance through the defensive wall.
There is also a well presented museum of finds from the site with plenty of English translations.
Jewellery
Pottery.
Lanterns.
As we left the site the sun finally started to show itself. We are heading for Nazare but rather than do that all in one afternoon we decided to stop off overnight at Figueira la Foz (or Fig la Foz as it's shown on the road signs). En-route we spotted the most amazing hilltop castle at Montemor-o-Velho, so we stopped to investigate. The Rough Guide reckons that inside the castle is nothing to write home about but the views from the ramparts are spectacular. It was still very hazy so we decided that the uphill hike from the carpark probably wouldn't be worth our while so we made do with a few photos from the bottom of the hill while we listened to the bells chime 4pm.
Fig la Foz is a fairly big resort which definitely has an out of season feel to it now. We are parked in the dedicated motorhome parking area near the old fort / lighthouse, which is free from 6pm to 8am and €0.80 an hour at all other times. You wouldn't believe how many Portuguese motorhomes suddenly appeared at 6:05! They really don't like paying for anything.
We had a wander round the older parts of the town.
Much like Aveiro there are plenty of typically 1920s/30s style architecture.
We then took a stroll down the sea wall which passes close to where we are parked.
Fig la Foz's biggest claim to fame is that it has the widest beach in Portugal and I couldn't possibly dispute that. If I was staying here for a week I'd expect a camel to be provided to take me to the sea each day for a swim!
We decided to eat out. We've become rather self indulgent with our eating habits of late and the budget is suffering somewhat as a result. We had dinner at a restaurant called Bijou and we weren't disappointed. Look how pleased Lisa looks with her monkfish & prawn skewer. My grilled squid wasn't too shabby either.
While we were at the restaurant we noticed a photo from probably the 1950s which included this clock tower. I'm basing my assumption of the date on the style of the vehicles. Interestingly you could see the shoreline much closer to the promenade than it is today. So presumably that ridiculously wide beach that the locals are so proud of is a relatively new phenomenum, no doubt created by extending the harbour wall at some point in the interim and trapping all that sand behind it. Sneaky blighters!
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