Undeterred by our underwhelming experience (the only one of the trip) at the Cryptoporticus of Aeminium, we drove the nine miles southwest of Coimbra to go to the Roman ruins at Conimbraga.
First, of course, we rolled the nearly mile down hill with our luggage to the parking garage, where we were able to extract the rental car without issue. I observed it was easier taking the luggage downhill, and Carol noted that we paid less for parking there for two nights than in New York City for one night. Of course, NYC is ranked a bit higher on the list of cities by number of annual visitors than Coimbra is.
We got to the ruins just as it opened. First we buzzed through the museum, which had some good stuff in it.
Caesar Augustus after
losing a fight.
The Minotaur mosaic
Part of a larger mosaic in the museum
We then walked around the sprawling outdoor complex of the ruins. Lots of mosaics, ruins of houses, ruins of shopping arcades, and imitation marble columns. There is a huge wall bifurcating the town, which was built quickly by the local for the own protection from a Christian Germanic tribe (the Sueves, which is probably the first, and last, you've ever heard of them) who conquered the city in the late 400s, sending most of the survivors to retreat to Coimbra.
(Apparently it is easier to defend a position at the top of a hill than on flat ground. Who knew?)
The defensive wall, with houses in the foreground.
A mosaic centerpiece.
Look at how much of this huge mosaic survived.
Carol and columns.
There are a LOT of mosaics. I'm actually
showing restraint posting just a few.
The pic above is a close-up of this large mosaic floor.
We walked around the large wall and were surprised just how much more there is to Conimbraga.
Taking a picture of someone (me)
taking a picture is sneaky great
art. Maybe I'm exagerrating
a little bit, but still!
Again, as you can tell by the hand/phone shadow
on me, we were staring right into the sun.
We saw what was left of the baths, the amphitheater, and the Forum (not much in any case, but still cool). The homes, especially the House of the Fountains, were in the best shape. Even though fountain show (pump in a 50 cent Euro coin and the fountains spray water) was a bit cheesy, it was still fun to see in operation.
More homes, on the south side of town.
Not much left of the Forum. I
guess a funny thing happened
on the way there.
A nobleman's house.
These are the tallest
columns in the house.
If we ever get tired of Roman arches,
it is time for us to hang it up.
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