October 2020 - I don't remember what we expected to see in Coimbra, but I thought of a small, cozy town with Medieval and Renaissance flair. This we could definitely find on our visit at the steep slopes towards the university. Around the Se Velha church, the narrow streets and Fado-sounds from the bars are spreading a particular charme. But the rest of the town is rather ostentatious. The Rua Sophia with its renaissance Palaces reminds a bit of Genua, whereas the university itself on top of the hill is a gigantic, threatening complex. An exception is the old university building at the Paco das Escolas, which you officially only can enter with a visit guide. We just jumped the thresholds, but visiting the university building from inside, was anyway not possible due to Covid. The rest of the university building is overshadowed by Salazars fascist architecture. Especially the new library and the Medicine Faculty are pompous cubes with represantive statues of the workers and peasant state and Albert Speer-inspired lanterns. Very much reminded me of my hometown Berlin, where fascist and communist architecture are standing side by side. We had a small snack at the cafeteria of the Justice faculty, the Cafe couraca. Very cheep and the charme of warsaws milk bars just after fall of communism. We enjoyed both parts of the city and would recommend everybody to put it high on the itinerary.