Guimaraes: the cradle of Portugal.
The first stop of my trip to the ancient city was guimaraes in the northern Braga district. When I first heard the name guimaraes, I only thought that there might be such a romantic place name in the world. Compared with the well-known capital Lisbon, it is gradually forgotten by tourists, but in fact, it has a thousand-year history and is the first founding monarch of Portugal, Alfonso? Henrik's birthplace.
All the pictures in this article are provided by the author.
1 1 century, Christians in the northern part of Liberia Peninsula launched a war against Muslims, with the help of the French Order. As the battle unfolded, the flag of victory flew over the castles of important cities such as Douro Valley, Lisbon, sintra and Santa Lan, and the kingdom of Leon headed by Alfonso family was born. After a long family rights dispute, Alfonso VII and his cousin Alfonso? Henricks concluded a contract, and the Portuguese province under the jurisdiction of the latter officially became an independent kingdom. Thus, Portugal was born. Thousands of years have passed, and the ancient city of guimaraes is regarded as Alfonso? Henrik's birthplace will always be remembered. Nowadays, when people pass the tall and mottled wall at the entrance of the old city, they can look up and see the dark green mossy stone wall engraved with the words "Portugal was born here". Roughly speaking, the rise of this city was during the Song Dynasty in China.
Old Town Street in guimaraes
Walking in the historic district, the time is so quiet, the slight drizzle wets Qingshi Road, the cold wind blows across the face, and the smell of toast wafts from the old shops on the street. Roses are planted outside the iron balcony of every household, and granite porches connect narrow streets. There are few tourists around me, only a pair of old people holding hands and going to church piously.
Standing on the central axis of the city, I saw magnificent buildings such as palaces, monasteries and monasteries in the distance, which combined Moorish, Gothic and Mudizar architectural styles. Lush plants cover the center of the road like carpets in a staggered form. At the end of the road is the cathedral. Every hour, melodious bells echo around, causing people to meditate on the past.
The central axis of the old city of guimaraes
Avero: morrissey on the water.
The Portuguese often say, "We are a maritime country." The maritime expeditionary fleet in the era of great navigation opened up territory for the empire and brought back exotic cultures, while the people sailed for fishing. As a country with half of the country's coastline, fishing at sea and making a living are people's livelihood.
Aveiro, a beautiful town, is called Venice in the north. It developed from a fishing village port in the15th century to a rich city. At first, it was the port of call for the fleet to catch cod in Newfoundland, and the fish trade was frequent. However, after 1575, sediments washed ashore by seawater accumulated for many years, blocking the lagoon, and the port is facing reconstruction. Hard-working and intelligent people began to reclaim land for farming, and developed industries such as salt making, shellfish breeding and ceramic tile decoration painting. Today, these goods can be seen everywhere on the streets of Aveiro.
Before visiting this city, I have a question: "Why do people call Aveiro the Venice of Portugal?"? Is it because the city is full of criss-crossing rivers or arch bridges covered with colored tiles? But when I saw the brightly-colored and brightly-designed "morrissey Luo" rippling on the dexterous water, I had the answer.
Aveiro Arch Bridge and morrissey Luo
Morrissey Rowe is a small boat. An elegant boat is like a dancer with open arms and fingertips up-the boat is very slender, and the bow boat arches at both ends, much like the gondola in Venice. At first glance, they are similar, but the details are quite different. Gondola is dark and shiny, and Italian boatmen decorate it with flowers and red carpets. Morrissey Luo has unique Portuguese national characteristics in color and painting. The background color of the hull is a high-brightness collision color. For example, black matches red and blue touches yellow. The boatman's name is written in the blank. This is a canvas where boatmen can exert their artistic cells at will. Whether it is flowers, architecture, or even men and women in love, you can enter the painting.
Historical buildings on both sides of Aveiro
With a whistle, morrissey Luo set sail with us. The slender and dexterous hull shuttles through the river, drawing a moving waterline on the originally quiet and clear water surface. The architectural styles on both sides of the strait are diverse and distinct. Among them, there are old houses preserved from the18th century, finely carved porches and windowsills, and the exterior walls are covered with colorful tile paintings from Moore art, and there are also new art-style buildings with geometric shapes and tiles as the exterior walls, such as the Alowi Culture and Conference Center, which is simple, atmospheric, full of red, with towering chimneys and full of modernity.
When passing an ancient building with a long history, the tour guide proudly said to us, "This is a seafood market that has been preserved since16th century. After renovation, there are many great restaurants on the second floor of the market. We must try cod. In Portugal, there are 1000 species of cod. A good cook can cook cod with all the ingredients in the kitchen. Even if there is only olive oil and potatoes, cod can be broken and mixed with mashed potatoes, and then fried on both sides to become delicious food. " Suddenly, I swallowed quietly on the boat.
When the ship sailed on the return river, the guide gave each of us a souvenir: a small bag of coarse salt! He said shyly, "No matter where time takes us, we will never forget the origin of our hometown and the skills we have relied on for survival since ancient times." After that, he sang "Portuguese", full of firmness and affection. With melodious melody and touching lyrics, I once again understood the spirit of their national anthem.
"Heroes of the sea, noble people.
Heroes and eternal countries,
Let today once again highlight the glory of Portugal! "
Restaurants on both sides of Aveiro
Coimbra: Romance under the Black Robe
As the second capital in Portuguese history, coimbra is definitely an undervalued and beautiful town. The picturesque canal passes through the medieval old city, and the universities on the mountain are well-known at home and abroad, and Portuguese culture is also carried forward here.
Coimbra city appearance
Entering Coimbra University, the magnificent appearance and gorgeous decoration of the building are shocking. Red roofs, wrought iron handrails and marble sculptures everywhere show the style and heritage of this university-its predecessor was a palace.
The entrance is the iron gate of Alcaso Eva, the former palace. During the Moorish rule, it was a fortress with defensive purposes. On the door, there are statues of the goddess of wisdom and two kings: Denis and Joao III of Portugal, the founders of Coimbra University, and the goddess of wisdom with tiles outside. What is even more surprising is that the school has a Holy Cross Church, a chapel, an audience room, a prison and a royal library, which are open to tourists regularly.
As one of Portugal's splendid heritages, the Royal Library is famous for its gorgeous Baroque style and 300,000 volumes of ancient books comparable to treasures. Because it was built with strong and corrosion-resistant Brazilian wood, it is still well preserved today-the royal family shipped it back from Brazil with expensive freight. The dome paintings in each room are quite meaningful, such as crowns representing Africa, Asia, Europe and America, pictures symbolizing honor, virtue, wealth and reputation, and encyclopedias of all rivers flowing into the sea. There is a portrait of Joao V on the wall at the end of the museum to commemorate his construction of the library in the18th century. This prestigious school supported by the Portuguese monarch has produced poets such as Camons, writer Andrew and several Portuguese presidents.
Bachelor's degree from Coimbra University in a black cloak uniform.
Stroll through the university town and come to the other side of the river. The beautiful scenery in front of you is amazing. The Mondego River, which runs through the city, has an extremely peaceful power. Just take a look and your heart will calm down. Wild mandarin ducks and swans swim comfortably, the river reflects the reflection of buildings on the other side, and waterfowl swim picturesque. Mondego River, like a gentle mother, has nourished this city built on a mountain for thousands of years, and witnessed generations of elites leaving coimbra, bringing advanced science, technology and ideas to Portugal and the world.
The Mondego River in coimbra.
Time has endowed human civilization and wealth. On the journey, exploring the ancient city itself is like a light, which takes people through time and space and sees the moment when it shines hundreds of years ago.