Lorvão (28/10/2014)

For this trip I decided to take a blablacar heading towards Penacova and reach Lorvão from there. The driver (whose name I don't remember and lived in Coimbra but worked in Penacova) told me she would drop me before Penacova and from there the walk was shorter. So I jumped off, waved goodbye and started heading towards Lorvão.I first reached Figueira de Lorvão where it started raining and I took cover with a few old people of the area. The rain only lasted a couple of minutes and I started walking again. Going up a hill I eventually reached the Gavinhos windmills; a series of nice windmills overlooking the surrounding area including Penacova down a valley where the Mondego river flows. After taking a few pictures I descended back down and after several hilly ups and downs 4km later I reached Lorvão and its historic monastery. Founded around the 9th century when the Christian forces reconquered the territory from the Moors, it became an important complex already in the 10th century and around the 12th century two very important and now invaluable manuscripts were written there; the Book of the Birds and the Apocalypse of Lorvão both now kept in the national archive of the Torre do Tombo in Lisbon. The monastery was then refurbished in the 18th century and unfortunately nothing remains of the medieval times; it is not beautiful architecturally but still quite nice are the choir and main altar both in the Baroque style. After a quick tour by the local custodian, I decided to head to the café located in front of the monastery where they served the local convent pastries, very yummy! After this lunch break (sandwiches as usual when i'm traveling) I was up and walking on towards Coimbra. A few kilometers later I reached some other windmills and then further on walking through a forest, I reached small valley with a house made of schist with a well and a barbecue spot, nice for weekend picnics. Besides it was a small field with some pumpkins, bright orange, and being it nearly Halloween I decided to pick a big one and put it in my bag. Eventually after several other kilometers, totaling 30km and 6 hours in the whole day, I reached Coimbra very tired but satisfied.

The Gavinhos windmills

Cupola of the monastery

The choir and organ

Schist house