Portugal 2014: Day 6

Day 6 took us to the Roman Ruins at Conimbriga, which are some of the best Roman ruins in Europe. Conimbriga has a long history: it was first a Celtic settlement in the Iron Age and then was settled by Romans in the early 1st century AD. The Romans left after the barbarian attacks in 468 and the city slowly declined in the Middle Ages. Only about 10% of the city has been excavated so far.  

Town ruins and wall.

The mosaics at Conimbriga are spectacular.

Roman soldiers battling to protect their city.

Henry read up on the pre-Roman settlements.

Pre-Roman houses located behind the Roman forum.

This is the 35,000 square foot Cantaber house, one of the largest Roman residences ever discovered in Western Europe. It had its own bathing facilities, inner courtyards, and an elaborate heating system.  

The House of the Fountains is spectacular as well. The Roman fountains still work, and for a Euro, you can turn them on!

We managed to see all the outdoor ruins and mosaics just before it started pouring rain (our only rain day of the entire trip!). We took refuge inside the wonderful museum, where we saw artifacts that had been uncovered at the site, and then ate lunch at the museum cafe. We enjoyed our meal, with views of the ruins below, while the rain poured down and then it cleared up in time for us to continue our drive to Luso. After settling into our hotel, we visited the small Bucaco Military Museum to see military artifacts from the Battle of Bucaco in 1810, when Wellington's English and Portuguese forces pushed back Napoleon's troops under Massena. We also took a drive up a winding, crumbly road in a downpour to reach the Alta Cruz.  

Amazingly, once we reached the top of the hill, the storm clouds parted and we were able to get out and walk up to the cross.  

Our evening ended with a lovely dinner at a restaurant near our hotel, where Nancy and I shared one of my favorite dishes of the trip: bacalhau with broa (salt cod with a cornbread crust). It was so delicious and memorable that we are going to try to replicate it at home! Day 6 was a lovely day, and despite all the rain, it managed to clear up every single time we needed to be outside.