Page 199 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

paid for by the people of India and East Timor, in
Coimbra. The saint’s original Southeast Asia, are all INSIDER TIP
tomb, a single stone, lies in represented here among Kayak the
the lower choir and poly­ their native vegetation. Mondego
chrome wooden panels in The park also includes a The Mondego river
the aisles tell the story of reconstruction of Coimbra offers some of the
her life. itself, complete with its famed country’s best
The convent’s large clois ter, university, but the real opportunities for
built by the Hungarian Carlos highlight is a magnificent kayaking. Follow the
Mardel, was contributed in replica of the Convento de 18-km- (11-mile-) long
1733 by João V, a generous Cristo in Tomar (p176). stetch from Penacova
benefactor who was well­ to Coimbra, which
known for his charity to nuns. passes through beau-
tiful scenery. The many
8 " river beaches en route
Santa Clara-a-Velha make for pleasant
7 "-= stopping-off points.
Portugal dos ⌂ Santa Clara § 239 801
Pequenitos 160 # 10am–7pm Tue–Sun
(to 6pm in winter) ¢ 1 Jan,
⌂ Santa Clara # Mar–May: 1 May, Easter, 25 Dec Almost from the day it was
built, Santa Clara suffered
10am–7pm daily; Jun–mid-
Sep: 9am–8pm daily; mid- Founded in the late 13th from flooding and it was
Sep–mid-Oct: 10am–7pm century, the first monastery finally abandoned in 1677.
daily; mid-Oct–Feb: 10am– on this site was dissolved in In 1696, Santa Isabel’s remains
were moved to the Convent of
1311. In 1314, Santa Isabel, the
5pm daily ∑ portugaldos
pequenitos.pt widow of King Dinis, who was Santa Clara­a­Nova, which sits
admired for her charity, had on higher ground.
At this world in miniature, you the convent of Santa Clara The original Gothic church,
can explore scaled­down rebuilt because she had a in silted ruins since the late
versions of Portugal’s finest palace nearby. She died in 17th century, has at last been
national buildings, whole 1336 in Estremoz (p306) restored. Beneath the mud
villages of typical regional but was buried here in an and water, the monastery
architecture, and pagodas and elaborate tomb, attesting was preserved in excellent
temples representing the far­ to her affinity with the condition and the site gives
flung reaches of the former monastery. Inês de Castro a fascinating insight into
Portuguese empire. Parts was also laid to rest here the everyday lives of the
of Africa, from Angola to 20 years later, but was re­ monastic community who
Mozambique, Brazil, Macau, entombed at Alcobaça (p170). once lived here.

Exploring miniature
regional houses at
Portugal dos Pequenitos
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