From the map, Portugal is like a ship moored on the Atlantic coast, a pearl on the Liberian Peninsula. The long and narrow land has beautiful scenery and splendid historical civilization. The long river of years has created many ancient cities that have experienced vicissitudes of life and still shine with dazzling light.

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 there could 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 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. With the start of the campaign, the flag of victory fluttered 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. 1 143, 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. Is the ancient city of guimaraes 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". Generally 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 over the face, and the aroma 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 go to church devoutly.

Standing on the central axis of the city, I saw palaces, monasteries, monasteries and other magnificent buildings in the distance, which blended Moorish, Gothic and Mudizar architectural styles. Lush plants cover the middle of the road like carpets in a staggered form. At the end of the road is the cathedral. Every hour, melodious bells reverberate around, causing people to meditate on the past.

The central axis of the old city of guimaraes

Abero: morrissey Luo 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's voyage was for fishing. As a country with half of the national coastline, fishing at sea and making a living are people's livelihood.

Aveiro, a beautiful town, is known as 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, the sediment washed ashore by seawater accumulated over the years, blocking the lagoon and the port was facing reconstruction. Hard-working and intelligent people began to reclaim land for farming, and developed industries such as salt making, shellfish breeding and decorative painting of ceramic tiles. 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 those arch bridges covered with colored tiles? But when I saw the "morrissey Luo" with bright colors and bright patterns rippling on the smart water, I had the answer.

Aveiro Arch Bridge and morrissey Luo

Morrissey Rowe is a small boat. An elegant boat, just like a dancer, with arms open and fingertips up-the boat is slender and the bow boat arches at both ends, much like gondola in Venice. At first glance, it looks very similar, but the fine products are quite different. Gondola is dark and bright, 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 display their artistic cells at will. Whether it's flowers, architecture, or even men and women in love, they can all be painted.

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 quiet and clear water. There are various architectural styles and bright spots on both sides of the strait. Among them, there are old houses preserved in the18th century, finely carved porches and window sills, and the exterior walls are covered with colorful tile paintings of Moorish art, and there are also art nouveau 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 eyes, 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 the 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 fried on both sides as a delicious dish. " Suddenly, I swallowed quietly on the boat.

When the ship was sailing 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 lived on since ancient times." As he spoke, 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 the former Alcaso Eva Palace. During the Moorish rule, it was a fortress with defensive purposes. There are statues of the goddess of wisdom and two kings on the door: Denis and Joao III of Portugal, the founders of Coimbra University, and the goddess of wisdom with tiles outside the door. What is even more surprising is that the school has the Holy Cross Church, chapel, throne room, prison and 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. Today, it is still well preserved, thanks to the strong and corrosion-resistant Brazilian wood used when it was built-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. On the wall at the end of the museum is a portrait of Joao V to commemorate his construction of the library in the18th century. This prestigious school supported by the Portuguese monarch has cultivated poets such as Camons, writer Andrew and several Portuguese presidents.

Bachelor's degree from Coimbra University in a black cloak uniform.

Walking down the university town 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 swims like a painting. Like a gentle mother, the Mondego River 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. During the journey, exploring the ancient city itself is like a bright lamp, which takes people through time and space and sees the moment when it shines hundreds of years ago.