Coimbra I

During the day I tried to get the signatures for my ERASMUS Learning Agreement on campus which of course didn't work out as usual. In the secretary I found out that different from the German system I had to already choose which courses I wanted to write exams in this semester. What a confusion. Romy wanted to come to Oporto this Friday to enrole in the Foreign Relations Office even if it meant to play truant in the Coimbra Portuguese language course. I had promised her to fetch her from the railway station. Instead of São Bento this time I told her to get off at Campanhã station b/c there was the bus 38 that went right from my faculty to Campanhã. From Campanhã we took bus 34 (?) to Boavista and had some fine sandwiches in the Cidade do Porto Shopping Centre. I told her what had happened w/ my family and it was surely good to „desabafar“. After that I accompanied her to the Foreign Relations Office. It took a whole while until she returned from her enrolement. She had insisted on speaking Portuguese instead of English and also decided to take the bed in the double room, university residence, that after all isn't close to her faculty cos they moved to the university pole where my faculty is situated. Romy wanted to buy a bikini and already had her train ticket for 20:05 (8:05 pm) back to Coimbra. We always said that one day I would visit her there. So I thought: Why shouldn't I just go w/ her that evening? Fortunately Romy is a perfect opportunity to live my whims and spontaneous ideas to do this or that. While Romy was looking for a bikini in Cidade do Porto I quickly went home to get some things packed. I enjoyed going by train to Coimbra, when we arrived at night, the city was so beautiful!


While some days ago, being kinda blue, the beauty of Oporto City didn't reach my heart, now w/ company and exploring a totally new place (never been to Coimbra before) I was so amazed! We walked to the students' residence where we met friends of hers, other ERASMUS students from Italy, Norway and Romania. They were intending to go to a Reggae Concert and invited us to join them. Romy quickly changed her shoes in her bedroom and then we walked through Coimbra, always running into other ERASMUS students. In the end we didn't find the reggae concert and went to a Brazilian party in a club. Since parties in Portugal start really late (and end really early, i.e. 7am) we were just sitting around sipping at incredibly cheap drinks for a whole while. But eventually there was a Brazilian band playing/singing or there was disco music from a DJ. It was good to dance samba again!