Through Portugal . ning of cordage and branches, spiral bossedmouldings, exuberant pinnacles, and pendentfloreated ornaments on the interior lines ofarches and vaultings. Of this style the Bussacopalace-hotel is a notable modern specimen, andin a later chapter I propose to treat in somedetail the other examples inspected during mytrip. By the side of Santa Cruz, separatedfrom it by a road formerly spanned by a highbridge, lies a splendid massive tower, and ahuge block of the old monastic buildings nowturned into a squalid barrack, so often thefate of the profanated religious houses in Por-tuga
Through Portugal . ning of cordage and branches, spiral bossedmouldings, exuberant pinnacles, and pendentfloreated ornaments on the interior lines ofarches and vaultings. Of this style the Bussacopalace-hotel is a notable modern specimen, andin a later chapter I propose to treat in somedetail the other examples inspected during mytrip. By the side of Santa Cruz, separatedfrom it by a road formerly spanned by a highbridge, lies a splendid massive tower, and ahuge block of the old monastic buildings nowturned into a squalid barrack, so often thefate of the profanated religious houses in Por-tugal, whilst behind the church and cloisterlies another large portion also turned to secularuses. Coimbra is famous as the seat of learning forall Portugal—for many centuries, and still, theonly university town in the realm. The hugesquare bulk of the university buildings on thecrest of the hill overlooking the town typifythe absolute domination of the place by the academical tradition. The hotel on the Alameda, 128. < o < COIMBRA, THOMAR, AND LEIRIA like other hostelries of its sort, has no lack of commercial customers, but even they, assertive as they are, are swamped by the university professors, staff and graduates, who flock to its tables for their meals; whilst in the streets bookshops jostle each other all filled with text-books, and the unmistakable students are everywhere. And yet, with all this academical presence, there is none of that staid atmosphere of aloof erudition which is especially noticeable at Cambridge, and, to a lesser degree, at Oxford. It is true that the youngsters at Coimbra affect a garb at which the present-day undergraduate at Cambridge would scoffs, if he did not proceed to more violent means to reduce its primness. A very clerical-looking black frock-coat, buttoned to the chin, is de rigueur, covered by a long black cloak reaching to the wearers heels, although, to tell the truth, this cloak, like a Cambridge third-year mans gown, is oftene
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhumemartinandrewsharp, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
