The Euro 2004 tournament will be played in eight great Portuguese cities. Here's a guide to some of their delights:
After you have gone through the Arco de Almedina, the 9th century Moorish gateway that is part of the remains of Coimbra's medieval wall and climbed the Quebra Costas (Back-Breaker) steps to the ancient university and cathedral, go back down to the square by the River Mondego and grab a taxi across the bridge to the Quinta das Lágrimas (House of Tears) in Santa Clara. The hotel was built on the site of Portugal's most tragic love affair. In the 14th century, Prince Dom Pedro fell in love with the beautiful Spanish noblewoman Dona Inęs. They lived with their two children until one January night in 1355, when Pedro's father, King Afonso IV, fearing that Inęs' Spanish brothers were plotting to usurp his throne, had Inęs murdered in the garden. When the inconsolable Dom Pedro became King in 1357, he had Inęs' body put on the throne and forced the country's nobles to kiss her hand. The lovers remain entombed together in the monastery in Alcobaça, but the spot in Santa Clara is a shrine to their sad, eternal love. The gracious 54-room hotel, with its fine restaurant, occupies a converted 18th century manor house owned by José Miguel Júdice, a direct descendant of Pedro and Inęs. Its dark trees evoke the memory of Dona Inęs.
