Aveiro: Porto 6N/5D [Day 3]

May 2019                                       itinerary link                                             continue from Day 2

While I was researching for possible places to visit from Porto, I was drawn to the pictures of colorful boats bobbing in the canals. And it was to be just an hour away on a commuter train(5 euros R/T). Why not. So that’s where we went on the 3rd day of our stay in Porto: Aveiro(population: 78,400)

Sao Bento was the starting point for this train route, thus, we had no problem finding seats even for a group of 8 people. Once arrived at Aveiro Station, we walked out and quickly found the main road, Ave. Dr. Lourenco Peixinho. Turning left onto this road, we just continued walking for about 15 minutes to reach the old town area. The city was slowly waking up on a Sunday morning, and many stores were closed. But the touristy area was already getting filled with people.

After securing a map from the tourist information office, we crossed the street(bridge) and entered the older town area. Streets were narrow and zigzagging. There were enough cute shops and cafes. This is a kind of town where you just take time and walk slowly. You will get lost, but it won’t be hard to find your way back.

We, somehow, reached the Cathedral. There was a service going on inside, thus, we quietly stuck our heads in to take a quick look. Maybe we can come back later and look around. We never did. Did I say the alley ways were zigzagging?

Lunch time. We did not expect to have a Mexican meal in Portugal since we Californians think we have one of the best Mexican food outside of Mexico. But we saw this little place with intriguing signage and decoration, and we walked in. It turned out to be a pretty hip place with more interesting and artsy decorations inside. The food was pretty good: may not be terribly authentic, but tasted good.

Locals seemed to take Sundays off, and why not us. Let’s just take it easy and forget about learning something. No museums. Enjoy the sun. Maybe we should stop for coffee and desserts. We were back where we started, and bang! Where did all these people come from? Now the main street was filled with mostly young people standing around and talking. laughing, just having a good time. Aveira University is a major university in Portugal. Maybe these are students?

I usually do not do tourist boats. I did not try a gondola in Venice, Italy. But the “moliceiro” boats were irresistible. An hour tour on it was only 5 euros. So we all hopped on it. Moliceiros used to be seaweed gathering boats, we were told by our guide. Aveiro is known for salt production and seaweed(used as fertilizer) harvest, and were shown mounds of salt by the sea. Ceramics is another industry Aveiro in known for.

As a seaport, Aveiro prospered in salt production and commercial shipping till the Moors invaded the city and controlled it until the 11th century. Then the Portuguese royals took interest and developed the city. There are architectures from this period that are in the old town area. Then there are Art Novo and Art Deco buildings built during the time Aveiro experienced an economic boom in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Our guide was eager to point out samples of these different architectures. After all, we learned something even on a restful Sunday.

Getting off the boat, we needed ice cream. Our guide pointed to a line formed at this yellow ice cream shop nearby and said that’s where we should go. It was worth the wait. We got to taste some local pastries as well. How did it taste? Well, let’s just say that is was interesting. One description I read about Ovos Moles pastry says it is made by “mixing eggs and sugar indulgently.” I believed the “indulgent” part wholeheartedly. Yes, it was very sweet.

We slowly walked back to the train station, got back to Porto, and stayed in. Too tired and jet lagged to go out.

Day 1: Porto

Day 2: Douro Valley

Day 3: Aveiro

Day 4: Guimaraes

Day 5: Porto