The Algarve can wait
Aveiro is a city relatively modern if we compare it with the many ancient cities that Europe has. It doesn't give that impression either. decadent city and punished by the weight of centuries, rather just the opposite.
This beautiful Portuguese city welcomes the traveler with colorful and certain bohemian air , proof that many painters made her the muse of their happiness and her misfortune. This is Aveiro, which has always been cataloged as the "Portuguese Venice" but it is much more than a city braided by its channels.
Aveiro, the Portuguese Venice
THE TIMONEIROS AND THEIR STORIES
One of Aveiro's claims is undoubtedly the moliceiro ride through the canals that cross the city through the estuary. In addition, every year in the month of July the Great Ria de Aveiro Moliceiros Regatta , an event that brings together tourists and curious people from all over the world.
Discover the colors of aveiro from the moliceiro is an experience that you have to live at least once in your life, especially when the helmsman unravels part of the story of this great city. sometimes with a bit of fantasy.
Even though Aveiro exists from the 13th century , it would not be until two centuries later that would acquire some importance. This is due to the connection of the city with the sea, entry and exit of merchants that opened Portugal to the world after the discovery of America.
The near the salt flats and its privileged position facing the Atlantic they made the small town of Aveiro prosper, in such a way that in the fifteenth century walls were erected to defend the city from possible invasions. Walls that today unfortunately already they do not exist.
The port of aveiro suffered a strong storm in the year 1575 and all facilities shattered , hence the original port is not preserved.
And discover the colors of Aveiro from the moliceiro...
The inhabitants of Aveiro had to wait until 1808 for the construction of the first canal that It connected the estuary with the ocean. Aveiro's canals are really from recent creation , so do not literally believe what some helmsman tells you about the ancient canals. The story is usually another.
BEYOND THE CHANNELS
Aveiro is a city that can be explored in just a couple of days. The fact that much of its streets smell of pastry (they love sweets) makes wander around Aveiro become a fantasy for the senses. Tiles in the houses so as not to forget that we are in Portugal. It gives the feeling that each street has a different color and that each house has its own story.
The city grows around Republic Square , from where we start in front of the Town Hall Square and the Clock Tower. Around there are still some 16th century houses while under our feet the cobblestone he paints us modernist past from the city.
The Portuguese in the 19th century dressed in tiles even some of its most iconic churches , What that of Mercy, one of the most visited the treasures it keeps inside. It is very close, following the Coimbra street.
From there, you have to continue strolling through the old town of Aveiro that still exhibits some reminiscences of what it was in the medieval times.
And, of course, tile facades!
Proof of this is two streets further on, where we ran into its cathedral , which was consecrated in the year 1464 and it came to be in the 19th century a military barracks. Despite of fire that suffered almost two centuries ago, marvelous treasures have been preserved inside, such as a baroque altarpiece dating from the year 1559.
Opposite the cathedral is the Aveiro Museum , built on what was in the fifteenth century the Convent of Jesus , place to which he retired and in which he died the daughter of King Alfonso V. Inside it houses a large collection of paintings, sculptures and tiles although the cloister itself or the atrium They deserve a few photos.
The veneration to Saint Joan is very present in this museum which, in addition to having ethnographic character, also assumes to be a tribute from Aveiro to the Saint and, obviously, to the art nouveau.
Following the edge of Jardin do Rossio you get to Beira Mar, the fishing district of Aveiro , where the moliceiros and the colorful houses are protagonists.
The Mercado do Peixe has been 100 years being one of the reference markets From Portugal. On the first floor there is also a restaurant where you can enjoy the fish from the market itself (although, yes, at a somewhat exorbitant price). But of course, the view of the estuary that the place has is priceless.
Aveiro Museum
SEAFOOD, RICE AND SWEET EGGS
The Aveirense table is very curious. Being a fishing town, the fruits of the sea are the ones that invite you to sit on restaurants that, even though they have been modernizing in the last twenty years, continue keeping the essence of other times.
In Aveiro they are true masters in the cooked eel, either in stew, stew or pickled , so it is a crime to leave this Portuguese city without trying a bite of this delicacy.
The cod can not miss. We are in Portugal and here cod is religion, cooked à bras or, as they do in Aveiro, with bechamel and potatoes.
O Bairro (Largo da Praça do Peixe, 24) It is one of the best options to enjoy the aveira seafood, a small place that mixes in its dishes the best of traditional cuisine with certain touches of modernity. A delicious prawn risotto with lime and its "polvinho" (octopus) with potatoes make O Bairro possibly the best bet in Aveiro. This very close to the Mercado do Peixe.
If what you are looking for is not to leave without trying cod in good conditions, a very good option is Bacalhau e Afins (Joao Afonso de Aveiro 13), where they also have a rice with duck which takes away the meaning. Festival of Marian apparitions in the form of a codfish: in risotto, in creams (with bechamel), à lagareiro, à bras and even with a creamy seafood rice. Infinite options for which it is difficult to decide.
And one cannot leave Aveiro without trying its famous ovos moles, a sweet centenary of the nuns of the Convent of Jesus which is the hallmark of the city. This curious wafer egg is egg yolk filling , and reminds us of the Yolks Santa Teresa of our gastronomy from Avila.
It is not necessary to move from the center, in the Ramos Confectionery (Dr. Lourenço Peixinho, 86), possibly the most important in Aveiro, give an account of the exquisite recipe from nearly a century ago. There we discovered that ovos moles are a product with Geographical Indication Protected by the European Union since 2008 (the first Portuguese sweets to have it) and can only be made in Aveiro. And they only taste this good in Aveiro.
YOU ALSO HAVE TO RELAX ON THE BEACH
The Aveiro beaches They are famous in Portugal for their fine sand and the quality of their waters. Two of them are the most frequented by travellers, Barra and Costa Nova.
Typical houses of Costa Nova
The first, because it is presided over by the tallest lighthouse in Portugal and a good bouquet of tourist restaurants that are far from the fantastic fish temples that we find in the center.
The beach of Costa Nova is more peaceful , although at this time of year it is a hive of tourists. Being so wide you can always find a hole in the sand keeping your distance. Also this is where they are the famous palheiros, old fishermen's tool houses which are currently tourist apartments.
you are beautiful striped painted colored houses in their day they were built on wooden stakes to prevent them from being buried by the dunes. Today they still have the originals. sash windows and wooden balconies. But, yes, the interior is adapted to modern times and you can find all kinds of comforts.
Here you can stop to eat, especially in the Seafood stew from the Marisquería da Vagueira , located in front of the beach of the same name, in neighboring Vagos. always remember book early , because this family restaurant goes up to the flag.
Right next door is the Casablanca Lounge Bar, the perfect place to end with a drink and good music in front of the sea. Well, a drink or two.
Immense are the beaches of Aveiro
But if you search Total disconnection , the ideal is to approach the beach that is in the San Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve. Of course, for this you have to go almost 50 kilometers by car.
But the excursion is worth it since, in addition to the fact that you will not find so many tourists, the beach is right next to a nature reserve that smells like pine and in whose freshwater lagoons can be photographed all kinds of waterfowl In their habitat. Without a doubt the best place to end up in the sun and end the visit to Aveiro. Or maybe not.