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| Aveiro's beautiful old station suggests that it is more affluent than some of its rural counterparts which I've seen along the way. Although there's a newer station next door, it doesn't quite have the same character |
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| Here is a closeup of some of the tile work showing ordinary people engaged in traditional work such as fishing and salt harvesting |
The second place I fell in love with was Aveiro (pop. 78,000) which is about 3 to 4 hours North of Lisbon depending on which train you take and an hour South of Porto by train. This train leaves from Apollonia Station, which is a nightmare to get to because of roadwork in the area, though you can also get the train from Oriente, one of the larger stations in the suburbs.
Things didn’t look too promising on the way up – lots of desolate country with scraggly trees, quite a few of them Eucalypts. Eucalypts? Yes, I suppose the terrain is rather like much of inland Australia. I don't know how much they are contributing to the fire situation and there are other environmental concerns, but they are too important to the Portuguese economy to do away with. Eucalyptus trees are highly valued because of their quick growth and because they produce superior raw material for paper making.
Along the way I was thinking about how the Portuguese became such great seafarers and explorers. Was it the paucity of the land that encouraged fishing off its long coastline and which in turn made them great sailors and navigators, which in turn led them to the riches in the New World? For such a comparatively small country it has punched well above its weight in producing gallant seamen, such as Vasco Da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan and many others whom we haven’t heard much about, but whose collective efforts opened up the world and changed the way people thought about it - including the fact that it was round, not flat, as well as paving the way for others and establishing new trade routes.
When I reached Aveiro, known as “The Venice of Portugal” because of its canals, part of the answer fell
into place, because it celebrates its cod fishermen and salt harvesters in its
streets. Aveiro’s cod fishermen ventured
as far as Newfoundland to gather their catch. As far back as 1500, one Gaspar Corte -Real,
who didn’t make it into English history books, founded a small village in
Greenland while looking for a Westward passage to India to obtain spices and
other valuable commodities. Meanwhile, Bartholemew Diaz -vaguely familiar, sailed west down the coast of Africa in 1497, looking for a way to India and became the first to
round the tip of Africa, paving the way for those who followed. Pedro Ivarez Cabral, another one I hadn’t heard of, sailed along the same coast in 1500 and accidentally discovered Brazil and
its great riches.
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| This Bridge in the shape of a Cod Fisherman's basket pays homage to Portugal's fishermen |
As both cod and sardines needed salt to keep them fresh, salt production was a very important industry too and Portugal became a major exporter of all three. Aveiro was not only a major port but also a major centre of salt production.
Last century, there were around 1600 salinas operating along the coast near Aveiro,
but as other markets and methods of preservation and production evolved, they dwindled to only a
a handful. Meanwhile, their place in the salt pans has been given over to the production of purple glasswort, to fish farms and as habitat for sea birds. Purple Glasswort, a salt tolerant succulent, has uses in traditional medicine, conditions the soil and being high in nutrients is also used in stockfeed. It also has potential as a biofuel.
The work of the salineiros - as the salt workers were called, was extremely arduous. They had to stand barefoot in sea water all day, scraping the salt left by the receding tide, while the womenfolk – often with children in tow, carried the great baskets or buckets of salt into the city. Both are honoured with sculptures in various parts of town. I learned all this from the lovely guide on one of the “Moliceiros” - the beautiful long boats that ply the canals.
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| A salineiro with his paddle stands in one of the squares |
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| A salinera stands on the bridge which divides Aveiro in two |
It left behind salty marshes and desperate people, with the population falling from 14,000 to 3,500 over the ensuing four years. In 1808 the present -day canals were cut and lined with stones from the town’s city wall.
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| It's a great day to be on the water and a great way to see the city |
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| Detail on a Moliceiro, though I can't quite make out what the people are doing |
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| Vibrant colours along the Waterfront. Note also the paving known as Calçada Portuguesa |
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| Washing on the line in the old fisherman's quarter. Apologies for the blurry photo - we travelled quite fast here |
At first there was only one bridge, to enable fishermen and salineiros to cross from one side to the other, to the fish market, the salt houses or their homes. Now there are many pedestrian bridges and they are decked with ribbons left by tourists and lovers. I do admire they way the captains manage to turn the boasts around in such a tiny space. It's a bit squeezy under the bridges too - a centimetre off centre and you are likely to get stuck. Hot tip for low rent travellers like me: If you buy your tickets from the hostel – other places may do it too, you get a substantial discount.
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| Bridges are festooned with ribbons |
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| On the way to the super clean market |
Aveiro’s rising fortunes in the last century or so, are reflected in its grand Art Nouveau buildings. This style was brought to Aveiro by affluent émigrés returning from Brazil who wanted to show off their wealth and sophistication. The elaborate style contrasts sharply with the more modest dwellings with their neat lines and azulejos tiles. I didn’t go into the Art Nouveau Museum, but there is a self -guided walk which takes you past the 28 buildings which have Art Nouveau features.
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| Art Nouveau along the Waterfront |
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| Entrance to the Art Nouveau Museum #1 |
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| Compare this to the more modest houses in the fisherman's quarter |
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| Tile detail on a tiny fisherman's cottage |
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| Unsurprisingly Aveiro boasts an enormous Azulejo factory - Fonte Nova, but it doesn't have tiles on its own facade |
Food
As in Lisbon, eating and drinking are major preoccupations. Food naturally centres largely on seafood of which alas, I'm not a big fan. Tripe is another speciality of the region, but again, being mostly vegetarian, I wasn't all that keen to try that either. Luckily, I found a nice little vegetarian place in one of the lanes. The food was delicious - I really craved those salads, but it was a bit over my budget. A big thank you to the lovely lady from Luxembourg who secretly paid my bill on her way out. I'm not sure if it was because I tucked into the greenery with such enthusiasm or because I may have winced when I found out how much it was, but it was a nice surprise.
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| One Ovos Moles - Don't worry, they are only about as big as my thumb and a bit thicker |
Ovos Moles consist of custard -like sweetened egg yolks wrapped in a communion wafer. Though a little too rich and sweet for me, their story is interesting. I also heard this from the boat guide. It began a few centuries ago – around the C16th, when nuns at a local convent were casting about for something to make for charity. The only thing which they had in abundance were egg yolks since the whites were used to starch their wimples – the white bits of their habit. Then they hit on the idea of just adding lots of sugar to the egg yolks and cooking them gently over hot water until they thickened and then filling them into prepared wafers and Voila! You have Ovos Moles.
These days the casing is more likely to be made from thinly rolled and shaped conventional dough, but given the vast number in the shops, there must be a lot of chickens hiding around here somewhere. Icecream, pastries and cake are pretty big here too, including the ubiquitous cake for breakfast at the hostel.
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| Mountains of icecream |
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| Lunchtime in Aveiro. |
Going Green
One the things which I particularly liked in Aveiro was that it is working hard on becoming a sustainable tourist destination. In the hostel itself - one of the oldest buildings in town and one of the cleanest and nicest I've been in, there was solar hot water and there were little signs like this.
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| Water saving feature |
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| Hostel |
The municipal authorities have an Action Plan to reduce Aveiro's emissions
significantly by 2050. It was already the first place in Portugal to have an
electric ferry. Now the Moliceiros are in the process of going electric too and the European Union has shortlisted the town for its Green Pioneer Awards next year.
It already has electric buses and a bicycle share scheme and is expanding its pedestrian routes as well. Another aspect involves waste management. People get points for putting their rubbish in the right bin and the points can later be redeemed for discounts or exchanged for goods. It is also expanding its green space and there is considerable emphasis on preserving its cultural heritage. As Portugal's Cultural Capital of the Year, there has been a full calendar of activities throughout 2024. There is also a National Tile Day on May 6 each year to celebrate the Azulejos (tiles).
Must Love Dogs
Cool Dude dog walking beside the Canal. The glasses are to protect its eyes from UV
There's no denying that Portuguese people love their dogs. Many hostels and accommodation places allow you to bring your furry friend and witness the lovely girl at the station below. For all that, you never see dog droppings anywhere and no other rubbish either for that matter. Aveiro is more than just a pretty face, however. It also has a heart. I don't think I met person - visitor or local, who wasn't friendly or helpful. That makes a big difference. As a shoestring traveller, you often get to stay in less respectable places - the rough end of town, the cheap hotels, the places where the drug dealers hang out on the corners - I even had friends on the Reeper Bahn. That doesn't matter at all, so long as the people are good. I’m not saying you should deliberately seek such places out, but you do meet interesting people.
In fact, it's often the case that the uglier the place, the nicer and more vibrant the people. Take Berlin for example, before the Wall fell. I have never met people with a better sense of humour, or Glasgow in the 70's when it was still a gritty industrial town down on its luck, or maybe Belfast during the Troubles, despite destruction and grim scenes all around.
The nice thing about Aveiro is that in this case both beauty and kindness went together.
There’s one more quirky thing in this region. Along the
coast at Costa Nova about 9 Kilometres away, there are remarkable striped
houses. These started off as fishermen’s shacks and were brightly painted in this
way so that they would be visible from the sea, even in bad weather. Now,
though the houses are grander, the tradition of painting stripes on them
continues. There must be some very good painters in the area.
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| Some of many Stripey Houses on the Beach at Costa Nova |
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| The sun is already starting to set as I hurry towards the beach. I've been told that the sunset over the Atlantic is a sight to behold |
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| It is. Giant waves roll in from the Atlantic. I then have to hurry to catch the last bus back to Aveiro |
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