Venturing Slightly Further Afield….Via Train
Last night we perused the train website (www.cp.pt) to plan a day trip to the coastal city of Aveiro (yet another spot-on recommendation from our daughter….thanks, Kathleen!). Thankfully this site offers both Portuguese and English language options. Porto has two train stations: Sao Bento (5-minute walk from our hotel) and Companha (25-minute walk from our hotel). As it turns out, Companha Station offers the more direct route to Aveiro. So…we opted to walk further to avoid the transfer (which would have taken longer, even taking the walk into consideration). With tickets purchased, we got a solid night’s sleep in preparation for another day of travel adventure.
After a big breakfast (which, of course, included fresh-squeezed orange juice and cafe longo from my favorite machines in the hotel), we set out for the train station. It was a very easy route and we arrived ahead of schedule with no wrong turns (yay!!). The train station was very clean and easy to navigate and we found the correct platform quickly. Our train was regional (rather than urban), so we only stopped a couple of times on our hour-ish trip to Aveiro. The route ran along the ocean through largely rural landscape.
First Class, Baby! 
Bridge View from Train 
Train Selfie 
Ocean View from Train
After arriving in Aveiro, we easily located the center of town (an quick 10-minute walk) and began to take in the sights. (Side note: there were two cow statues in the train station….not sure what that was about?). Aveiro, with its canals, is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of Portugal,” and is lovely! Shops and restaurants line the streets and canals, and canal tours are readily available. We wandered a bit and decided to indulge in a canal tour.
Building Art 
Sidewalk Crab 
Sidewalk Fish 
Sidewalk Seashorses 
Train Station Cow 1 
Train Station Cow 2
Touring the canals
Rather than the gondolas of Venice fame, the boats in Aveiro are called moliceiros. Moliceiros were traditionally used to transport algae/seaweed for use as fertilizer but are now primarily used as tour boats. Larger boats, called marcantels (I believe) were used for transporting merchandise. The vibrant painted decorations (two at the stem, two at the stern) on the moliceiros are typically reminiscent of Portuguese folk art and would have identified the boat owner.
Riding along in our moliceiro, we heard about the salt trade in Aveiro and saw many points of interest. From the oldest pedestrian bridge in the city to a very new bridge resembling a fishing net to the many art nouveau style buildings and turn-of-the-century pottery factory, it was a thoroughly enjoyable (and informative) 45 minute excursion.
Canal Building 
Canal Buildings 
Going Under the Friendship Bridge 
Motel on the Canal 
Oldest Pedestrian Bridge in Aveiro 
Molcineiros along the Canal 
Molcineiro Art 
Aveiro Bridge 
Canal View 
Tour Guide 
Salty Street Art 
Bridge Art 
Molcineiro Selfie
After our tour we walked up and down the canal, taking in as much of this beautiful town as possible. From artwork to shops and interesting architecture, Aveiro has much to offer!
Foot Art? 
Ducks 
Little Bird, Little Bird 
Maria Da Fonte Statue 
Sleeping Duck 
Swimming with the Fishes… 
Taking in the Sights
Side Note: our guide possessed amazing language skills! She repeated all information in three languages throughout the tour (Portuguese, English and Spanish). She also speaks French…but the French couple that initially boarded our boat transferred to another boat to accommodate a larger family.
The Most Beautiful Mall in Europe
While on our moliceiro tour, the guide informed us that the open air mall next to the canal (called Forum) was recently voted the most beautiful mall in Europe. And while we have only visited two other European malls, we can definitely see why! Atop the mall is a garden filled with olive trees. After our tour, we visited the olive garden (no relation to the US restaurant chain…), with its gazebo, benches and many walkways. It really was quite lovely!
Espresso at the Mall 
Friendship Bridge Closeup 
Forum Mall on the Canal 
Olive Garden atop Forum Mall 
Olive Tree
Local Deliciousness
A brief internet search identified a couple of “must try” local delicacies: ovos moles de Aveiro and eel stew. We were not all that excited at the prospect of eel stew….but we are always excited to sample a new dessert! Ovos moles de Aveiro are DELICIOUS pastries made of egg yoks and sugar encased in a thin wafers in nautical shapes (usually shells). They originated at area convents, and nuns eventually passed their recipe to local women who then began selling ovos moles at the train station on the Lisbon-Porto line.
In lieu of eel stew, we opted for grilled fish with vegetables at a restaurant close to canal. Since we went with such a healthy option….we indulged in yet another sweet treat: crepes with ovos moles filling sprinkled with cinnamon. We regret nothing.
Salmon and Hake 
Ovos Moles de Aveiro Filling 
Espresso & Ovos Moles 
Ovos Moles Crepes 
Ovos Moles 
Mmmm….Goodies To Go!
We’ll Be Back
A brief day trip to Aveiro was fun…but not nearly enough time to thoroughly enjoy the area. We would love to return and see the beach with its colorful houses and dunes, the museums, salt farm, monastery and many other amazing sights in this beautiful town.
But, for now, back to Porto.