Day 12 Down the Iberian Peninsular-Aveiro

Day 12

After showering, breakfasting we set off for the 100km journey to Aveiro, this city had been recommended by our friend Martin.

 So it was Down the Iberian Peninsular to Mira near Aveiro.

We decided to take the highways and byways but not the motorways today, the road out from the campsite goes first through the narrow streets of the town and then it hits a motorway but you don’t pay for the first 20km or so, I of course took the wrong turning and had to pay €1,30 toll, but we soon left the motorway and then travelled through the Portuguese towns and villages, which is much more interesting than just motoring along at 100km an hour. The weather was very nice, Linda even had to put the A/C on.

We came to the Aveiro signs and thought that was where we were heading but our lass took us a merry dance, we passed a campsite, but it didn’t look very nice, so we journeyed on, we came to junction and wondering which road to take, a car pulled up and asked where we were heading, I said campsite, the lady in German said Mira, grade aus, wonderful cheery helpful people the Portuguese.

We saw the high sand dunes in the distance and knew we had reached either the sea or the Sahara. The first camp site was not ours but the second one was, as usual very helpful and directed us to the pitches.

We got our Camper levelled up and decided to go and suss out the site restaurant, a nice chap was serving, he spoke impeccable English, Linda only wanted an omelette, but I fancied some of the local dishes, I was informed that the Bacalhau dish on the menu was very local, the Grandfather of the cook had made it and named it many years ago and it had become a favourite local dish. Ok that’s the one for me. But first we ordered the soup of the day (vegetable, soup of the day is always vegetable), very nice thick and as the Germans would say Sämig. Next followed Linda’s Omelette with chips (so much for the low carbs) and my dish, it was a wonderful sort of Panackelty dish, but with cod instead of the leftover meat from the Sunday joint. It was Bacalhau, covered with tomatoes, potatoes, onions and olives. The cod was a tadge salty but very edible, the whole dish was really good. BUT it was an enormous portion, when the cook came (change of shift) I sked him who ever could eat such a portion, he said my grandfather, he invented it.    

We then walked along a small lagoon, with Austin and Morris mini coopers along with mini-mokes zooming passed us, they were holding a International-Mini-Meet in Mora the coming weekend, and mini’s of all shape, shade and colour were in town for the event. They were in the most set up in the Municipal Campsite that had been reserved for the event.

We walked along into the small fishing village, here they do sein netting the colourful boats take the sein purse out to sea and then the tractors with their windlasses start to retrieve, this was of course in years gone by done with muscle and ox power, but we stood a good hour watching the fishermen going about their tasks.

The seagulls always know when there is a free meal to be had

A mixed bag

The bulging Purse

Unsorted

Sorted

We walk the 1 km back to the campsite set about eating our standard evening meal of crackers, Ryvita, cheese, sausages and dried ham, followed by a fresh fruit salad, talk about healthy living.

I then went down to the Wi-Fi room, down loaded photographs and wrote up our visits and checked up on my e-mails and down loaded some photo’s read a bit about the football and some thieving barstool trying to pinch our manager. The sun had set by the time I got back and the sky was dark and all the stars were twinkling bright and the evening star Venus even brighter.

Aveiro

We were up early and as we were traveling to one of the most visited and touristy places in Portugal, we decided to go in by the camper  (,she deserves a day out as well), we got into Aveiro, I noticed a few campers parked under the fly-over, so I hung a quick left and followed the signs, it took us to a free parking lot right beside one of the canals, you don’t get better than that.

We crossed the canal via a very interesting bridge and next to no time we were in the centre of town. Aveiro’s claim to fame is it called the Venice of Portugal, it doesn’t have Gondoliers because the boats are motor driven, but the patter is the same, one even had a banjo/guitar player to Fado along to.

Get your skates on John Dory

Give us a Tune Fish

Two jolly good Loupe de Mare and a couple of cod Roes

We visited the smashing fish market and watched the stall holder getting things setup for the day, Linda didn’t think much of the man gutting the eels, they were still wriggling.








We then went to the main canal along which are some very nice buildings.

The best hotel in town

The Blur Restaurant complete with Japanese tourists

The Grand Canal

Tourist Office

The water front

Almost Headless Nick?

We then decided to partake in a coffee and a bite to eat Linda a cheese and ham toastie and I an excellent roll stuffed with ham and chorizo. Next was into a souvenir shop to pick up some bits and Bobs (well if they are not going fleece tourists they are going to starve).

We then made our way back to the Camper via a very nice church, unfortunately closed (well so much for saving lost souls).

We had decided to go down the river to the coastal town of Costa Nova, this must be the most famous and photographed fishing town in Portugal, because of the striped (ex) fishermens houses.

Out on the sandbanks the cockle fishermen were just doing the last of their cockling (I suppose there is such a word) and returning to the shore before they met an untimely finish in the rising tide to put paid to their cockling for ever.

We had a chat with three fisher lads, they had the grill going and were BBQing their lunch, of sardines and split bream. They invited us to share it with them, once again I can only say how generous, helpful and friendly the Portuguese are.

We crossed the road and perused the menu outside of a restaurant, of course you are invited in, not in an overbearing manner, but in a nice joking way.  I selected cockles as a starter and eel stew, Linda had grilled baby calamaries with vegetables and potatoes. Linda’s portion was manageable, mine I think had been cooked for the grandfather of the chap yesterday, there was no way I was going to be able to finish all of that.

But I tried, I ate all the eel pieces but only half of the potatoes and broth.









We walked along the front to the place we had parked our camper (again free parking), they know how to treat us Campervaniers here in Portugal. We took the byroads back to Mira stopping off at a Lidl to get some bread and some other stuff (milk, cheese, meat pâté and fruit) then loaded up we headed back to our campsite and done a wash and got ready for supper.

Tomorrow a bit further down the coast.