No trip to
Aveiro, Portugal is complete without visiting Costa Nova. Glancing at a map, Aveiro looks like it's on the coast. Actually though, there is a strip of land with beaches, then the lagoon, and then the city of Aveiro. So to get to non-lagoon beaches, you have to leave the city limits. Costa Nova is one such town with beaches. But more than its beaches, the area is known for its adorably-painted striped houses. The houses--called
palheiros-- were originally storage shacks for fishermen. Most recently, they are family summer homes, cottage rentals, or cafés. We beat the rush on a Sunday morning to see them. On the downside, it was foggy and brisk that early in the morning. But by the time we had walked up and down the beachfront boulevard to see all of the cute houses as well as paid a visit to the market to see the fresh seafood, the sun was shining. The area also has the Lighthouse of Aveiro, but due to the impossibility to park, we craned our necks to peer up at it through the car window as we drove by.
This concludes my Summer Vacation in Portugal 2021. From Aveiro we backtracked to Porto for a few days before I headed home to the USofA. But since it was my third trip to Porto, I shall end here. I'm sure I will be back to the sites and delicious, cheap food of Portugal some day soon!
