Zig-Zagging Through Portugal: Nazaré, Tomar, Leiria, Aviero and Arouca

 

Aveiro

Nazaré

We'd been here in 2019 so we only took a brief stroll along the boardwalk and then picked a recommended restaurant for dinner to celebrate Dermot's birthday. He chose well but my Cesar salad had nothing to recommend it.

We were surrounded by the scent of pine trees at Campground Obitur Valados but that night when we prepared to go to bed we realized the campervan had been invaded by mosquitoes. We swatted until we eventually saw no more to dispatch. Dermot was kept awake slapping away at the ones we missed. 

Our photos here

When we got up to shower in the morning, I saw them hanging out everywhere. Most of the ones we swatted that day were filled with our blood. It was clearly time to move on.

Tomar

Castelo de Tomar/Convent de Cristo was a delight to explore. The Knights Templar history is fascinating, the architecture is stunning and the art is awe inspiring. The highlight is the grand Charola as the photos try to show. As usual, the pics can only hint at the full experience. We learned that the arched entrances are very high so that horses and their riders could be blessed here before going off on crusades. 

There are wonderful Manueline doorways and windows often with tree of life and sea-life references. There's an aqueduct that supplied it with water, a huge kitchen, and seven cloisters, each with its own purpose. 

We lucked into an extensive art exhibition that explored the King Sebastion history and mystic that surrounds his disappearance and hopes for his return. We even got to meet the artist and had a great conversation with him about his 40 years of life here delving into literature, theater and art and why he left his native Australia for Portugal. 

I spent the afternoon with a profound sense of gratitude to have experienced places such as this and been enriched by the people we meet who chose to live passionately, even leaving their homeland, such as this artist.

Leiria

Castelo de Leiria was described as the best preserved castle in Portugal and it was very nice. However, it was more reconstructed than preserved. 

The complex included a reconstructed church, castle and the interior included a wonderful museum that displayed what had been found in excavations. We had fun wandering and even climbed to the top of the reconstructed tower and enjoyed views of the extensive fortifications as well as great views of the modern city below.

Aveiro

Aveiro has been called “the Venice of Portugal,” but it had quite a variety of landscapes to recommend it without having to draw on that overused comparison. At our campsite, we asked where we were most likely to see the pink flamingos LP had said live here and she responded “That’s a good question, I’ve never seen a flamingo in my life.” We followed the path to the Réserva Natural das Dunas de Săo Jacinto but missed a turn so we never got to the dunes but we enjoyed the hike. On later consulting the reviews of the boardwalk area over the dunes, several reported they had been harassed by a pack of feral dogs so maybe it was better we didn’t find them. 

The following day we parked in the city and took one of the very many boat tours available on a colorfully painted moliceiro. These were traditionally used to collect seaweed and to fish from but the ones in the city center are made for tourist trips. The art deco buildings were beautiful and there’s been a concerted effort to preserve the flavor of the fishing and salt industry that was the city’s original by maintaining the dimensions of canalside houses during reconstruction.  The many bridges were covered with colorful ribbons on which are written the names of those who want to declare their love or friendship. Our guide explained the history of each of the different canals we toured as well as explaining the current problems of gentrification that the area’s success as a tourist destination had created.

As described by Lonely Planet: “One of the jewels of Aveiro is the Mosteiro de Jesus, a 15th-century Dominican convent and baroque church that was the home of Princess Saint Joana, daughter of King Afonso V, who refused marriage in order to devote her life to religious pursuits. The building remained a convent until 1872 when the last nun in seclusion passed away. In 1882 it was bequeathed to the Third Dominican Order and converted into a religious school, until the First Republic’s religious intolerance laws forced it to close in 1910. The church was quickly classified a national monument and turned into the Aveiro Museum. Beyond an impressive collection of religious artwork, the museum holds the ornate marble tomb of Princess Saint Joana herself, laid to rest in the building that was her lifelong home.” 

Take a look at the intriguing habits worn by the nuns as depicted in the tiles and painting. The portrait of Joana was painted to show her beauty to potential matches she wanted nothing to do with - hence her expression. 

We had a nice dinner in the nearby coastal town of Barra and then strolled the pier and watched those who fished both with poles and spearguns.

Arouca

We came to enjoy the GeoPark which we envisioned as a park, but was actually a whole area. There was no campsite near enough to allow hiking excursions to fit into our visit so Dermot indulged the nerd in me by driving way up into the mountains to go to the Museu das Trilobites Gigantes. 

It was a labor of love for a man who recognized the potential importance of his fossil finds and he created this museum which his son now runs. Though the son must have both heard and delivered the same information thousands of times, his presentation was delivered with great expression and enthusiasm for the topic. I really loved the visit - we saw the fourth largest trilobite in the world (the one pictured with Dermot’s hand) the the largest in the world which was unfortunately rolled at the time of its death and crushed flat (pictured with Dermot’s head for reference).

Next stop : Porto

Peniche & Óbidos

Peniche

Thank goodness Dermot keeps an eye on the weather. He saw a heat wave coming so we searched for a place to hide from it. That place turned out to be the small peninsula of Peniche where high temps were supposed to stay in the 70’s. It over-delivered the first day with cold winds and gusts over 30 mph. We ventured out to a nice seafood restaurant to celebrate Father’s Day. Dermot chose the “Sea Rice” for two. It came in a big pot with prawns, mussels, and monkfish. It was delicious and was actually enough for four since we had the leftovers for dinner the next day. 

PenichePria campground was the best campsite we found and was modern but the owners had made some ill-advised design choices in the restrooms IMHO. No toilet paper (why? WHY?) or hand soap (again, why!?), no shower temperature control in the men’s and no mirrors in the women’s. Sinks at a height that better accommodated Amazons than petites like me. 

Our photos here

Golden Spike - line between Upper and Lower Jurassic

Our first hike started from camp and included sites of geological importance like the “Golden Spike” which clearly delineated by color the change between the upper and lower Jurassic. Super exciting to geologists! There aren’t that many in the whole world and there’s only one in Portugal. 

Also there’s a plethora of fossils here - many were still visible in the limestone beneath our feet! 

Signs in Portuguese and English were very interesting and described the geology, history and cultural implications of many sights with maps and historical photos. 

We were lucky we hiked the trail at Ilhéu da Papôa on a day without gusty winds because it was fun to see the waves crashing into the cliffs. The many times the trail had sheer drops what seemed like mere inches from our feet would have turned the fun to terror.

We spent another day exploring more of the coast and the city which included a fort that had been used as a prison for political prisoners until the Carnation Revolution ended the 48 year dictatorship in 1974. Check out the photos to see the extreme variety of geology within just a few kilometers of each other. 

The colorful houses picturesquely cascading down the culvert near the fort is Bairro do Visconde. It has a long history and we enjoyed roaming the back alleys and streets.

Óbidos

Dermot and I usually love to walk on the historical walls encircling castle towns. The plan was to walk along the wall from one end of town looking down into the streets below all the way to the castle. The problem with this wall was that there was no barrier on one side. 

It was wide enough to feel safe to me but it gave Dermot blurred vision and self-destructive urges. I offered to go back to street level many times but his stubborn streak kicked in and he soldiered on behind me always in contact with the wall. The worst times were when we had to pass similarly inclined people and somebody had to lose touch however briefly. 

I enjoyed the view and stopped for pictures from our unique vantage point but these were torturous pauses for him so I kept them to a minimum. 

Sadly, when we got to the castle, they had converted it to a hotel and you couldn’t tour the interior. Outside, preparations building small shops for a medieval renaissance fair to be held here in July were in full swing. 

At that point we were overheated and overdue for cold drink. We found it at the quirky Bar Ibn Erik Rex. Dark and filled with things to ponder such as the multitude of minis hanging from the ceiling and implements of war on the walls. We savored our cider, beer and rest. 

Refreshed, we toured the rest of the town including its churches and square. This square looks so inviting but the photo is taken right next to the pillory where all manner of punishments could be inflicted - just trying to keep things in perspective.

Next: Nazaré

   

Lisbon & Sintra

Lisboa Camping & Bungalows is that rare campground that’s close to the city but in a forest setting with a pool. The sanitaires are functional but need upkeep and better cleaning but we were comfortable enough to spend over a week here.

There’s tons to see and do in Lisbon so even with leaving many out, there’s over 100 photos in our album. Since Google photos tags where each is taken you can click “i.” I can’t even come close doing justice to the deep history here so I’m leaving it to you to delve deeper if you’re interested.  

Massive Photo Dump Here

Belém

Our first major sight was the gorgeous Monastery of Jerónimos. It survived the 1755 earthquake preserving the beautiful Manueline architectural style. The entirety of the monastery and church are beautiful inside and out. 

Strolling along the water we stopped at the Monument to the Discoveries and Belem Tower which was closed and undergoing renovation. Towards the end of our time in Lisbon we returned to this area to take in the Contemporary Art and Architecture Museum. We lucked into an exhibit focusing on women artists by Peggy Guggenheim.

Mouraria, Graça and the Alfama

After taking on the more refined area around Belem, on Saturday night we headed to the historic neighborhoods of Mouraria, Graça and the Alfama.  We wanted to check out the party scene described in Lonely Planet as: 

“Feast With Locals at Neighbourhood Arraiais: Join the santos populares fests. It’s without much doubt Lisbon’s most famed street celebration: santos populares. In honour of St. Antonio (and St Vincent), Lisbon’s historic neighbourhoods fill up with a beer-holding, sardine-eating crowd … usually dancing the night away to a particular Portuguese music genre known as música pimba (think flashy dancers, high-pitched singers and tunes that mix pop with a folksy beat). That’s the daily (or rather, nightly) top activity during June, peaking on the 12th, the eve of Lisbon’s holiday. The feast spreads across the city, but it’s stronger in Alfama, Graça and Mouraria – these neighbourhoods will be bursting at the seams.”

We followed the historic centre walking tour starting in Mouraria which was established as a ghetto in 1147 for the Moors and is still a less expensive part of town. It is considered the birthplace of fado. 

Its narrow streets and alleys weren’t rebuilt on the grid plan after the 1755 earthquake and they twist and turn and occasionally widen into small “squares” but seem to be any shape except square. As we followed the directions in the late afternoon, we moved to the recorded music and saw the decorations, tables, chairs and stalls selling food and drinks. We walked up, up, up the stairs enjoying the murals those who take the funicular miss. Arriving at the festive music and party atmosphere of the Graça miradour (viewpoint) we enjoyed the sweeping city views. We decided to take a table in the section for raising funds for scouts. The food and drink choices were few, simple and cheap. 

Many people sported one of three kinds of head gear: Super Bock beer hats with pop-up ears; sardines that appeared to be engulfing the wearer’s head; or headbands with bridal veils attached. We later learned the bridal veil is because São Antonio is the patron saint of weddings. 

After soaking up the atmosphere we decided to continue on our walk into Alfama and see what the festivities were like there. Some streets were deserted but the later it got the more people joined the festivities in the decorated squares. Everyone seemed to be having a great time meeting friends and family.  It was one of those times you can sense what it would be like to be a local but it also felt a bit isolating since we’re outsiders looking in.  When we’d had enough we tried to make our way out of the packed areas to get an Uber.  We had to literally squeeze through the crowds sometimes being sprayed with sparks from the grills as we passed - exciting and smoky!

When we finally connected with our Uber driver, he told us it would be very busy for him later when other party goers were ready to leave. He was from India and we had a great conversation, so much so he actually invited us to his brother’s wedding in India and even gave us his personal telephone number. 🤣🤣🤣

Chiado

We had a great multicultural night out on Sunday hitting both The Corner Irish Pub then a night of traditional fado. We didn’t understand the Portuguese but the singers were so expressive the performance was moving none-the-less. 

A Market, Pink Street plus, plus, plus

At the Time Out Market, lunch included vegan options for which I was very grateful. We got an English tour through the Núcleo Arqueológico da Rua dos Correeiros which was a very interesting look at what was found when the bank decided to create an underground parking lot. Surprise! Layers and layers of the past which have now been excavated and presented beautifully with technology to aid understanding of the findings. Break time included pastel de nata (famous custard tart Dermot craves) fresh from the oven. So good!!  We enjoyed following the RS walk. For dinner we ended up at Duque (steps from the place we’d gone to fado) and had excellent meals of Sea Rice and Bacalhua à Duque at Duque.

Parque das Nações

This area was the site of Expo ‘98 and turned what was once an industrial wasteland into a neighborhood with hotels, event spaces and an aquarium. It’s now faded but still includes interesting architecture, urban art and many businesses. Of course we had to fit in another Irish Pub. We headed back into the heart of the city and wandered the botanical park but it was a bit disappointing. 

Sintra

Though there are several outstanding sites in Sintra we choose Quinta da Regaleira. The Manueline style “palace” was never home to royalty and was built in the 20th century. 

Okay, so not the most historically relevant place but the extensive grounds were designed for those who want to roam through the forest “discovering” underground passages, wells, grottos, and catching glimpses of magnificent romantic structures in the distance. Great for photos and we took many.

Next: Péniche.