A Day in Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal
By: Kelly Ryoo
Looking around, I feel as though I’m in a painting of the ideal, quaint European town. The sweet smell of baked goods tingles my nose, emanating from nearby bakeries featuring desserts and bread in the window aisles. Houses of all shapes and colors — featuring striped facades, pastel windows, and decorative blue tiles — line the river that cuts through the city. Brightly painted boats float on the waters, many of them carrying rowdy tourists who wave at those of us on land. This is Aveiro, a city on the west coast of Portugal: the second stop of the Portugal spring break trip that my three friends and I embarked on last April. It’s also a city exploding in popularity in recent years, one that has been proclaimed (by some) to be the new Venice.
Perhaps some of the biggest similarities that Aveiro and Venice share are the iconic canals and the boats that run throughout them. Unfortunately, many of Averio’s boats have become commercialized and marketed to tourists. But the beautifully colored boats of Aveiro are, in my opinion, more fun than those of Venice. The boats of Aveiro are called moliceiros, a type of boat that is unique to Aveiro. It’s shaped like a canoe, except the ends of the boat juts out and features a painting. We even walked past one with the face of Cristiano Ronaldo painted onto it.
We walk along the waterway, admiring the shining blue waters of the canal and the vibrant buildings that surround us. It’s a hot day, so we stop for some fruity popsicles.
Afterward, we wander deeper into the city, away from the main river. We notice a pale pink building with a cozy local shop on the first floor. Inside, the shelves are full of souvenir goods: flavored Aveiro salt (I purchased a garlic one), antique postcards, handmade earrings, magnets, Portuguese olive oil soap (I bought two), fish-shaped dishes, pottery pieces, glass flowers, and so much more.
Finally, a short Uber from downtown Aveiro takes us to Praia da Costa Nova, a beach famous for the striped houses that populate its coastline. What seems like endless rows of colorful houses stretch out in front of us. Some of the houses are short and wide; others are narrow and taller. Some feature vertical stripes, while others are horizontally striped. Most houses are red, yellow, green, or blue striped, but some quirky ones feature thick lines of purple or pink.
We walk towards the beach, treading carefully to avoid sand in our tennis shoes. Taking a seat on the ground, we savor the salty breeze and listen to the sounds of crashing waves, staring out into the wide, blue ocean. “So far, I think Aveiro is my favorite European city,” I note aloud. My friends nod in agreement.
Kelly Ryoo is a senior from Daegu, South Korea, majoring in Literature in English and Computer Science. One of her favorite travel destinations is Porto because of the delicious egg tarts and beautiful red roofs.
