There was a camper dealer right on the way to our pitch today.
As we wanted to buy a few things anyway, we stopped in straight away and were actually able to cross a few things off our list.
The salesman was very nice and helpful. We can only recommend Albicampo if anyone is ever looking for something in Portugal near Aveiro. (www.albicampo.pt). They also sell motorhomes, install photovoltaics on the motorhome roof, do repairs, service and much more.
In Portugal it is really difficult to find pitches with fresh water. It is even more difficult to find pitches with disposal facilities. Neither free nor chargeable. There are a lot of parking spaces without services where you can stay overnight. It is not easy to find an official parking space in this area. No matter whether it’s a camper site or a parking lot. So you have to take what comes 😉 This one offers all services. It is a huge parking lot and only a small part of it belongs to the campers. It’s right next to Aveiros train station and easy to get to. The old town is just under 15 minutes’ walk away.
We were a little busy today. Actually, all the storage and organization systems were supposed to be put up on the walls once we’d finished painting. But somehow more and more things keep piling up and soon you can’t keep track of everything in the cupboards 😉
That’s why we tidied up the kitchen today.
We also found a door curtain that we’ve wanted for a long time in the camper trade. It not only serves as a privacy screen, but it is also much cooler inside than without it.
We urgently needed a new gas hose. We really don’t feel particularly safe with the ones that are still installed here from the previous model.
When I saw that there was a foldable wash basin with a drain, I really wanted one. So that I could wash up outside and relax.
The size is just right and the fact that it is foldable also saves a lot of space. For just under €10, I simply had to take it with me.
After dinner, we took a walk into town and treated ourselves to a cocktail today.
Aveiro has 3 canals that are connected to the Ria de Aveiro lagoon. Because of these canals, Aveiro is also known as “the Portuguese Venice”.
The colorful boats used to be used every year to harvest seaweed.
Today, tourists can be guided through the canals.
The Art Nouveau buildings can be found in the old town.
There is a large construction site in the middle of the old town, so unfortunately we couldn’t see everything. We were also unable to visit the fishermen’s quarter in the two days we were here. It feels like the whole of Aveiro is a building site. New houses are being built or old houses restored everywhere.
The tall chimney and imposing façade have made the old Jerónimo Pereira Campos ceramics factory an icon of the urban landscape. Built between 1915 and 1917, the factory closed at the end of 1960 and the premises were renovated. Nowadays, the factory site is a vocational and training institute. Since 1995, it has also become a congress center where important national and international events take place.
However, you can still visit the old kilns where the clay was fired and the high temperatures in the kilns have left their mark on the bricks.
At the “chestnut train” you can buy delicious fresh chestnuts and then enjoy them while listening to live Portuguese music.
There are many churches in Aveiro. We took a look inside two of them and noticed the differences.
This is the church of the Misericórdia of Aveiro. The plan for this church is said to date back to 1585, but construction was not completed until 1653.
The tiling of the façade and the baroque limestone decorations are striking.
The interior is rather plain. Restoration work is currently underway here too.
The second church we visited was the church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentacao, or Our Lady of the Presentation.
It dates back to 1606 and at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century the façade was decorated with two brick panels and the interior was completely covered with gilded woodwork. A Gothic Virgin made of alabaster stands out.
The many new buildings consist of large apartment blocks. A difference to the beautiful old town.
A traditional Portuguese dessert comes from Aveiro. The “ovos moles”.
This egg dessert was made in the nunneries at the time. The successful mixture of sugar and egg was later passed down from generation to generation and you can still enjoy this culinary delight throughout Portugal today. The egg mixture is encased in a kind of puff pastry shell. The proximity to the river and the fishing village gave the confectioners the inspiration to shape the shells into fish and mussels.
Of course, there is also a work of art of this dessert, or “liquid egg”.
There are even works of art for it in Aveiro.
We also treated ourselves to a pack of 6 of these supposedly heavenly delicacies for just under €6. We haven’t tried them yet. But we’ll let you know whether they’re such a great treat for us too or whether they’ll just make our hips gilded 😉
