Thursday, March 31, 2022

Lunch in Aveiro at Porta 36

We chose one of a number of attractive establishments near our hotel to eat lunch today.







We started with a shared plate.



Ellyn chose a cod salad.



Kathy eschewed cod for tuna.



Tom and Brian chose traditional Portuguese cod dishes. The jury is out.

They use these frozen wraps instead of wine buckets. We’re surprised more restaurants don’t do the same.




Aveiro - ‘the Venice of Portugal’

Supersized gondolas…



We couldn’t resist taking a 45-minute cruise on a Moliceiro canal boat.





Some bridges have bright ribbons on which lovers have written their names, much more colorful and less heavy than the locks weighing down other European pedestrian bridges.







It’s our first time on a boat since, well, Monday and Tom and Ellyn enjoy it.





Aveiro’s Hotel Moliceiro: a Boutique Gem

We seldom stay in hotel properties where we’re not earning points, but there were none to be had here.

We’re thoroughly enjoying our stay here.









The employees are friendly and we even shared a glass of wine with a friendly Moroccan porcelain salesman with a daughter in the US.



Breakfast in the elegant restaurant area…






Wandering Around Aveiro

A morning walk included a stop at the local fish market, where we talked to a friendly fishmonger. He told us not surprisingly that times have been tough during Covid.







We could have bought these Santola crabs, captured in the Atlantic off Portugal, for  €4.50 a Kilo. Too bad we don’t have a kitchen.



We then walked to the train station less than a mile away to buy tickets to Porto  tomorrow.

On the way back we checked bout a modern shopping mall. It contains many stores like ours, but is open to the sky like malls in Hawaii and other locales with mild




Houses and other buildings with tiled facades continue to catch our eye.



It’s a pretty town.






Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Lisbon to Aveiro by Train

We checked out of our Holiday Inn Express Soldhana after an enjoyable stay. It’s modern and clean with friendly employees and we’d happily stay again.

After two days of flawless Uber trips, we send Tom and Ellyn and their luggage in one Uber. Our driver gets lost and arrives about 10 minutes late, full of apologies.

We still make it to the train station, reunite with Tom and Ellyn, and find our train with time to spare.

It’s a high-speed “tilt train” and we enjoy our smooth two-hour ride.



 







Dinner at People in Lisbon

Last night’s restaurant owner recommended this joint. The food is good but at least a couple of us are feeling stuffed, even after our iPhones inform us we’ve walked five miles up and down hills today.



Appetizers…



Game (“Hunting Food”) for Kathy and Tom…



Ellyn’s Risotto…



Brian’s rice to complement his grilled and delicately breaded John Dory fillets…