Aveiro — RachiePie

Yesterday we rented a car and drove an hour south to the coastal town of Aveiro. It is known as the "Venice of Portugal" thanks to a small network of canals. It was certainly more modern than I expected and we spent the morning touring around the city center and taking a ride on one of the molicieros - a traditional seaweed-harvesting boat now used for sightseeing around the canals.

One local speciality I wanted to try while in Aveiro was the ovos moles. The recipe was created by the nun community in the 1850's and has been passed on from generation to generation. They are made by mixing eggs, sugar and water. The outside is supposed to resemble a wafer you receive during communion. Alex and I picked up ours at Confeitaria Peixinho, one of the oldest bakeries in Aveiro serving ovos moles. We each got two - one in the shape of a fish and one in the shape of a shell. Truthfully, I did not care for the texture or taste!

Street art resembling ovos moles in Aveiro!

Outside the Aveiro is Praia da Barra, a popular beach in the area, and home to the The Lighthouse of Praia da Barra. This lighthouse was built over a century ago and is 203 feet! It is the tallest lighthouse in Portugal.

Further down the beach is the oceanfront village, Costa Nova. This charming town used to be a fishing village and many of the weatherboard cottages are painted with vertical stripes. It looks like something out of a children's books - so happy and cheerful!