Aveiro

From Vouzela go south for 8 kilometers to join the IP5, which you stay on all the way to Aveiro. The most notable feature of Aveiro is its large lagoon, formed by a long, thin sandbar, some 49 kilometers long and 2½ kilometers across at its widest. The average depth, outside the canals the ships use, is only a bit over 2 meters. The numerous canals crisscrossing the town itself add to its considerable charm. Naturally enough, most activity in Aveiro centers around the water. The major products are salt from the surrounding salt pans, seaweed (used for fertilizer), and fish taken from the lagoon. Boat trips around the lagoon are sometimes available, depending on the time of year. They take you near the seashore lined with lovely houses and, although it’s a fading practice, with a little luck you’ll see the colorful, flat-bottomed boats called moliceiros collecting seaweed. Check with the tourist office on the Praça da Republica for current schedules and prices. One tour includes lunch at the Pousada do Murtosa/Torreira–Ria in Torreira on the other side of the lagoon. If you prefer, you could visit the area by driving north on N109 to Estarreja then turning left on N109-5. Here you cross the bridge over the lagoon and join up with the N327, where you again turn left for the 20-kilometer trip along the water to São Jacinto beach at the tip of the bar. The whole trip will take about an hour each way, not counting stops.In Aveiro there are worthwhile sights, mostly in the area to the south of the central Humberto Delgado Square, which is actually a wide bridge over the main canal. The Art Museum, in a former convent, has a good collection of Portuguese art from all periods. The convent itself contains the baroque tomb of Santa Joãna, daughter of King Afonso V, who died here in 1490. On the same street is the Misericordia Church, which has a striking baroque doorway and extensive azulejo decoration. As you might expect, seafood is the main gastronomical fare around here. Two local specialties for the adventurous are eel stew (caldeirada de enguias) and an egg-based sweet called ovos moles. Aveiro has also long been a center of fine pottery and porcelain production, and you’ll find both for sale around town. However, if you are a true potteryphile, you might want to make the 8-kilometer excursion (south on N109) to a little town called Vista Alegre, world-famous for its pottery works since 1824, which now has a museum depicting the history of developments in pottery manufacture. The porcelain made here is of an extremely fine quality and often hand painted with a faint Oriental flair.