PORTUGAL: AVEIRO, THE (NOT) VENICE OF PORTUGAL

 June 27, 2022

Our last stop on a very full day was the city of Aveiro. Photos of the city that we saw online were beautiful, and we were excited to visit. However, Aveiro turned out to be the biggest dud of our trip.

First of all, we parked in an underground parking garage that at the end of the day we had a very hard time finding. We would learn more than once on this trip (or maybe we DIDN'T learn) that we need to pay more attention to where we leave our car. We rarely had main streets or grid-like streets to help us navigate. Luckily, I took a photo of the above-ground portion of the parking garage, which saved us in the end.

As we made our way from our parking spot on the hill down to the canals that the city is famous for, we passed some interesting sites. The sign on the left let us know that this city is on the pilgrimage trail to Spain's Santiago de Campostela Cathedral, a place we would visit in a few days.

Like every city we visited in Portugal, there were churches with beautiful azulejo tile facades and streets with intricate cobblestone patterns.

PORTUGAL: COIMBRA

 June 27, 2022

From Batalha we drove about an hour north-northeast to the university city of Coimbra, where we had a private tour scheduled. We had about an hour before we were supposed to meet our guide and were starving, so we found a parking place within walking distance of our meet-up point and conveniently located near the Café Santa Cruz. We lucked out because this café has been open since 1923 (although the building itself dates back to 1530) and is a Coimbra landmark. 

Photo from here

We arrived at lunchtime and the place was packed. They had a buffet-style set-up, and they couldn't keep the dishes stocked, so the line was moving pretty slowly. We paid 18€ for both of us, and that included drinks, and when we finally got through the line, we discovered that the food was quite good. The tables were full of what looked like university professors and students, and it was fun to be in that atmosphere.

Photo from here

Just outside and perpendicular to the restaurant was a wonderful "trash art" mural of a baby owl by the Portuguese artist Bordalo II. The left side is more or less traditional, its claws digging into an old wall, and the right sight is much more futuristic.

PORTUGAL: BATALHA MONASTERY (AKA SAINT MARY OF THE VICTORY MONASTERY)

  June 27, 2022

I thought it would be hard to top Alcobaça's Monastery of Santa Maria, but our next stop, only 12 miles away, was even better--Batalha Monastery. Built between 1386 and 1517 in the "Flamboyant Gothic" style, it looks very French from the outside--lots of gargoyles and buttresses. 

It seems that the Portuguese kings had a habit of bargaining with God. If he would give them victory in battle, they would build an over-the-top cathedral and monastery as a thank you. This one was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory of the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. Seven kings, 15 architects, and 131 years later, it was done. It was granted to the Dominican order.

Like the Alcobaça Monastery, Batalha is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

PORTUGAL: ALCOBACA, MONASTERY OF SANTA MARIA

 June 27, 2022

Our first stop of the day was only a seven-mile drive from Nazaré--the city of Alcobaça, and more specifically, the Monastery of Santa Maria. The church that is the centerpiece of the monastery was built by order of the first king of Portugal to commemorate a victory over the Moors in 1147 and as a gift for the Cistercian Order (a Benedictine branch) under Bernard of Clairvaux. It took 76 years to complete the cathedral, and another 60 or so to add on the cloister. They are the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and the church itself was the largest in Portugal at the time of its completion (and still is). The complex was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989.

The central church facade dates to 1702.

The interior was completed in 1269. The church was consecrated for the monks and the public was not permitted to enter until the 18th century. 

The dramatic nave is over 325 feet long.

The best things in the monastery are the twin tombs of Pedro I of Portugal (called both "Pedro the Just" and "Pedro the Cruel"), who died in 1367, and his mistress, Inês de Castro. The story of their affair is a little long, but worth your time.