Aveiro, about two and a half hours drive north of Lisbon, is Xana’s home town. It is also home to Xana’s sister and parents. Aveiro is sometimes referred to as the ‘Vienna of Portugal’ because of it’s canals in the downtown area.
A number of Xana’s friends came to visit as well, since they were all attending a friend’s wedding in Porto. Julia and Randy with Mark in the photo below and Emily and Letecia came the next day.
We enjoyed ‘sweet tripa,’ a variety of pastries with a bright orange sweet filling made with egg yolk, a specialty in Aveiro. There was some story about the use of egg whites for something and the yolks being left over, so people started making the sweets with them. I’m sorry I don’t remember what the egg whites were used for!
Aveiro also has some lovely buildings, some with colorful Portuguese tile or paint, and a few designed in the Art Nouveau style.
Aveiro displays it’s maritime character in it’s cobblestone streets with nautical designs.
