Nazare, Costa Nova, & Aveiro, Portugal Day 4

Colin has been wanting to go to Nazare and see the big waves everyone in the surfing world is talking about. This little village on Portugal’s Silver Coast is home to some of the biggest waves in the world. You wouldn’t have known it today because it was pretty calm (and warm too!) Each place we visit here has a distinct personality of its own and Nazare was no different. It felt like a small-ish old-fashioned Portuguese city on the water, almost like a movie set. Being Sunday, there was a very laid back feel to everyone walking around the streets. I fell in love with all the little old ladies in mix and match bright and festive floral and plaid tops and skirts with an apron and topped with headscarfs. Walking down to the beach we passed lots of little apartments with outdoor kitchens built into the patios and they were so cute! When we got down to the water, there were lots of tourists and beach-goers out and about and a sports match of some kind was about to start in the stadium near the water. After walking down the beach, we stopped for lunch and then headed out of town. It was so heartwarming to see a huge number of families picnicking all along the way. Some had stopped by the side of the road with blankets and picnic baskets, while others were in parks lunching at picnic tables and more were gathered around little vacation bungalows with their picnics spread around. Is this a typical Sunday in Portugal? I don’t know but I loved it more than anything.

We headed north to Costa Nova Beach next because it’s always looked like the cutest beach town I’ve ever imagined in my life and I had to see if it was true. Believe me, It actually is. Are these little beach homes even real? Do real people actually live in them? YES! And yes they do!

After walking around in inspiration heaven for who knows how long, we visited the boardwalk and stopped to have a drink on the beach and people watch for a bit. The air was so much cooler down by the water and it was pretty great to say the least. But after a while, we decided to head out for our last stop of the day, Aveiro.

Aveiro sits on the edge of a bunch of lagoons and has lots of canals. And it has its own unique feel here too. This is probably getting old hearing me say how beautiful and inspirational every place has been so far, but it really has been! Every place in its own unique way. In Aveiro, the little tiled houses are precious, kind of like hundreds? thousands? of doll houses all come to life.

Can we even take any more of this cuteness and inspiration? I don’t know but we’re sure going to try! I hope you’ll come along with us tomorrow as we head north once again.

This post is one in a series posts on my visit to Portugal. You can find all of my posts here:

The story behind my journey to Portugal
Day 1 & 2: Lisbon Portugal
Day 3: Cascais, Sintra, & Obidos, Portugal
Day 4: Nazare, Costa Nova, & Aveiro Portugal
Day 5: Porto, Portugal
Day 6: Soajo & Geres National Park, Portugal
Day 7: Douro Valley & Aldeia Das Dez, Portugal
Day 8: Monsanto, Portugal

IT'S ME, SERENA!

I bounced through the first years of my life in a hippie gypsy wagon, hand-built by my father, wandering the back roads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. My family eventually settled into a tiny cabin in the woods on property that was once inhabited by Native American Indians.

I spent my childhood days searching for arrowheads, teaching myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine and to bake in a wood-burning stove, with no running water, refrigeration, or electricity in our home. My family lived frugally and early on, inspired by my parent’s thriftiness and style, I gained a knack for thrifty creativity and turning ordinary objects into something useful. And I dreamed of the home I would create for my own family someday.

Now I’m married to my husband, Colin, and our children are all grown. After 24 years of producing The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair, I'm spending time visiting other markets around the world. You can watch episodes of Serena Goes to Market here.

I share more about my life story from time to time, here on my blog. You can also find me on Instagram, and Facebook.