26/07/18 – 27/07/18 – Costa Nova
We very nearly missed visiting Colourful Costa Nova, down to me getting our loosely planned itinerary the wrong way around. We were half way to Porto when Lorraine said, Aveiro, aren’t we supposed to be going there as we approached the exit on the main road. D’oh. Nothing that a quick fingering of the sat-nav wouldn’t solve! Before we knew it we were rerouted and beach bound for Costa Nova.
Costa Nova was originally a small fishing village that has expanded into a local hotspot for visiting the beautiful white sandy beaches behind the windswept sand-dunes. Its perhaps most famous now for its colourful stripy buildings that originally took their inspiration from the fisherman’s shacks dotted around the town.
We arrived late afternoon in time to get a nice space about 100m or so from the entrance to the beach in one direction and 200m to the town centre in the other. We had a stroll with Marley along the wooden boardwalk on the edge of the dunes as the beach was still to busy to take him onto it and then people watched from the van until it was quiet enough to take him back for a proper run-around in the sand. He’s definitely at his happiest in the cooler evening temperatures on the beach. We spent about an hour there and watched the sun as it slowly dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.
The next morning the weather was pretty much like a gloomy spring day back in blighty. We even got a light rain shower as we walked though the town. Sadly, there were a number of stray dogs roaming around, one of them looked particularly sad, curled up against a wall all scruffy looking. He as about the same size as Marley. We very nearly took him with us. I think Lorraine would have if it wasn’t for me. As we looked at the colourful buildings in the rain, I remember saying if only it was sunny they would look so much more vibrant…….As if by magic within a couple of hours the sky began to clear so I nipped back out to re-take the photos. As the place started to heat up after the rain, I was reminded that the town is still a fishing town down to the pungent fishy odour that started to fill the air. Ooh crab Paste!
I looked out for our furry friend but alas he wasn’t there I don’t know if I was relieved or sad…..
