Aveiro

Aveiro – Ilha dos Puxadoiros

Posted on September 2, 2013

by Anna

So as summer heats up we bring you the sixth installment of “Summer in Portugal”, where we caught up with Tupan tours again for an excursion to Aveiro’s Ilha dos Puxadoiros – Puxadoiros island.

If you missed the other “Summer in Portugal” posts, please follow the links at the bottom of this post.

To get to the island we caught a traditional Moliceiro boat from the river bank in Aveiro, which is termed “The Venice of Portugal” and it is easy to see why.

Barco Moliceiro de Aveiro

The town is built by the river, and on it the Moliceiro boats are stationed. The town boasts strong links to its fishing village heritage and in the center of the town a fish market stands to supply the town’s restaurants and locals. The region is also well known for its Ovos Moles –an egg based Portuguese sweet, and for those with a sweet tooth a must to try!

We were to take a Moliceiro boat from the center all the way to the Ilha dos Puxadoiros located in the heart of the river Aveiro.

Each boat is decorated with motifs related to the local culture.

Cheaky Motifes hand painted onto their boats.

Cheeky Motifs hand painted onto their boats.

So the 10 minute boat trip to Marinha Puxadoiros proved to be a lovely scenic route to see Aveiro and some of its canal routes. It passes by the landscape which is strewn with pyramids of salt for sale, filled by the salt farms of Aveiro.

Pyramids made of salt ready for sale line the banks of the river.

Traditional Boat ride to the Islands.

The boat house greats guests, and is available for rent.

The boat house greets guests, and is available for rent.

The Salt Farms

The salt farm is an ancient tradition and has a total area of 36ha, and is total man made using the sediment from the river bank. The salt beds are re-made each time the salt is harvested. This requires good weather. We were informed that twice this year the preparations for the beds have been totally destroyed by rain and had to be totally re-worked.

Traditional methods of salt farming are used.

Local traditions of harvesting the salt are seen all year round.

The water enters at the very far side of the farm into tanks that then feed smaller tanks. This serves only as a distilling process where the water is filtered of fish and other river life. The process of the salt making also produces other chemicals that allow the farm to supply the local ceramic industry with much needed materials for their traditional crafts.

Water paths for the salt purification.

The entire process is arduous and back breaking, and yet the whole farm is filled with friendly and proud people who are only too happy to show you the process and talk to you about the long tradition that they are part of.

Always time to say hi.

mcg_20130830_Aveiro_0012_c_by_McGunnMedia

The farm also provides an amazing place for birds to migrate to in winter and find sanctuary. The storks and the flamingos can be seen there all year round.