It was another hot day in Portugal, so after leaving Aveiro in the morning, we decided to make another beach stop on our way to Lisbon. Matt found a great place off the beaten path about an hour and fifteen minutes south from Aveiro. Praia da Vieira, was a giant stretch of sand and a pleasant beach town with dozens of fish restaurants. Before having lunch, we took a walk down to the beach and spotted a large crowd of people huddled around something down by the water. A tractor on the sand was pulling in a gigantic fishing net and everyone, including about 200 seagulls, had gathered to see the catch. We managed to elbow our way into the crowd to get a glimpse of a net full of thousands of beautiful, glistening silver sardines. Some fisherman were scooping the sardines into plastic tubs and hauling them off to the local restaurants. Others ran from the ocean back to the net carrying buckets full of sea water and dumping them over the sardines to keep them alive. It was quite a scene.
We had a nice lunch at one of the beachside restaurants and then hopped back in the car and drove another hour and a half to Lisbon.
As soon as we checked into our hotel (Hotel Avenida Liberdade, on the wide central street Avenida Liberdade) and started to walk around, it was apparent that Lisbon was a big bustling city with a lot going on. The city has a great young, fun vibe and we will have a lot to pack in over the next few days.
We had a delicious dinner at Solar Dos Presuntos, basically around the corner from our hotel. The service was attentive and friendly, and remarkably fast. But it's important to note that the restaurant was also touristy and expensive by Portugal standards. And when you're talking about eating the same, simple grilled fish that is served pretty much EVERYWHERE, it's frustrating to pay a very high price on something you know could be cheaper and just as good somewhere else. This is one thing we have learned from our travels through Portugal -- so far the fancier restaurants have served the exact same food as the not so fancy places, the main difference being the price. It seems like a lot of places serve great, simple food, so when in doubt, use your instincts and just go with a place that looks good.
That all said, my dish at Solar dos Presuntos was pretty awesome. I went with meat tonight, ordering the "mimos" of black ham (they are famous for their black ham in Portugal), though I had no idea what "mimos" was. Matt and I had all sorts of terrifying ideas of what it could be, but luckily I ended up with very thin slices of grilled pork belly, laced with fat and a delicious smoky meaty flavor. It was pretty outstanding. The tiramisu-like dessert was also fabulous. A great start to our adventures in Lisbon.