On a day trip from Ponte de Lima, we headed towards the coast to check out some seaside towns.
On our way, we stopped on the outskirts of the village of Freixieiro de Soutelo to take a closer look at Igreja de São Martinho (St Martin’s Church) and its cemetery. It features traditional granite stonework design, a walled parvis (open space in front of the church) with a stone cross, and a jaw-dropping façade. The traditional blue-and-white tile depicts the famous image St Martin shredding his cloak in half to share with a poor man he encountered at the city gate of Amiens. We see this a lot in Hungary.
Seven kilometres up the road lay our destination: Vila Praia de Âncora, a surfing spot by the Atlantic.
The street that runs by the beach is lined with cafés and restaurants, making it difficult to choose where to go. I was keen to try a traditional Portuguese taberna, and we found just that in the appropriately named A Taberna.
Having done a quick audit of what others were eating, we went to the bar to order. We got lucky with some dishes as they had some ready, but others we had to wait for the fresh plates to arrive. It’s all self-service. Which works. All very orderly.
What more could a body want, eh? Fresh seafood within spitting distance of the sea.
After eating, we wandered off the main drag in my less-than-hopeful search for a café that had plant-based milk. We happened upon the main square presided over by the parish church – the Church of Our Lady of Peace.
The petunias were in full bloom, and what looked like a competition to decorate swans had taken place recently. Turns out, it was the annual Vila Praia em Flor festival when local schools, elderly care facilities (ERPI), and associations craft colourful swan-shaped flower arrangements and creative plant displays as part of the exhibition. At least that’s what I think it was. It takes place in May, and perhaps they keep the display going through the summer?
I was delighted that a café on the square had a big sign inside advertising leite de aveia (oat milk). It amazes me how happy I am to find this. But as in Croatia, plant-based milk is hard to find in Portugal.
They also had a weird way of paying: a machine you feed your notes and coins into.
I thought that this was a town I could live in. But then, as we were driving out, we saw the reality – a big urban sprawl full of apartment buildings and resort hotels. Yes, the square is lovely, and the beach is a draw, but I’m not convinced I’d want to share my space with tourists.
The search continues.
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