Portugal-Amsterdam 2022 - #11 - Aveiro - Tales Of Ancient Adventure Travelers

Those ancient adventure travelers would be us-uns....Wife and I. And the adventures (as usual) are unplanned for. 

We are starting a short two-day/three-night interlude between the time spent with the #3 family in the Silver Coast area and another week long stay in the major city of Porto. Originally we had planned to spend this near the university town of Coimbra. I had gotten us a hotel near the town. But after our experience with the hotel in Evora, we were not excited about going to a hotel again. So we had found a house rental in an upland area not far from the coastal city of Aveiro. The house looked nice and the owner was very responsive and communicative. Instructions were sent in a timely fashion. It sounded like a good place to base for a couple of days of touring.

But we should have had our antenna up and senses aware. It was in the 'hills'. It had a 'mountain view'. Maybe some of you will remember the death defying drives of past trips like the craziness of Frataly. Some might even remember the insanity of the house on the hill in Andalusia in 2012. Thus as we made our way 'up' to the town where this new place was located, I got more and more bad feelings in my gut. 

Each additional turn went up a steeper road. The turns were sharper angles. Finally we got to where the GPS said the house should be. Only there was nothing but a wall with an opening to what to us looked like a goat path. Can't be right. We went up a little more. The GPS says, "No, you must go back!" We keep going back and forth. Each back and forth requiring difficult three and four point turns on narrow, steep roads. The GPS (two of them as I am am trying to verify accuracy) insist this crazy narrow, winding, steep path is the way to our rental. I call the owner. He confirms this is the way. Wife and I are envisioning having to do this everyday for the next three. NO. Not going to happen. We are too freaking old for this. I apologize to the host but tell him this kind of driving is beyond what we 70's+ Americans can handle. We cancel the reservation. Using my phone, I cancel with Airbnb and manage to get 50% of our money back. 

Great, but it is close to 4pm and we have no place to stay. So it is on the phone and internet. Hotels via Booking? No can't find anything that isn't crazy expensive. Back to Airbnb. Lots. But most are up in the mountains. But we find one place on the coast that is really inexpensive. We think it will be a dive. We don't care. We don't want to sleep in the car. To our amazement, the owner accepts right away. Something to be said for traveling off season. 

More navigating fun. We need to find a supermarket. We see a big sign for our favorite Portuguese market, Contente, right off the highway. Easy right? About eight times going back and forth, we finally find our way to it. We get the things we need. Then off to this new rental. It is very near the ocean. The owner meets us on the street. Pretty easy. The place looks way nicer than we expected for the price. It has an elevator! Great since we are on the fourth floor. 

All is wonderful. Until the elevator seizes up setting off an alarm that goes on for over an hour (until it is fixed). We have to carry the heaviest suitcases and bags up the final four flights of stairs! 

But this new place has a great view of the ocean showing a walking area that we are very excited to try in the morning. So all is well that ends well.