I ended up at the Beach for the August public holiday in Portugal (the Catholic observance of Assumption of Mary), which landed mid-week this year. City beaches are predictably busy during the summer holidays, but I went to Espinho because there’s plenty of beach for everyone. 

See?

Of course, there isn’t just one beach in Espinho — the very long stretch of sand is actually a series of beaches, some dedicated to beach volleyball, surfing lessons, beach bars, fishing boats, sunbathers, and what-have-you. Some have lifeguards, others don’t. The most popular beaches are the ones closer to the casino and main railway Station for Espinho.

Although Espinho technically belongs to the District of Aveiro, it’s part of Greater Porto and easy to reach from Porto by urban train on the Aveiro line. I started at São Bento Station and for the princely sum of €1.75 got to Espinho in about half an hour with a longish stop at Campanhã Station. The train line is right next to the beach, so you can get from the station to the sand in a flash. It’s very convenient!

Around Espinho

(shots that aren’t of the beach)

The firefighters of Espinho were at the beach, doing demos for the kids and displaying their vintage trucks:

Piscina Solário Atlântico is a municipal saltwater pool next to the beach that opened in 1942. There’s a series of panels along the outer wall with historical photos.

No fishing village worth its salt would miss out on the blessings of Saint Peter. Wherever there is fish and fishing boats, there is a Capela de São Pedro. Here is Espinho’s:

And lastly, a bit of humour to end the post…

A sign that gave me pause, because of all the syllables stuffed in a few words!

August 15, 2018
Album: Portugal [Summer 2018]

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