Small town with a city flair- Viseu

This is a great place to spend a day or two. The old quarter of Viseu is a charming lively town. The central square or "rossio" is the perfect spot to to take a load off and enjoy a cup of "bica" (espresso) after strolling the streets and back alleyways.

Quick Tips:

An interesting aspect of Portuguese living that came to my attention while in Viseu is the concept of beer vending machines. For less than an American dollar, you can at anytime, day or night get an ice-cold beer from a vending machine on the street.

Best Way To Get Around:

Park your car and definitely walk. You will notice that even though the Portuguese serve and consume huge portions of food, you will be hard pressed to find an obese person living there. The wise Portuguese walk off all those calories.

Great location directly across from the rossio in the heart of the old quarter is what led us to book a room at this nice and very European hotel. The cost for a double during low-season translated into $35.00 American. Everything was clean and the staff was very helpful and friendly. If the sounds of street noise are bothersome this may not be the hotel for you. The only complaint I had is that the breakfast that was included with the price of the room was pretty dismal. Not a big problem though, since it was much more entertaining to grab hot drinks and a sweet roll at the cafe in the rossio across the street.

Lunchtime in Portugal is a very serious affair. Everything shuts down between 12 and 3 as the Portuguese eat and digest a huge meal. This family run second story restaurant serves huge portions of typical hearty Portuguese cuisine. Appetizer (an assortment of cheese, pate, and olives) fresh salad with olive oil and vinegar, an entree of grilled veal and a side of homemade fresh cut french fries are all served family style. My wife and I shared one order and the two of us could not finish all the food put in front of us. Our waiter was an 11 year old boy who spoke some English and was sent out by his mother to help us place our order. Delicious food, nice place.

Wandering the shopping district you will notice that there are quite a few shops selling a variety of tinware. We stopped in one of the workshop/stores. All manner of kitchen utensils, lamps, lanterns, pots and pans hung from the ceiling above. We purchased several items - my favorite being a small glass and tin lantern with a handle on the side. I wish I bought a couple more. All the tinware is handmade, well made and very reasonably priced.

There are some particularly nice examples of "azulejos" to be seen in Viseu. Azulejos are the hand painted tiles, usually but not always done in tones of blue and white.

Viseu is not a tourist town, and most of the shops are catering to the everyday needs of the citizens. Nonetheless, it is still a lot of fun to wander the pedestrian streets and narrow back alleyways that are lined with all sorts of interesting shops. My wife made some very good buys on high quality bed and table linens.

While in Viseu I discovered and purchased a music CD of a Portuguese singer named Dulces Pontes. If you are planning a trip to Portugal I highly recommend that you purchase this CD titled "caminhos" (which is available on Amazon etc.) I guarantee it will get you geared up for your visit.

I have since purchased several other CDs by this same artist. She has a beautiful haunting voice. The songs she sings are traditional and traditionally inspired. There is a lot of Celtic influence in Portuguese music (the ancient Celts were settled in Portugal at one point in history) but it is also bound together with Moorish and Spanish sounds.

I know this is a travel forum, but for me at least, music is a big part of my travel experience, and I make of point of purchasing music from all of the places I visit. It's great to pop Dulces Pontes on the CD player on a gray and gloomy winter day and remember the fantastic trip we had not too long ago.