Povoa de Varzim
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 17 Aug 2008 11:00
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Povoa de Varzim
Povoa de Varzim has been inhabited
since 200,000 BC, the first groups of settlers were shepherds, their dead
deposited in tumuli, the oldest monuments found in the municipality.
Fishing developed with the Cetarioe, a Roman fish factory, which produced mainly
garum, an Ancient Roman fish sauce and aphrodisiac. With the fall of the Roman
Empire, Suevi populations established themselves in the region. Starting in the
9th century, Viking fishermen originating from Brittany raised a peaceful colony
in Villa Euracini. The town was first mentioned as being Portugese on March 26th
953.
  Crossing into Portugese waters meant
skipper had to do his hoisting. The landscape changed from rugged to much softer
with a sandy shoreline. Skipper had to investigate of course.
 
 The horizon started to look much wealthier than we
had been used to on the Spanish coast. The entrance to the harbour and the first
sight, the towns main church dedicated to lost fishermen.
August 15th saw yet another festival celebrating
the sea but this time it was to these 105 lost fishermen. The whole town
turned out to parade from the church. That didn't stop the whole day being
peppered with fireworks the size of small bombs. The chaps timer went late into
the afternoon, so instead of a nicely timed show, it sounded like world peace
was at an end.
 
 The building in the centre is a
casino which has to support the marina as one of its taxes, Povoa is one of the
few legal gambling areas in Portugal, it also has significant textile and food
industries. Was this fisherman lost or just at the party?
The fishing industry has always been
paramount, in the 17th century Povoa had the biggest fish market in northern
Portugal, due to its brine preservation business, supplying inland
provinces via a battalion of hawkers. As a result, the Poveiros became
known as "the people who worked the hardest and knew the best seas". To us the
marina was way to full of Brits that had found a cheap refuge ( 996 Euros a
year, including living aboard on the hard in winter, a free bottom scrub and an
internal spring clean). One yachty had arrived like we did for a few days and
was still there two years later. ARC people get half price rates. One
American asked for ten nights and was told it was cheaper for a month. We had
little sleep as a VERY loud siren goes constantly as soon as any niff of mist or
fog arises, on this coast, thats enough to drive you nuts.
We did get the metro for a day out in
Porto, see its own blog. Therefore we can drop our stop at Figueira de Voz (to
get to Porto in greater comfort) as in the guide book it said the metro had not
been finished this far out and it meant a tortuous bus journey to Porto. So
midday Sunday we set out with Algieba VA (Joe and Jo a lovely French couple, so
small you could wear them as brooches and always smiling and laughing )
to do an overnighter of 119 nautical miles to Nazare where will will stay a week
as there are many important places to visit.
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