New Coast, New Memories
When it comes to childhood places, none is as special to me as Costa Nova (New Coast), near the city of Aveiro. A charming little beach town, where I’ve been going to since I was a toddler, and where I continue to go every year. The vast, fine sand beach is a good enough reason to go there - but it’s not the only reason by a long shot.
As soon as you arrive you are greeted with beautiful, colored-striped houses - unique to this place. Once used as warehouses by fishermen, they’ve been converted to holiday houses, becoming an iconic image of this town and the backdrop for vacation pictures from polaroids to instagram.
There’s plenty of bars at the beach offering delicious snacks and cocktails, as well as restaurants specialized in fresh fish dishes. The fish market there, not only has fresh catch of the day but it also has locally sourced fruits, vegetables and confectionary.
Costa Nova even has its own sweet, the “Tripa” - you can have it with ovos moles (sweet eggs), chocolate, jams, or plain. It’s the perfect replenisher after a hard day at the beach.
Onto the promenade and you’ll see people riding bicycles or skating roller blades. Two harbors host boats that you can rent, and surf schools where you can get training and equipment for all kinds of water-sports. It’s also worth mentioning the mini golf field, an iconic activity in Costa Nova.
The last note I want to leave about this place relates to memories. Earlier this year, my grandmother Lília passed away. She’s one of the most important people in my life, and some of my fondest memories of her are when she used to bring me, my brother and my cousins to Costa Nova in the summer. Thanks to her, I can say I had a wonderful childhood experience growing up.
When I look back at that time I feel hopeful and excited about all the new memories still to be made. So, here’s to looking ahead and to keep making good memories.