The Traveling Princess: Aviero

Why the Traveling Princess?

The princess reference is not what you are probably thinking it is. Remember the old fairytale about the princess and the pea? A pea was put in under the princess’s mattresses and her bruises the next day confirmed she was a princess. Well, it turns out if that is the test to confirm “princess-hood,” then I am definitely a princess. I used to be able to sleep deeply anywhere, any time. But…. when I had kids, sleeping deeply was over. And now my kids are grown and in college, but I still don’t sleep well. Let’s blame it on peri-menopause. Hot flashes mean I need to sleep in a VERY cold room. And, I’ve become very sensitive to every wrinkle in every sheet. I can’t sleep if I don’t have a cover on me with a bit of weight (but definitely not a weighted blanket). I can’t share covers – I’m told I steal them and “burrito” myself in them during the night, so my husband is cold and blanket-less. Any noises definitely wake me up. Changes in the lights wake me up. And don’t even get me started on the “right” pillow. I’ve bought and tested at least 17 different pillows, most of which could not be returned. Now, I’ve got a better pillow menu than any hotel in town. But sadly, I’m still in search of my old, perfect pillow. In short, I’ve become like the story-book “Princess and the Pea,” which my husband calls me all the time. I’m not fussy about too many things in life, but sleeping is critical to keeping me pleasant to be around. And my sleep scenario is tough to get right. So, when we retired and wanted to travel a lot, I was scared of moving from hotel to hotel or Airbnb to Airbnb. Our solution to my ridiculous sleep requirements was to find an RV where I could control the bedding and temps, and it would be somewhat consistent night after night. So, this was the start to our European RV adventure.

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Aviero

We visited briefly the town of Aviero that is called the Venice of Portugal. We didn’t spend a ton of time there but it was no Venice. It’s a quaint village with cute architecture and a canal system where you can take boat tours. There are lots of souvenir stores and some nice restaurants. The town is old but doesn’t have the history or emotional attraction of Venice. Maybe years ago the boats saved them lots of time in crossing the river. Today the boat tours appear only to be a tourist ride. If you are into shopping or just in the area , it would be worth the time to find this little town. If you aren’t sure, I’d save money for the real Venice.