Advertisement
Published: January 30th 2024
Edit Blog Post
Journey to the land’s end! Perched on high cliffs Cabo de Sao Vincente (or Cape St. Vincent) is the furthest southwest point of Europe that points out into the ocean at the bottom of Portugal. But the first stop was Sagres (pronounced Saw-gresh). Sagres is slightly east but further south of Cape St.Vincent and also perched on top of towering cliffs. Boldly guarding the cliffs is Sagres Fortress which was built in the 1400’s to protect against any potential invaders from north Africa. It’s quite a hike all the way around the promontory but well worth the walk. There were fishermen pitting their luck against the sea and the 200 feet high cliffs but as we watched one fisherman won the lottery. After much winding of line he pulled up a nice silver fish - dinner tonight!
The structure is not a typical fortress with 4 walls. There is only one main wall which separates a large area of the peninsula. It is protected on the other three sides by the towering cliffs and the ocean. The trail around the edge of the cliffs is through an area of eroded, fractured and split limestone and dolomite outcroppings. Looks like a
landscape from another planet. Because it is winter in Portugal there are only a few flowers but the plants grow despite the gruelling wind conditions. Limestone is a softer rock and erodes severely with waves and rain. There are several grottos inland from the cliffs where you can hear the waves crashing down in the earth. One such grotto we saw was so deep the bottom was out of sight but it roared every time there were waves crashing. Scary to think the land under your feet is riddled with caves and holes.
Along the path is the Chamber of Sound with a maze that leads to a small chamber called the Voice of the Sea where you can hear the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and the wind down deep in the earth.
As the path leads back towards the entrance there are spectacular views of the cliffs and beaches with surfers taking advantage of the high waves created by the windy day today. Back at the entrance we climb to the top of the walls where we can walk around and view the beaches and the town of Sagres.
About this time,
it happens to be lunchtime so we head to the marina to the Sereia Restaurant. We score a good table out on the patio in the sun and protected from the wind. After ordering our traditional beer we head inside to check out the display of fish caught fresh today. We pick out sea bass and a pretty red rock fish with fried scampi for an appetizer. The fish is taken to the outside grill to be cooked over coals while we drink our beer and enjoy the sun.
The nice thing about European restaurants is that they don’t expect you to leave when you’re finished eating. Stay as long as you want and talk and enjoy the atmosphere. No rush, take your time. They never bring the bill unless you ask for it.
So the drive home and a quiet evening at home finishes off the day.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.418s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 10; qc: 51; dbt: 0.09s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb