Satellite
  • Day 33

    Sagres and CSV

    May 26, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Sagres and Cabo São Vincente are the extreme southwest corner of continental Europe and the western end of the Algarve. The region is associated with the Portuguese age of discovery. The shoreline here is cliffs that are about 75 meters high. And facing the North Atlantic, this is a center of surfing.
    The 1st several picture are at Cabo São Vincente, about 6 km from Sagres. The 1st 2 pictures are of the cliffs. Needless to say, this is about as close as I was willing to get. The 3rd picture looks across the top of the cliffs and native vegetation to the lighthouse in the distance. The 4th picture is of the native Algarve the way most of the region looked before development.
    The 5th picture looks across a small local fortified site about halfway between CSV and Sagres. The lighthouse is visible in the background.
    Sabres is closely associated with Prince Henry, aka the Navigator. He was the lord of the manor of this part of Portugal. As such, this region is closely associated with the age of discovery.
    Perhaps the most interesting site here is the Fortaleza de Sagres that is directly connected to Prince Henry. The 6th picture is the approach to the fortress. Like much of the region, the fort was seriously damaged in the 1755 earthquake. So what you see is a restoration. The large circle in the 7th picture is in the fort and is likely a large compass (some argue for a sundial). The is where Henry was known to have his school of navigation. The 8th picture is in the chapel of the fortress.
    The 9th picture looks from the fortress to the town of Sagres and its beach. The last picture is of the Sagres fishing harbor and marina.
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