To the End of the World ...

Yesterday, after our walk to the Ponta da Piedade, we went back to Donna’s hotel for a charcuterie board lunch consisting of a variety of Portuguese meats, cheeses, fruit and nuts. Then a refreshing cup of tea. Yum!

We talked about our plans for the next day and decided it was time for us to go to Sagres and Cabo Sao Vicente, which before the 15th Century was known as ‘the end of the world’. It was believed that sea monsters lived just out of sight, a little beyond the horizon, before the earth dropped off into a terrible black hole.

Of course, our wonderful host, Fernando, gave us lots of tips and suggestions. He has a wealth of information

From Lagos to the Cape through Sagres was about 30 km. Not far and on a good road.

We stopped for a few minutes and watched surfers on a beach way down below. It would be quite the trek for them going down and then back up all the stairs from the top of the cliffs to the sea with a surfboard. But I guess, they felt it was worth it.

The land on the cape was rocky and barren. We were lucky that we went there on a day with little wind. We had taken jackets anticipating a strong wind but we didn’t need them. Before we left, the three of us bought ON Cloudventure trail shoes. We have loved wearing them. They were the perfect shoes for the rough and rocky ground at the cape! We took photos of our shoes that travelled to ‘the end of the world’ and sent it to the store in Fergus where we bought them, as requested. Haha.

The Romans called Cape St Vincent ‘Promontorium Sacrum’ (or Holy Promontory) and believed the sun sank here. They would come to listen to it hissing into the ocean as it was extinguished and watch it bleeding into the water. They considered it a magical place where the sunset was much larger than anywhere else.

There is just so much history in this area. The present lighthouse that is at the tip of the cape is 24 metres (79 ft) high and was built over the ruins of a 16th-century Franciscan convent in 1846. It has a powerful light that can be seen 60 km away. The cliffs all around are 60 m. high. The Portuguese don’t put guards or rails around dangerous areas as they expect people to be smart. The drop off to the ocean is something else, as you can see from the photos. Awesome!

We were a little disappointed that we couldn’t see the little museum in the lighthouse. Apparently it is only open on Wednesdays.Read more