And Back ...

Upon leaving the San Vicente Cape, we drove the 6 km to Sagres to see the big fort that was there. On the way, we passed another small fort called Beliche that has been around since at least the 1500, if not longer. In 1578, Francis Drake attacked the fort and caused serious damage to it. It had a lot of reconstruction work done to it and was not completed until 1632. Then, it was significantly damaged by the big 1755 earthquake in Portugal. Now it is sitting precariously on a crumbling cliff and has been closed to the public for safety reasons. We were just able to wander on part of the grounds surrounding the fortress.

Now the Sagres fortress was completely different. It was huge and imposing, with a very rocky, harsh landscape. The views over the sheer cliffs were breath-taking, and we could see all along the coast to Cabo de São Vicente. Fishermen with long poles, stood on little ledges, leaned over the cliffs and cast their lines way down into the ocean. Pretty scary. They fish for a small fish called sardos, breem, and haul the fish up in a basket.

According to legend, this is where Prince Henry the Navigator established his navigation school and prepared the early Portuguese explorers for trips out to sea.

Inside the gate there is a huge, curious stone pattern that measures 43m in diameter. A sign said that it is called the Rosa Dos Ventos. This strange configuration is believed to be a mariner’s compass or a sundial of sorts. It was excavated in 1921 and no one really knows what it was used for.

We peeked into a small, whitewashed, 16th-century Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça. Inside there was a gilded 17th-century altarpiece. I especially liked the tiled altar panels which feature elephants and antelopes. I wonder why they were put on a church altar...

No museum here either, just a few plaques with information in several languages.

By now, we were hungry. Fernando had recommended a good fish restaurant in Carrapateira but it was closed for holidays. Darn. We actually drove around looking for a restaurant but without luck so we stopped in a little place that served tapa-type food, outside, and we were able to share big plates of octopus salad, barnacles and fried prawns with Portuguese bread and beer for a reasonable price. We even got lessons in how to eat the barnacles and shrimp. Everything was tasty!

Then, home again, home again, jig a jig jig.Read more