Sagres

The Southwest Corner of Portugal

On Friday I wrote about our trip along the coast to Sagres. We rented a pet-friendly place on Airbnb for the night. But as we arrived at 14:45, we spent some time taking in the local sights.

Peering back from inside the Fort.

Fortaleza Sagres Fort

If you Google things to do in Sagres, visiting the imposing 15th Century fort will be high on the list. Permit me to digress a bit and share a quick story that perfectly illustrates life in Portugal. It was raining, pretty hard, when we got to Sagres. We pulled onto the long drive that leads one to the fort and parked like a local (right in front of the building) rather than in one of the well-marked parking lots that were several hundred meters away. But that’s not the point. We called the Airbnb/hotel that we were booked to stay in that night. It clearly stated check-in at 15:00 but it was raining and we had Onix in the car…perhaps we could check-in just a few minutes early while waiting out the storm. A very nice woman answered the phone. I made the request. “No, I’m sorry,” she responded. “I am having my lunch.” Enough said. We sat in the car for another 10 minutes then as the weather cleared we made our way to the fort.

Unlike other forts, this one only has a wall on one side. The other three sides are open to the sea…the fort sits 60 meters above imposing, vertical cliffs. The original construction was directed by Henry the Navigator (Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu) that lived right up the road in Cabo de Vincente. From here he charted many of his voyages to Western Africa which led to the Golden Age of Portugal. While much of the original fort was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and tsunami, it is well worth including this stop if you visit the Algarve.

Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Graça

While there is a small church, Our Lady of Grace Church, inside the wall and a staircase that allows you to climb the wall we found a leisurely stroll to the point most enjoyable. What I love about Portugal is the fact that a fence along a cliff will intentionally have breaks in it, permitting one to take personal responsibility if they wish to venture further. Along our walk, we saw men fishing at such points. Casting their line so far below I wondered if any fish’s lip was strong enough to stay on the line that long.

Sound Labyrinth

As we walked, we spied an odd circular building in the distance. We found a type of

A strange building…

circular labyrinth. Denise went one way, and I went the other. I hit a dead-end but

A bit of hide and seek.

faintly heard Denise imploring me to find her. When I did, she was near the center of the structure and instructed me to stand atop a wire grate. “Just be patient…just wait.” Within a few moments, the ocean roared as it rushed in many meters below my feet. What a fabulous find!

There were other stops along the way. And occasionally a placard explaining the local fauna or birdlife. But what we found most enjoyable was a quiet walk gazing over an endless sea.

Alone with our thoughts.