Sagres

14/7/13
The first break came when we hit Praia da Luz (beach of light), a beach village on the way to Sagres. The coastline was beautiful and the village itself seemed relatively unspoiled. We had lunch in an historical building that was a Fort that dates back to the 15 th century. The place was actually occupied by the Romans before that but this building wasn't that old.
During the 15th and 16 th centuries, the Moors looted the coast from their pirate ships. The locals would seek refuge inside these forts which were pretty pirate proof. The king of Portugal, D. João IV, built a large number of similar forts along the coast...they were built high in the cliff edge, and a lot of risk and trouble was taken to make sure the rotten pirates were kept out.

The young waiter was very forthcoming with info when I asked about the building, and gave me an old menu with some information on it. What a great souvenir!

We arrived at Sagres in the afternoon...or was it evening? It's such a long day, one blends into the other. What a cute little town set on the cliff tops...literally on 'the edge'. The Romans used to think this was the end of the world, and the sun set into the sea everyday with a 'hiss'. There are forts as mentioned above...one really big one that we didn't feel like going into...to be honest we are a bit full of history and historical sights with queues and tourists. There is a really lovely lighthouse...the old fashioned kind with a lighthouse keeper and all.
 It is a surfers town, so there are a few surf shops, and the cafes are focused on 'chillin out' , healthy foods, and other surfie activities. We haven't yet seen any surf, surfers, surfboards or sunshine. The cloud cover and wind has made it really chilly. The people are really laid back and earthy, so different from the Spanish...how does that happen? We like it here.
We had dinner at a little place with grandpa at the outdoor grill, daughter in the kitchen and grandson kicking the soccer ball around on the cobblestones. The food was gorgeous. Tony had squid. Tony has had squid at least twice a day since we got into missile range of Portugal...cooked in every way it can be cooked, even ordering second helpings. To be honest, I don't mind if I never see another squid...dead that is...for the rest of my days.

We spent the night last night on the edge of a cliff...so quiet and beautiful. I have woken up this morning with a sore head due to the one too many caprinhas last night, and alas we have had to use the motorhome dunny for the first time. Ew. Bags not emptying it. But I probably will.
We plan to stay here until we see some surf and sun, so could be 'chillin' for a while.

Sagres...

See pirate proofing in the background.