Apparently there is some debate whether "the edge of world" (the most western most tip of Europe) is in Cabo da Roca, where we visited a few days on our tour to Sintra and Cascais, or in Sagres, where we visited today. For good measure, we thought we would visit both, because you don't come halfway around the world to miss the edge of the world, do you?
We spent the morning in Lagos, where we are staying, visiting a local museum and bumming around a bit, in the somewhat inclement weather. We had hoped to go to the beach, but it just wasn't in the cards.
Instead, Garin and I planned a day trip to Sagres According to my research, "Sagres sits at the western tip of the Algarve and is like no other destination in southern Portugal. This is one of the most remote regions of Portugal, an area of barren, windswept landscapes, towering cliffs and raging seas. Sagres is primarily a surfing destination, but there are sheltered pristine beaches for relaxing and an unassuming cool vibe about the town. Day-trippers are drawn to Sagres by the Cabo de Sao Vicente, a remote and bleak headland, aptly fitting for the most south-westerly point in mainland Europe." And there you have it, another breathtaking lookout point, purporting the be the edge of the world.
It was a long, but eventful and fun day.
Portugal is definitely not an early morning country, including Lagos, where we are staying. We were up early, to try a much-lauded bakery and found that all of the outdoor tables, normally filled with thousands of tourists, were replaced with quiet streets, except for delivery trucks bringing provisions to restaurants for that day.
En route to the bakery we came upon this local movie theatre and as luck would have it, look what was playing. Top Gun Maverick! It's playing in English, with Portuguese subtitles. If I hadn't already seen it twice in the theatre at home (I went back to see it again with the kids and enjoyed it even more the second time), I would have been tempted.
The Pandaria Central was recommended to us by The Salty Lodge as one of the best in town and they were right. There were so many delicious treats to choose from, it was hard to decide. Take a look for yourself at the choices: https://padariacentral.pt We chose a nice assortment and then found a place to sit outside, listen to some music and enjoy our breakfast. Check out this video of our breakfast with The Beatles, Portuguese-style: https://youtube.com/shorts/g5ulYlUz9bQ?feature=share
We also found a wonderful local market, a few doors down from the bakery, to pick up fresh fruit, which is plentiful and delicious here.
The Mercado de Escravos is a historical building in Lagos. It is located on the site where the first slave market in Europe of the modern era took place, in 1444. This was not an easy place to visit and certainly brought up feelings of pain and shame, similar to those we feel as white Americans, whose ancestors committed similar atrocities to the ones committed by the Portuguese, nearly 200 years earlier.
The dark clouds hung around for much of the day, so after visiting the Mercado de Escravos, we sat by the marina and watched the catamarans go by. As it turns out, they are here from all over the world for a pre-qualifying event for America's Cup. The winning team from last year is right here in Lagos!
We headed to Sagres and started our afternoon with lunch at this local restaurant, with beautiful views of the ocean. As it turns out, Miles is connoisseur of fresh grilled sardines, which are plentiful here, especially at this time of year. After polishing off all the meat, he is holding just the skeleton in this photo, much to everyone's dismay at the table.
After lunch we visited Cape Sagres viewpoint and the Fortaleza de Sagres. (the fort of Sagres). https://www.algarve-tourist.com/Sagres-portugal/Fortaleza-Sagres-fort.html It was a very long, but breathtaking walk out to the lighthouse. We had a nearly 360 degree view of the ocean during the entirety of the walk.
Everyone was pretty tired after the long day out, so Catherine and I went to pick up pizza for the gang at a charming Italian restaurant, just a stone's throw from our apartment.
As we were returning back with our pizza, we came upon this fabulous street act (of which there are many). You have to check this out: https://youtube.com/shorts/0K5JMbg51zc?feature=share