Portugal: Ponte de Sagres Fortress & Lighthouse
Sagres peninsula is in the far west of the Algarve – little developed, authentic and raw, and starkly beautiful. It was here that Prince Henry the Navigator established a school of navigation on this windswept and barren promontory in the beginning of the 15th century, that propelled Portugal into becoming a major seafaring superpower for centuries. The churches from that period – Nossa Senhora da Graça – still stands from the time. The biggest structure is the massive Fortaleza de Sagres, built in the 17th century with super thick defensive walls meant to protect against an attack from the shore (the vertical cliffs protect from any naval attack). The fortress withstood quite a few attacks during the centuries. Another attraction is a very picturesque red-topped lighthouse Farol de Sagres. And the coastline is absolutely stunning, we even saw a pod of dolphins feeding on sardines just below the sea cliffs.
