[April 13, Sagres]
Cape Sagres, as this aerial photo shows, juts into the Atlantic Ocean, forms the most extreme southwest point of Europe. Even in pre-Roman times it was known as "the end of the world". Here in the 15th century Henry the Navigator established a school/ think-tank/ research institute for navigation. Though he died (1460) before Portuguese sailors made their greatest discoveries, his farsighted efforts ensured that it was the West that discovered the East, rather than the other way around.
Little remains from Henry's time other than the land itself. The buildings the visitor sees today are of later periods.
The main structure is a fort dating from the 18th century.
The drama of the cape as it juts into the infinite blue ocean suggests the awe felt by sailors setting out into the unknown.
A forlorn lighthouse sits at the end,
and men fish from the perilous rock.
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