Today we headed west to see the western most point of Europe, back in the day, which was a Wednesday - Dane Cook, this was what was thought to be the edge of the world, well before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue! So first up is Lagos and we saw the site of the first slave market in Europe, strange yet there, then we saw and walked through the gates of the old city. You see the city was at one time surrounded by a Moorish Wall and was filled with cobbled streets. Which of course is now a huge shopping district full of souvenir shops. We also visited a Moorish Fort and learned that the head of the Moors that lived in the Fort had a daughter and he did not want her to become Catholic and locked her in the Forts tower, but she became ill and they summoned a Doctor to cure her, but the Doctor was really a Catholic Bishop and he converted her to Catholicism right there in the tower and her Dad was very angry and that was the beginning of a war between the Moors and the Romans. This Fort also had strange metal work exhibits in the courtyard. Quite odd indeed.
After Lagos we headed to Sagres and the Fortress of Sagres - The Western most point of continental Europe - We walked the whole way around this Fortress, it is so big it has its own lighthouse in it, there was also a chapel filled with beautiful tile work. The inventor of Navigation, Henri, left his mark by way of a windrose on the grounds. This guy is over 500 years old and his windrose was discovered in the 20th century by a group of historians that were readying the Fortress as a National Monument. After we were done at the Fortress we grabbed some lunch and then off to the Cabo Sao Vincente lighthouse, which we could not get in to see because it is a part of the Portuguese Military, but right outside the gates were, yep you guessed it, souvenir stalls!!! Way to capitalize on people driving miles to see a big red gate!!!!! Anyway it was said that Sailors used to leave from this point to discover the "new world" perhaps the man that discovered America left from this point!!
It was time to head back to the Hotel, on the way we saw a sign for a Megalith, of course we had to stop, and it was just that a big huge rock in the middle of a hill, no reason - later I learned that it was used to tell the time of year by the suns shadow and which solstice the year was in. So back on the road and to the Hotel. Finally we arrived and when we walked into the lobby the guy at the desk said "Hello" we replied "Hi" he said "your bags, they are here... would you like them?" (as if I would say no at this point) We said "Oh yes, yes please!" I have never been so excited to see luggage in my life! immediately we went up to our room and took showers and finally put on our own clothes... ahhhh!!!! When we were at dinner we decided that the front desk guy was more excited about our luggage than we were, if you can believe that!
Oh well, tomorrow brings more adventure of the British kind!... til next post...
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