This was the end of the world as they knew it back in the 15th century.
The Fortaleza de Sagres or Fort of Sagres stands at the tip and paths lead through the wind swept land out to the southwestern most point in Europe.
beautiful wild cliffs
very windy
"don't go one step more"
Typical of European sights, you could walk right up the edge of the cliffs and gaze at the sea below. We kept a tight grip on Piper.
Walking out to the end of the earth...
That's it - the southwestern most part of Europe is out at that tip.
looking over the edge at the waves crashing
This is 'the point', can I say it one more time - the southwesternmost point in Europe :)
It was still quite cool in the morning on Thursday, so we went into Sintra to the Palácio de Pena, a beautiful Bavarian palace set in beautiful gardens and grounds.
This is 'the point', can I say it one more time - the southwesternmost point in Europe :)
Exiting through the fort gates.
That evening we ate a lovely dinner near Sagres and headed out to Sintra, a small town just northwest of Lisbon right on the Atlantic Ocean.
We listened to the waves crashing all night and this was the view of the Atlantic from our room Thursday morning.
It was still quite cool in the morning on Thursday, so we went into Sintra to the Palácio de Pena, a beautiful Bavarian palace set in beautiful gardens and grounds.
the Pena Palace
View of the sea from the Pena Palace.
View of Sintra below.
These walls made me a little nervous!
The entrance into the palace.
After checking out the palace, we also enjoyed hiking through the lovely gardens and woods surrounding the palace.
After the Pena Palace, we went down to Cascais, a beautiful beach town to check out the Boca de Inferno or the Mouth of Hell. It's a spot where the waves crash into a cleft carved into the rocks and make a haunting sound.
Waves rushing in ... whhoooohhhh.... (or something like that). It really was more crashing than eerie.
E and I had fun climbing around the surrounding rocks.
our billy goat in action ;)
I never miss an opportunity to take pictures of my kids at a beautiful spot, or have you noticed??!!
After Cascais, we headed back to our hotel to play at the beach by out hotel in Sintra.
A lovely view on our way back.
more photo ops...
E wanted to take a few as well :)
Piper got really good at running in before getting soaked by the waves...
then he got a little tired... run, Pipey!!
The older two are 'pros'...
but they, too, became too brave and eventually they were all soaked!
They truly did have a blast, but were entirely soaked by the end. I'll post some videos in a separate post sometime, they had so much fun in the waves!
An evening walk before dinner.
Final view as the sun was setting. That is our hotel in the background, all the rooms face out to the sea, which breaks along the retaining wall of the pool. It truly was a wonderful vacation spot! If we ever make it back to Portugal, this will be our destination for sure!
It's hard to see in the other photos, but here you can see the colors of the Palace are from beautifully inlaid tiles.
View of the sea from the Pena Palace.
View of Sintra below.
These walls made me a little nervous!
The entrance into the palace.
After checking out the palace, we also enjoyed hiking through the lovely gardens and woods surrounding the palace.
After the Pena Palace, we went down to Cascais, a beautiful beach town to check out the Boca de Inferno or the Mouth of Hell. It's a spot where the waves crash into a cleft carved into the rocks and make a haunting sound.
Waves rushing in ... whhoooohhhh.... (or something like that). It really was more crashing than eerie.
E and I had fun climbing around the surrounding rocks.
our billy goat in action ;)
The cliffs were spectacular. I loved the little lighthouse in the background as well.
I never miss an opportunity to take pictures of my kids at a beautiful spot, or have you noticed??!!
After Cascais, we headed back to our hotel to play at the beach by out hotel in Sintra.
A lovely view on our way back.
more photo ops...
E wanted to take a few as well :)
It was a bit windy, but sunny so we headed down to the beach to play.
Piper got really good at running in before getting soaked by the waves...
then he got a little tired... run, Pipey!!
The older two are 'pros'...
but they, too, became too brave and eventually they were all soaked!
They truly did have a blast, but were entirely soaked by the end. I'll post some videos in a separate post sometime, they had so much fun in the waves!
An evening walk before dinner.
Final view as the sun was setting. That is our hotel in the background, all the rooms face out to the sea, which breaks along the retaining wall of the pool. It truly was a wonderful vacation spot! If we ever make it back to Portugal, this will be our destination for sure!
4 comments:
Wow, you were right! Portugal looks fantastic. I could go for a little wave running and crashing right now. We have photos of us at the end of the world in Scotland...the westernmost point of Europe. Brings back fond memories! Your guys look like they are all having fun and its good you are in a few of the photos too, Kristy!
Love to all,
Vera
psiu, e proxima vez, se você precisa de alguem para traduzir português, me fala!
and next time, if you need someone to translate, just let me know. :)
Gorgeous photos, gorgeous family!! We're praying for you and your amazing, beautiful adventure!!
Joe and Nancy
Thanks, Vera and Nancy!
And Brin, I would LOVE it if you'd come along and translate for me next time!
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