| Pousada
History:
This purpose-built Pousada
has a superb position on the cliff-top overlooking Sagres fort and the
lighthouse of Cape St Vicent, off which many great sea battles have been
fought by the likes of Admirals Drake, Rodney, Nelson and Napier.
Since its erection in 1960,
the Pousada has been constantly improved to cater for the increasing number
of visitors who want to see this most south westerly corner of Europe and
to learn something of the history of the man who gave his name to the Pousada,
Infante D. Henrique, is Portuguese for Prince Henry, the son of King João
I and his English-born queen Philippa Lancaster, who founded a navigation
school here early in the 15th century.
As you sip your Sagres beer
on the terrace, remember Prince Henry planned expeditions which prodded
and probed their way down the west coast of Africa and then, via the Azores
and Madeira, to the New World. His fleets reached India and it is no coincidence
that Bombay is so named. It is a corruption of the Portuguese boa baía
(good bay). Goa, which has beaches to rival Portugal’s, remained Portuguese
territory until 1961.
Even Christopher Colombus
had the good sense to marry a Portuguese girl and do some of his navigational
training at Sagres. It is a tragedy that more is not made of this cornerstone
of history when Portugal was at its zenith.
Someone with the imagination
of a Prince Henry the Navigator is badly needed to create displays to explain
the 15th century achievements of this great maritime nation. There used
to be a little cinema which made some attempt to paint a picture of the
past. Since this shut down, street vendors now have pride of place on a
historic site which promises so much and achieves so little.
Like many promontories in
the southwest of other European countries, Sagres is shaven by the prevailing
wind. It is bare, blustery and bleak; yet it has a strange, severe and
haunting beauty. In the calm summer months, the stillness, tranquillity
and the friendly sparkling sea are but a welcome interlude before the winter
winds whistle across the empty plains, and the snarling seas thrash against
cliffs with awe inspiring ferocity. Spume is flung high into the lowering
sky and shipping keeps well off the point.
There are several sheltered
sandy beaches. Bird watching, wind-surfing and fishing are popular local
pastimes. Have a look at Lagos (33 Kms). It is a port with a new marina,
but way back in history many of Prince Henry’s early caravels were built
here. His statue stands in the square where the well-preserved Mercado
dos Escravos (slave market) it’s a timely reminder that not only gold,
ivory and spices were brought back from those newly-found lands across
the seas.
The efficiency and friendliness
of this modern Pousada compensate for the disappointments of the Infante’s
‘navigation school’. If you wish to arrive in style, there is now a heliport. |
