As of tonight we will have been at the beach for 5 nights and Cathie's loving it. We used Airbnb for the first time and we rented an apartment in a high rise, pretty much right on the beach. We are on the 4th floor with a commanding view overlooking the beach at Sesimbra, a fishing village that also is a popular spot for tourist and locals alike. We are told that due to it's proximity to Lisbon, about 30 miles south, most visitors are from the city. Just south of us is, Arrábida National Park, with about 20 miles of pretty much unspoiled coastline. I say mostly unspoiled because most parks in Europe sport a cafe or some eating establishment.
Also a few miles away is Cabo Espichel, a windy headland, with towering cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. At the western tip of the cape sits the lighthouse, Farol do Cabo Espichel, which we heard was open to the public on Wednesdays for free. Not to miss out on the free part, we headed out in the afternoon. We were met by Pino, an officer in the Portuguese Navy, who is stationed, along with two others, at the lighthouse. He led us to the top, where in his broken English, he explained to us the workings of the light, which included turning it on. It was a nice personal tour.
Also on the cape within sight of the lighthouse is the Santuario de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel, (Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Cape). There is a chapel and was once a pilgrims hostel. The chapel built between 1701 and 1707 became a destination for pilgrims and the hostel was built. The hostel consists of two long two story buildings, with rooms for the pilgrims on the upper floor and shops and stores on the lower. Even though pilgrims still come to the cape, the hostel is no longer in use, its' windows and doors filled in with cement. You can still see sections of the aqueduct that brought water to the hostel.
We keep thinking about trying some of the seafood here, but it is difficult to decipher most of the menus to see how it's prepared. As mentioned before, cod is a Portuguese staple and under most circumstances, I like cod. But when my translator app translates a menu offering as "Cod boiled in sea water", I tend to shy away.
After listening to the waves for the past 5 nights, it's time to move on. We will now turn around and begin our return to Santiago. Not too fast though, still about two weeks to go.
THE VIEW FROM OUR APARTMENT
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