Walking In Sagres and the Alentejan Coast

Oct. 21:  I awoke just in time to catch the colorful sunrise off our balcony.  The sunrise was almost as pretty as the sunset last night.  The extra sleep and grocery isle healing was working its magic and for this I was grateful.  This being said, Dan and I adjusted our meeting time with Carla who was going to take us walking in Sagres.  We wanted to enjoy the pousada and have a slower paced morning.

The weather was even warm enough for us to sit outside for breakfast next to the lovely pool.  Soon enough, Carla bounced into the lobby with a big smile and she was just bundle of energy.  We both liked her right off the bat, before we even exchanged words with her.

We were off in her van to the northwest of Sagres to an area called the Holy Valley.  The name Holy Valley reflects that in Neolithic times, this region was considered sacred ground.  If you trekked around here, you too would conclude that it is indeed sacred ground.  The vast acreage was given to two families in service of Prince Henry the Navigator.  One family held the land to the west and the other held the land to the east and it remains with those two bloodlines to this day.  The families have leased it for farming through the years to keep the land productive.

There were several houses where we parked.  Carla said they were hundreds of years old.  This is known because they were supposedly observed and described by pilgrims coming through the Holy Valley in the 1500’s.

She led us on a mostly flat walk across a gently rolling plateau high above the sea.  As we walked to the edge of the continent we witnessed the dramatic drop-offs from the cliffs that led straight down to the Atlantic.  My writings won’t do the place justice, even though I will try.  But check out these pictures and you’ll see for yourself.  And while you are at it, you can also try this video to get more scenes of the grandeur of the edge of the continent.

We walked at a modest pace and stopped at will to look at things and have discussions.  Carla intentionally leads her walks a few kilometers away from Cabo de São Vicente.  That is the touristed location and she intentionally wants to provide her customers with the off the beaten path type of experience.   Our walk was headed in the general direction of the Cape.  We could always see the lighthouse off in the distance, but for most of the time we had the rugged land to ourselves. 

Just the way I am having a difficult time conveying the grandiosity of the scenery to you, I am also having a difficult time conveying what is was like to be with Carla.  She is a petite woman, but in her little body, she really packs a punch.  Tons of passion, enthusiasm, authenticity and knowledge.  She also possesses a strong sense of morality and has a connection with all things Sagres.  And to top it all off, her energy and enthusiasm are contagious.

Carla spoke about so many things that Dan and I couldn’t wait to take notes, so we could preserve the day.  Although we tried to soak up all the information Carla shared, we may have forgotten or misunderstood some points.  So our descriptions are strictly our responsibility.  Here’s our glimpse into walking in Sagres with Walkin’Sagres:

Geology

Rocks: The cliffs on the coast provide an incredible observatory into the geological history of the land. The oldest rocks we saw were 300-400 million years old.  These are the black ones, and they have since been turned vertically.  Rivers deposited more material and that eventually formed the red rock.  A few kilometers away, limestone covers Cabo de São Vicente.  Although north of the cape, where we were, the limestone had mostly been eroded away.

Petrified sand dunes:  I am not sure if they are truly petrified, in the strict meaning of the word, but this is what Carla called them.  These sand dunes have hardened through time, but essentially they are still relatively soft or weak on the inside.  For example, Carla took off work one week this August and when she came back, the one below had collapsed.

Fault line:  this fault line that runs through Sagres gave rise to the 1755 earthquake and the epicenter was just offshore.  Since the earthquake features so prominently in the Portugal story, it was only fitting that we got to the epicenter!

Biological Systems

Precipitation:  Sagres only has 20 days a year of rain which results in shrubby ground hugging plants.  Ironically it actually started raining on our walk and started pouring afterwards.  We thought it was windy, but Carla said it was a slight breeze compared to summer winds.  Sagres breaks the Atlantic winds and it’s noticeably windier and cooler than Lagos just 36km east.

Plants and their uses:  There are many endemic to the area, meaning they only grow right here.  Carla showed us what they call daphne which has berries that kill wolves, as well as a sticky plant for anti-microbial purposes.  We saw a few flowers blooming but flowering occurs mostly in the spring.  The juniper is very, very low to the ground and windblown.  As you might expect, the landscape possesses lots of thorny bushes, an adaptation to protect the plant to conserve water by increasing the surface area.

People Who Spend Time in Sagres

Surfers: We saw them ourselves.  The view from down there must really be awesome.

Fisherman: We saw their ropes used for rappelling down the sheer face of the cliff to go fishing and barnacle collecting.  Just look at those cliffs and imagine what an incredible feat it is.  Going down would be hard enough.  Then they come back up with their catches, which can weigh 60 or 80 pounds.  Many of these guys are doing it as part of their livelihood.  We also saw people fishing from the top of the cliff yesterday at Cape Vincent.  That is child’s play by comparison.

Tourists: They like to walk and hike just like we do.  The region is not heavily trafficked but more so than before tourism started in 1960’s and since trails have been marked more recently.  I will say that you would have to be very alert to follow the trail through the rocky terrain.  But I guess if you are not Carla’s guest, you at least know to keep the Atlantic to the west! 

Other guides: Carla said in general the guides work together to support each other’s strengths.  She refers people to her colleagues and vice versa, if they think a different guide would be a better fit. 

Shepherds: The land was farmed in the past, but now it has been given over to grazing by goats, sheep, and cows.  By happenstance we got to interact with a couple of shepherds moving their flock.  We walked past the grazing animals on our way back to the van and Carla knew the shepherds and introduced us.  Although we could not understand the Portuguese, Carla’s rapport with the men was obvious from the animated conversation they had.

Animals

Badger: Unfortunately we didn’t see one, but Carla pointed out signs – the chopped up leaves that it made to carpet its den. 

Snails:  We saw them covering the dried up thistle plants and when I say cover, I mean cover.  They are getting much coveted moisture from the thistles.  This would explain why they don’t cover the thistle in Oregon.  Water is abundant there, snails have their choosing.  Seeing the snails elicited a conversation of how to prepare them for food.  Once they are collected, they need to be fed a diet of corn for a couple of days to clean out their digestive system.  Carla said her family did this.  To Dan and my knowledge, nobody we know in Oregon actually bothers going through the effort to make them edible, but we both thought it was cool that Carla’s family and probably other Portuguese did. 

History to Modern Political Climate

The Sagres region and the Holy Valley was always seen as land not for the people for the gods, who occupied the area.  Ancient stories depict the region as having an inhospitable climate and landscape.  All things are relative, but this would certainly be true, compared with the nearby Alentejo and even Lagos region.

Records show that around the 1400’s, people began to occupy the area.  And it remained a small farming community for hundreds of years.  In 1910, there was a revolution that overthrew the monarchy and the result was that a new political regime formed and a dictator took over in the 1920’s.  That regime existed for 50 years and was overthrown in 1974.  In the 1960’s, the dictatorship built the pousada to stimulate tourism in Sagres.  It is the only pousada that has been built new for this purpose, the rest are all converted from old buildings.  The dictatorship had a certain architectural style and the Sagres School and pousada are living history from that time. 

Carla expressed that the common citizen remains concerned about the political situation.  When we asked her about what her main political concern was, she mentioned fracking.  Because the region is over fault lines, the fracking can increase the frequency and intensity of earthquakes.  She has a friend who has a seismograph and records earthquakes daily (small ones).  But the point is, it’s a slippery slope to frack in such sensitive areas. 

Another current issue is that there have been some roads plowed down to the surfing beach.  They were approved under false pretenses.  It sets up the stage for increased erosion which was already obviously taking place.  She and others have banded together to try to get regional officials to renovate.  We also witnessed her exhibiting her persuasive powers telling a couple of vehicle drivers in no uncertain terms that they were off limits.  Pretty impressive to see the petite Carla calmly and authoritatively dealing with a burly surfer.

Even a simple thing like the cairns and painted rocks used to mark trails have turned political.  They need to get repainted and it has been hard for the government to come up with the money to hire people.  Carla suggested the guides would volunteer to do it.  They are out there anyway and have an interest in maintaining the areas.  Even that created political drama and more unneeded discourse without any definitive action.

So as you can see, we were all over the map with Carla.  We also took interest in how she got into her work and what it’s like.  She had been working as a guide for her second job for a while and, like most entrepreneurial ventures, no matter how big or small, at some point she took a leap of faith and Walkin’Sagres was birthed.  That was years ago and she said she’s never looked back. 

I followed up my interest in Fado music and asked Carla about her perspective on Fado and the link with the Portuguese sense of longing for what never was or can be.  She said it evolved from the seafaring days.  The men would go off on ships and be longing for their wives.  Many wives ended up living their lives as if they were single women, with a longing to be with their beloved.  This worldview still persists, even though the modern era has brought cell phones and internet, enabling people to stay in touch if they so choose.

Carla brought us back to the pousada and of course we let her know today stood out as a highlight from our whole trip.  Carla and Dan spoke of staying in touch regarding fracking, as he was eager to send out emails as she suggested to the politicians regarding the concern about fracking. 

It was already 2pm and time to get lunch before heading north.  Carla had made a couple of restaurant suggestions and, after we cross referenced A Casinha in Lonely Planet, we went for it.  I don’t think the restaurant has a website, but you can find some reviews in TripAdvisor and we certainly heartily recommend it.  The fresh veggies and fish were abundant and well prepared.  We picked out our fish from the case up front.  But then the chef came out from the back and suggested something that was even fresher.  And her soups were awesome, nothing like the flour paste soup from a couple nights ago.  In fact, Portugal has a national dish of collard soup, which I heartily recommend. 

While dining, our attention drew inward to the other diners who were European, but not Portuguese.  Hungarian and Scandinavian actually.  So a little dot on the map like Sagres clearly had a big draw from far and wide.  It certainly did for us.  If I were to visit the Algarve again, I would allot three days for Sagres region, not one.  After the meal, we went in the back to personally thank the chef and Dan let her know Carla sent us. 

Our drive up the western coast of Portugal was curvy and pleasant.  The land quickly changed to rugged hills.  Mature pine forests lined the roads and it was relatively unpopulated, although we would occasionally go through a village or small town. 

In less than two hours, we pulled into Vila Nova de Milfontes, which is a village that runs next to the Rio Mira before it drains to the ocean.  Google Maps showed us the way to our cute little hotel, but Ms. Google didn’t realize the roads would be ripped up and others were one way the wrong way or only pedestrian.  We finally found a place to park and walked an alternative route to the hotel.  Our walk made us realize that the roads were ripped up all over and the roads in the whole village were under construction.  Finally we found the hotel and were received with a warm welcome by Idalia, the owner.  She gave us a quick tour of her home, which has been renovated into a hotel. The living rooms, which currently act as shared space for guests, were a particularly nice touch.

Idalia said her husband would take us to our car and show us where we could park.  I stayed at the hotel and Dan and the husband dealt with the car.  They ended up getting the car pretty close because the husband knew the roads and which rules to break. Wrong way, do not enter, it mattered not to him.  They spoke French to each other, and when Dan would ask politely “really?” he’d bark in French “yes, do it!”

Vila Nova de Milfontes looked like a super cute town (minus the construction mess).  But between that it was getting dark, it was cool and rainy, and I was getting over being sick, we opted for skipping dinner and holing up in our room with some fruit and cheese snacks.  It was small, yet dripped with charm, and it had its own private terrace.  And we had an utterly delightful evening recounting our recent adventures. 

 More Views from the Edge of the Continent

The scenery Carla shared with us was so spectacular, I just have to share more of it with you.  So, without further ado, here you go: