After finishing a whirlwind tour of Portugal in September and a transition into our first week of language class, we were delighted when our friend Jorge invited us for a leisurely trip to Sagres on October 5th.

This is Republic Day in Portugal, a public holiday that observes the transition from a monarchy to a republic which occurred in 1910. It also means that we didn’t have school! We had been lazing about midmorning when I sent Jorge a picture to say “Happy Republic Day” which set off a quick back and forth series of messages.

Photo sent by Andrew.

Jorge: Dia da Republica!
Andrew: Olá Jorge, bom dia! (Hi Jorge, good morning!)
Jorge: Bom Dia! 🙂
Jorge: Como estão vocês? Que fazem hoje? (How are you both? What are you doing today?)
Jorge: Já foram a Sagres? (Have you been to Sagres before?)
Andrew: Tudo bem! Esperamos fazer algo com você mais tarde. Nosso único outro plano é estudar português. (We are great! We hope to do something with you later. Our only other plan is to study Portuguese.)
Jorge: Ah ah ah, boa ideia! (Good idea!)
Andrew: 😃
Andrew: Não, não conheço a Sagres. (No, I am not familiar with Sagres.)
Jorge: Se vos apetecer podemos ir, está bom tempo e há praias maravilhosas lá. (We could go if you feel like it, the weather is good and there are amazing beaches there.)
Jorge: Eu não tenho nada para fazer. (I have nothing to do.)
Andrew: Boa ideia! A que horas você gostaria de ir? (Good idea! What time would you like to go?)
Jorge: Como é ainda longe, era bom irmos agora de manhã. (Since it’s a long distance it would be good to leave now in the morning.)
Jorge: Ou seja, agora bebo café mas talvez 30 minutos….? 11:20-11:30? (In other words, I’m drinking coffee now but perhaps in 30 minutes?)
Andrew: Acho que podemos estar prontos às 11:30. Precisamos trazer alguma coisas? (I think we could be ready to go at 11:30. Do we need to bring anything?)
Jorge: Eu levo calções para tomar banho e máquina fotográfica. (I’m bringing swimming trunks and my camera.)
Jorge: Nada especial, só para praia. (Nothing special, just for the beach.)
Jorge: Está combinado? Até já, vou preparar me. (Is it a plan? I’ll see you soon, I’m going to go get ready.)
Andrew: 🏖️ Está combinado! (It’s a plan!)

Michelle and I were also drinking coffee and in our pajamas so off we hustled to get ready for a beach day. Sagres is a small town approximately 75 miles west of Olhão and is the southwestern tip of Portugal and continental Europe. The Romans called it “The End of the World” since it was literally the last explored point. Thankfully a beach bag is never far from reach in the Algarve and we were quickly ready for an adventure with our friend.

We love chatting with Jorge and on the drive I asked him about holiday traditions for Dia da Republica. Jorge explained that it’s a government holiday without any specific activities associated (I’d equate it to President’s Day in the United States). Jorge outlined a plan including a casual lunch, a tour of the historic fortress, a relaxing afternoon on the beach, and a sunset view of the ocean before we returned to Olhão.

Since it was a holiday and a bit late in the season a lot of restaurants were closed. We eventually found a small cafe with a daily special which sounded good to all three of us. I can’t recall what type of beer or wine we drank that day but now is a great time to talk about the most popular Portuguese beers.

Without doubt the two most popular beers in Portugal are Super Bock and Sagres. Both were originally owned by Portuguese companies but Sagres’ parent company is now Heineken.

I agree with the 91% of Portuguese people who choose to drink Super Bock, but if in a bind I don’t mind Sagres (something that 79% of the people here also agree with). We find Sagres on tap much better than Sagres in a bottle. Sagres was named after the town and was also the first Portuguese beer to be exported.

After a lovely lunch and more visiting we hopped back in the car and drove to the Fortress of Sagres. The structures are quite ancient and are situated on coastal cliffs. It doesn’t take much imagination to feel like you truly are at the end of the world!

Fort Sagres is the most visited monument in the Algarve region; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features a Portuguese navigator marker replica, church, ammunition/supply warehouse, sound chamber, and an ancient sundial.

The views looking out over the Atlantic ocean were stunning. There were cliff fisherman casting into the brilliant waters far below which were visibly teeming with fish.

We saw a cute cairn…

And when we paid more attention realized that travelers had built a whole hillside of them! It felt like we were walking through a movie set.

The sound chamber was unfortunately quiet (due to the unusual stillness of the air that day, Sagres is normally quite windy), but we found some interesting graffiti.

Next we were off to Praia da Cordoama. I had snuck a couple beers in with our beach towels and umbrella so we cracked them open and prepared to dip our toes in the water. Jorge and I waded in while Michelle took in the sun and sights which included several surfers and a paddle boarder vying for waves, and a pair of dolphins frolicking just past a group of swimmers. After a quick dip in the chilly water I hiked up the beach looking for seashells.

When we had our fill of sun and sand, we drove to a lookout perched high above Praia da Cordoama, it was perfect for watching the sunset.

We were even able to see some impromptu paragliding!

Jorge shared a few of his much more professional photos with us, I’ll pass them on to you here. As always we came away content and thankful for our amazing friendship with Jorge!