The Study Abroad Journals: The End of the World

I must admit Portugal was never at the top of my list of places I really wanted to travel to, but after this weekend I believe everyone should put it at the top of theirs. It is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. Our first day there we traveled to the Island of Tavira, and my friends and I got into trouble with the locals because we kept speaking in Spanish. Without thinking we would say "Gracias!" But they would just laugh and kindly remind us to speak in Portuguese. Unfortunately, we didn't really know any Portuguese, though we did manage to learn how to say "obrigado" meaning "thank you".

Saturday afternoon was spent at the beach in Lagos and exploring the grottoes. (If you ever happen to find yourself in Lagos, make sure to take the boat tour. It is well worth the ten euros.) In addition to the beautiful water and caves, the group went to Cabo de Sao Vicente in Sagres. There we watched the sunset while sitting on some cliffs. However, these cliffs weren't just any ordinary cliffs. Until the 1400's the site was the last of the known world, and no one had ever sailed beyond it. Ancient Romans even called the place holy, believing that it was where the sun sank into the ocean, marking the end of the world.