Cabo da Roca Lighthouse

The Cabo da Roca was a more interesting place than I expected. This is the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent. It looks like people really like coming to this place or at least the tour guides love bringing people to this place and with good reason. The scenery here at Cabo da Roca is outstanding. Vistors are high on top of the cliff and can see the rugged scenery at Cabo da Roca. There is also a monument here which marks the westernmost point of Europe. Finally, there is the lighthouse which is one of the most prominent structures here in Cabo da Roca.

View from the Cabo da Roca Lighthouse

I am no stranger to lighthouses but I find them fascinating structures. These navigational aids have been in use for hundreds of years. The Cabo da Roca lighthouse, in particular, started operating in 1772. It is interesting to see how the technology behind the lighthouse has changed over the years. For me it was almost unimaginable how they built lighthouses without the use of electricity. Back then, they used fuel to power the lamps. It wasn’t only until 1980 that the lighthouse was connected to the electrical grid. All that time, there was a factory nearby producing the fuel needed to power the lamp. As for the lighthouse itself. It seems to be off limits to visitors, so one can only look at the building from the outside. It is built on top of the cliff which provides great visibility to ships which happened to be passing by.

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