Discovering Your Rich History
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We were invited to participate in answering the question “What does the Spirit of Exploration mean to you?” Well, this is a loaded question, but as a lover of travel and adventure, its one I couldn’t help but answer.
Searching for surer pastures my family, like many, left Portugal in 1974 during its political turmoil, and I learned early on the world is filled with interesting and different places. Growing up surrounded by photographs and artifacts from my father’s travels to Africa and Asia only made the world seem even bigger, with endless corners to discover. And somewhere in there, it happened. I got bitten by that thing, that bug, the one that makes you hungry to see, do, try, learn, explore, experience and discover. I’ve joked with my father about some of the strange things I’ve inherited from him, like a drippy nose when I drink coffee, and toes in constant wiggle mode, but my quest to explore is one thing I should really thank him for, so thanks, dad!
Having now lived, worked and traveled in a number of countries, I’m fortunate not only to have learned much about other people and cultures, but about myself. It’s a funny thing how exploration can turn inward when you’re looking outward, and make you more self-aware, patient, tolerant, compassionate and ever more curious to go deeper. Having the opportunity to cross the paths of many people and places, tasted strange and wonderful things and having my eyes and ears peaked with the beautiful, unexpected and incredible. It’s the return to my roots in the Algarve that’s been the most interesting exploration so far, maybe because it hits the core like no other place can, and experience reminds me of the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about a boy who travels far and wide following his dreams and looking for treasures, only to discover the greatest treasure has always been right there, where he started.
Returning to Portugal and rediscovering my culture has been an incredible experience. I’m sometimes awe-struck, proud, amazed, and enriched, and I’ve also come to realize maybe my quest to explore comes from lineage well beyond that of my father. For here in Portugal we have a special history with exploration thanks to the likes of Vasco da Gama, Mellagen, Bartolomeu, Gil and Prince Henry the Navigator, amongst others. At the foot of Portugal, in the Algarve, and my home, lies Sagres or St. Vincent’s Cape, as it’s also known, the southern most point of Europe, and once thought to be the end of the world.
Forgotten and unheard of to many, Sagres and also Lagos were once Europe’s central points of departure and exploration to lands far away. It was from here that Vasco da Gama sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to India, a voyage no one thought possible at the time, Ferdinand Magellan first circumnavigated the Globe, leading Portugal to contribute significantly to geographical exploration and discovery, and many others who departed from here to meet with great discoveries. Sagres was also the location where Price Henry ultimately founded one of the world’s first schools of navigation, cartography and caravel building to refine exportation’s travel further and build lighter surer vessels to bring back spices and treasures.
Geography, experience and knowledge soon turned the Algarve into Europe’s central hub of navigation, and ultimately, a vibrant mercantile center for trade. Naturally, both good and bad came from this type of exploration and wealth. But 600 odd years later, much has changed and the Algarve is now a point of exploration in itself, with tourists coming from around the world to discover its treasures. Sagres remains a beautiful town with wonderful coastal history, but all that remains is the Fortaleza de Sagres standing strong as a reminder, and unless you know its story, you’d never imagine it was once abuzz with the world’s greatest explorers and navigators.
It’s here in the Algarve where I started, and now on my return, the treasures I’ve found in people, food, wine, weather, traditions and history keep me constantly amazed. Knowing what the rest of the world has to offer is a wonderful glorious thing, but discovering a rich cultural history you’re a part of is exploration without equal, and keeps me curious to learn, experience, taste, drink, see, do and uncover more. It’s sometimes difficult to believe it was always right here, under my nose…and wiggly toes.
Eddie Correia
Algarve Buzz
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June 03 2008 08:00 am | Sapphire Drinks
June 4th, 2008 at 8:00 am
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October 1st, 2008 at 10:54 am
thanks for a lovely story.you hit the nail straight on,the same happen to me after leaving the country in the 80s,result of a holiday romance.