Immigrate to Portugal and experience life in Portugal: before me lies the sea, the Atlantic Ocean, so profound, vast, and solemnly tranquil, stretching endlessly into the distance.
The Atlantic is illuminated by the golden rays of the setting sun, radiating a truth-like brilliance, creating a magnificent atmosphere, bold as a heroic figure. The sound of surging waves fills my ears, sweeping away millennia of slumber, crashing against the protruding cliffs, igniting a passion like that of a galloping steed. I listen to its momentum sing, a soulful hymn. I wish to ride it, galloping freely, as if I could connect with the world in a different way. The wind is strong, I sense the vast breath of the ocean, lifting my head to let the sea breeze caress me, as if paying homage in a solemn manner. I look forward to the nightfall, when I will hold up the moon and sing it a heartfelt FADO ballad.
For Portugal, the sea is always the best theme, because of the Atlantic, and the glorious maritime history. Along the winding coastline of centuries, awakening the history of rise and fall with a magic mirror…
Cabo da Roca, located about forty kilometers from Lisbon, is the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent, the edge of Europe. Here stands a lighthouse and a monument. The monument is inscribed with the famous lines from the epic "The Lusiads" by Portugal's most renowned poet, Camões: "The road ends here, the sea begins here." This epic depicts the sea voyage of the navigator Vasco da Gama to India.
Around the year 1500 marks an important watershed in human history. Before this time, humanity only recognized the land they lived on as the center of the world. Many places were still shrouded in chaos, and the known world consisted of three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was the age of navigation that began the great geographical discoveries, connecting the world together. It also led to civilizations from different regions being both interconnected and in conflict. The historical curtain was raised by Portugal and Spain, located in the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
Due to navigation, these two small countries, once on the fringes, dominated the world for over a century. At that time, Europe was emerging from the Middle Ages, with science and humanities gradually reviving, while the desire to sail the Atlantic fiercely ignited the heart of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was obsessed with geography and navigation. Standing on that rock, which juts into the sea like a lonely old man watching over Europe, in 1443, Prince Henry commanded the Portuguese fleet, driven by the adventurous spirit and a thirst for wealth, encouraged by religion, to set sail from Cabo da Roca, cutting through waves for 21 years, traversing the Cape of Bojador along the West African coast. In 1487, twenty-seven years after Prince Henry's death, King John II of Portugal sent navigator Dias to continue south along the Atlantic, rounding the southern tip of Africa and discovering the Cape of Good Hope. This brought them closer to the Eastern world that the European empires dreamed of.
To commemorate Prince Henry and Portugal's glorious maritime achievements, a monument was erected at the mouth of the Tagus River today. The monument resembles a massive ancient sailing ship heading towards the Atlantic, with figures of Prince Henry, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, and Columbus standing at the bow, strategizing. Navigation is an indelible glory of this nation.
From Cabo da Roca, I gaze at the Atlantic for a long time, then follow the coastline back to Lisbon, passing through the beautiful Cascais. The journey of several dozen kilometers, between mountains and sea, is winding and picturesque, with beaches, cliffs, villas, hotels, and leisure-seekers… Behind me, the Sintra mountains rise in gray-brown, hazy and undulating. Continuing to accompany the Atlantic's coldness and peculiarity, I watch the waves crystallize into fleeting moments, then vanish, allowing my thoughts to chase the waves. I do not know how far it is across the Atlantic.
If at this moment, you are also here, then let us be swept away by the magic of the Atlantic time and again, following the order of the sea, breathing with the ocean, merging with its life, every minute and every second…