On the summit of Sintra, a satellite city west of Lisbon, stands the summer palace of Portugal's former dynasty - the Pena Palace. There were those with a limited understanding of Portuguese who directly translated the palace's name as "Palace of Feathers," which, although inaccurate, brings a sense of mysterious allure. In fact, it is not a pure white place, but rather resembles a colorful and romantic princess's castle from a fairy tale. After winding through ancient trees along the mountain road to the palace entrance, one is greeted by a statue of a giant sea god, seemingly reflecting the waves that ripple throughout Lisbon. The entire town of Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where among the lush trees lie exquisite mansions, winding pathways, and secret gardens left by wealthy merchants who made their fortunes in the Americas throughout history.
From the Pena Palace, one can catch a glimpse of the Atlantic coast, and from Cape Roca, this "end of the earth" in Europe, one can feel the winds blowing from the Atlantic even more clearly. The term "Roca" means rock, and at the rocky cape stands a simple stone monument. Inscribed on it are numbers and verses: the numbers indicate the longitude and latitude, marking this place as the westernmost point of the European continent. The essence of the famous line by the Portuguese poet Camões, "Here the land ends and the sea begins," is also infused within the vastness of the boundless sea and sky.
Looking at the map, Portugal's territory resembles a barge docked at the edge of the European continent, and Cape Roca is its beautiful porthole. Chinese poets often seek to shake the heavens and the earth, while Portuguese poets prefer sentimentality and warmth; "With seaweed on my head and seagulls on my shoulder" is their affectionate depiction of Cape Roca.
Cape Roca is indeed different from other places. Its steepness makes one feel that standing at the cliff's edge could lead to peril at any moment; the unshielded wind is the most suspicious killer; and those waves that appear calm from a distance become passionate upon approach, shattering like emeralds, evoking the sentiment of "better to be shattered than to be broken."
Every traveler who visits can purchase a certificate for 5 euros. The certificate not only features a geographical map of Cape Roca and the Portuguese coat of arms but also boldly states, "Someone has arrived at the westernmost point of the European continent."
Just a few kilometers east of Cape Roca is Cascais, Portugal's third-largest city. If you haven't heard of this city, you should know about the great spy James Bond, right? Ian Fleming, the author of the Bond series, was a famous British agent during World War II, and Cascais was his main workplace. At that time, Cascais was a gathering place for spies from various countries, hidden amidst the glitz and glamour, and was known as the "spy center." Fleming organized a spy team codenamed "30AU" here, making significant contributions to British intelligence during World War II.
After the war, Fleming revisited the site, and the beauty of Cascais and Cape Roca once again inspired his literary talent, leading to the creation of several novels about 007 here.
