Atop the hills of Sintra, a satellite city west of Lisbon, stands the Pena Palace, the summer residence of the former Portuguese monarchy. Some with a superficial knowledge of Portuguese once literally translated the palace's name as "Feather Palace"; although inaccurate, it evokes a mysterious allure. In reality, it is not a stark white place, but rather resembles a colorful and romantic princess's castle from a fairy tale. After traveling along the winding mountain road lined with ancient trees to the entrance of the palace, one is immediately struck by a giant statue of a sea god standing above the gate, as if the waves of the Atlantic are reflected in every corner of Lisbon. The entire town of Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where, hidden among the lush, dense trees, many wealthy merchants who made their fortunes in the Americas left behind exquisite mansions, winding paths, and secret-like gardens.
From the Pena Palace, one can catch a faint glimpse of the Atlantic coast, and from Cabo da Roca, the "end of the world" in Europe, one can feel the wind blowing from the Atlantic with even greater clarity. "Roca" means rock, and a simple stone monument stands on the rocky cape. Inscribed upon it are numbers and verses: the numbers representing the longitude and latitude indicate that this is the westernmost point of the European continent. The poetic sentiment of the famous Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, "Where the land ends and the sea begins," blends into the vast, boundless expanse of sea and sky.
Looking at a map, the territory of Portugal resembles a barge anchored at the edge of the European continent, and Cabo da Roca is its beautiful porthole. Chinese poets prefer the earth-shattering, while Portuguese poets prefer sensibility and tenderness; "seaweed in the hair, seagulls on the shoulders" is their affectionate description of Cabo da Roca.
Cabo da Roca is indeed different from other places. It is so precipitous that one feels as if they could be swept away at any moment while standing on the cliff's edge, and the unobstructed wind is the most suspicious assassin; then there are the waves, which look calm from a distance but become full of passion as they approach, shattering like emeralds, reminding one of the integrity of "preferring to be a shattered jade."
Every traveler who visits can purchase a certificate for 5 Euros. The certificate not only features a map of the geographical location of Cabo da Roca and the Portuguese national emblem, but also prominently displays the words "[Name] has visited the westernmost point of the European continent."
About a dozen kilometers east of Cabo da Roca is Cascais, the third-largest city in Portugal. If you haven't heard of this city, you should know the great spy James Bond, right? Ian Fleming, the author of the Bond series, was a famous British intelligence officer during World War II, and Cascais was his main base of operations. At that time, Cascais was a hub for spies from various countries, where daggers were hidden amidst the glitz and glamour, earning it the title of "Spy Center." Fleming once organized a special unit codenamed "30AU" here, which made significant contributions to British intelligence gathering during World War II.
After the war, Fleming revisited the site, and the beautiful scenery of Cascais and Cabo da Roca once again inspired his literary talent, leading to the creation of several 007 novels here.
