Alfanzina
The Farol de Alfanzina was just a stone's throw from our villa and I mean that pretty literally. It stands above a craggy limestone coastline which is in places hollowed out like a Swiss cheese. I could see it from our bedroom window and at night its reassuring beam infiltrated our red curtains though not enough to wake us. It was expertly built in 1924, equipped with the latest French lighthouse technology and until the 1950's was powered by diesel. Its distinctive rhythm interwove merrily with the lights of Faro to the east and Cabo San Vicente on the south western tip of Portugal. On clear nights, its warning or welcoming light can still be seen by mariners who are twenty five miles away upon the wide Atlantic. Above you can see the western approach to Farol de Alfanzina from the clifftop path that begins in Caroveiro. It was a daunting path that didn't always boast fencing. Below and I am closer to the lighthouse but in front of me is a massive sink hole that ...