You don’t need the adventurous spirit of a Henry the Navigator to drink in Sagres and its beer, boats and birds.
But it helps.
Millions of us who have sampled the Algarve, and keep going back for more, will have had an early introduction to Sagres.
The thirst-quenching pale lager dates back to 1940 when the brand was sent to represent Sociedade Central de Cervejas.
At the Portuguese World Exhibition in Lisbon in 1940, an ambitious and commendable project with a world war raging.
Salazar and Sagres
But then the Portuguese, and certainly not their own dictator General Salazar, weren’t about to let that spoil two very important anniversaries.
And three million marked the 800 years since the foundation of the country and 300 years of independence from Spain.
And took in the Monument of the Discoveries.
Dedicated to the Portuguese explorers Henry, Magellan, Da Gama who sailed off to see the world from Sagres.
Attendees at the PWE relaxed in a modernist restaurant and beer hall, now a nightclub, showcasing the new Sagres beer.
Which went out from the homeland Sagres to Gibraltar.
And then the Azores and the Overseas Territories of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor, Goa, Macau and Mozambique.
Flying high
And us, those of us, who have finished many a night in Portugal with a refreshing Sagres.
Of course, long before the Portuguese navigators were charting the course for the rest of us to follow.
The birds who fly south to Africa for the winter were doing it as a matter of course.
All of which you can take in for yourself, although I could have done with My Own Little Ornithologist.
To tell me about the flight patterns of the Spoonbill in Ria Formosa National Park.
Although, of course, it doesn’t take a twitcher to work out their choice of eating utensil.
Spoonbills and Warblers
So, your Spoonbill is your starter for ten for the annual Birdwatching Festival in Sagres from 3-6 October.
We’re told that 169 species have been spotted during the festival over recent years.
Such as the Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus), the Rüppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), the Red-Breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva).
As well as the Yellow Browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) and many more.
All of whom we’ll raise a toast to with our favourite Portuguese bottle of lager.
And, of course, with all the big birds flying to Portugal there is no excuse for hopping on board.
