CHAPTER 2
MY DISCOVERIES

Over the years, I visited a number of Portuguese forts.

When in Maputo I had been intrigued by the massive Fort of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), which like those in Morocco, contained a large and comprehensive ‘village’ within it’s walls.

In Portugal, The Citadel - Fort of Cascais was a 16th century fortress built to protect the Bay of Cascais. In the garden, there is a small, open-air artillery museum and recently the whole ‘village’ was utilized by a home decorations exhibition, whereby each of the dwellings was taken over by a specific decorating firm.

Its future plan by the local council is to turn the whole of the ‘village’ into an unimaginative shopping area. (As if there aren’t enough shops around, but of course it would be out of the question to turn it into a cultural experience. People are more interested these days in retail therapy.)

But at least they have turned their attention to its preservation.

At Carcavelos, the seafront is dominated by the huge Fort of São Julião da Barra, which is currently occupied by the military.

The Buzios (Whelk.) lighthouse in the mouth of the estuary was at one time used to accommodate political prisoners, who were chained to the walls and had to cope with the daily incoming tide.

The Fort of São Bruno, Caxias was built in the 16th century by two Italian architects and has recently been refurbished inside and out.

And it looks beautiful....