The Cabo Mondego Lighthouse, built in the 1910s on top of a cliff overlooking the sea, stands out to our eyes as we travel along the road between Figueira da Foz and Quiaios. The light source rises 12 meters above the ground, emitting white flashes at 5-second intervals and a range of about 28 miles, completing a full rotation in 30 seconds.

Walking through the site yesterday, on a day with cloudy skies but with the sun peeking out every now and then, I was amazed to see this lighthouse in a majestic setting. I would have liked to have photographed it at dusk when the light was turned on, but I was unable to do so.

Photographed with a digital camera modified for IR, I obtained this image that seems to reveal both the grandeur of the landscape and the drama of the past, when, at times of heavy storms and without light sources to guide them, ships would get too close to the coast and run aground on the submerged rocks, which are abundant along the coastline of this area. The drama of a different nature occurred in 1993 when a fire in the adjacent forest park almost reached the lighthouse…