Wave crashing on Farolim de Felgueiras, a lighthouse in Porto, Portugal

© Stephan Zirwes/Offset by Shutterstoc

A lofty lighthouse and a little ocean spray

The Farolim de Felgueiras (Lighthouse of Felgueiras) you see here has withstood relentless waves for around 135 years. It offered its solitary warnings to ships approaching Porto, Portugal's second-largest city, beginning in 1886 until it was finally deactivated in 2009. Even though it's no longer operational, it's still a well-known local landmark. It offers sightseers a beautiful view, and maybe a little ocean spray, from its perch overlooking the mouth of the Douro river where it flows into the Atlantic.

The nearby city of Porto was originally established in around 136 BCE by the Romans as an outpost called Portus Cale, which is believed to be the origin of the name Portugal. The city is also responsible for the name of one of the country's most famous exports, Port wine, the (usually) sweet red fortified wine that was first exported by local merchants across Europe in the second half of the 17th century. These days the city and surrounding municipalities are home to around 1.7 million people, but Porto retains its historic charm. One of its oldest riverside neighbourhoods, the Ribeira, was honoured as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 and was also designated as a National Monument of Portugal.