Ok, last Africa post and then I can get back to posting dresses and indie rock once a month. On one of our days in Dakar, we visited the Phare de L’esperance (which translates to ‘the point of hope’), where my family used to vacation when I was a kid. It was awesomely nostalgic to visit there again.
We also took a trek up to the Phare des Mamelles lighthouse, which is located on one of 2 twin hills at pretty much the most western point of Senegal and thus the entire African continent. The word “mamelles” is an idiom for “boobs,” named so because of said twin hills. So it’s pretty much “bosom point,” which was our nickname for it as kids. It’s actually a much longer walk than it looks to get up to the lighthouse.
We did make it up there, though – here we are all hot and sweaty from our little hike. We had to take a quick break before climbing the lighthouse itself.
Here is the view of the coast from the top of the lighthouse. It was incredibly windy out there and made my vertigo set in a bit. I have a photo somewhere of this same view in the early 80’s and none of the hotels on the beach are there, just empty space on the western edge of the continent.
It was fascinating to see how the light itself actually works. Here is the glass and mirror, which amplifies the lightbulb within it to send the light out over the ocean. That light has saved ships from crashing into the rocks for well over 100 years.
This is the new African Renaissance Monument that sits on one of the Mamelles and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It is fairly recent and quite imposing. It was quite expensive too, and feelings are mixed about it.
My brother and I lounging with the Monument behind us.
We celebrated our adventures with a shwarma. Man, I miss real Senegalese shwarmas. There is nothing quite like them in Chicago.
outfit details: black and white dress is vintage; blue flats are merrells; sunglasses are a gift from fLee; wooden necklace is from artisan village in dakar, senegal; tom waits shirt is an old concert tee; whatever on the rest of it
song inspiration: “set” by cheikh lo featuring youssou n’dour. 2 senegalese musicians
threadphones.net 