I had another posting in mind for this weekend, but yesterday (Friday) we went to the Phare des Mamelles, and I thought it would be great to share these pictures so soon after having taken them.

The lighthouse is located within the city, on one of its highest points, above the rocky, westernmost tip of the country. It was amazing to discover such a peaceful place so close to the activity of the city.

Dakar is constantly surprising us with its variety of sites. The coastline in particular is extremely varied, something I’ll share with you on my next posting. 

We took a cab for the 15 minute ride to the lighthouse. It was about 6pm, less than an hour before sunset. The driver dropped us off at the base of the hill, and we walked up a quiet, winding road to the top. Three children walked up with us part of the way — I think they lived there with their family.

Just north of the lighthouse is the absolute western tip of the entire African continent. Pretty cool.

The western coast of the peninsula is rocky with a lot of cliffs.

If you look closely you will notice that Abraham is acting his usual silly self.

This is the Mamelles quarter, with the airport behind it and the northern shore of the peninsula behind that.

I don’t know why I like this picture so much. Maybe it’s the contrast with the open green fields in the foreground and the city behind them.

Sun setting over the Atlantic.