AUGUST 1988 – A road distance sign next to the N120 near Aljezur, Portugal. Photo Copyright © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
When we spent six weeks in Portugal in 1988, I found this awesome road distance sign. Coming from Aljezur, we saw it next to the N120 right before the exit towards Sagres (on the N268.)
I think it’s awesome, because it was unlike any road distance sign I’d ever seen before. Made from tiles and beautifully painted in a modern, dark blue typeface, the sign was clearly a reference towards Portugals heritage in pottery and tile crafting. On our trip we had even found many houses that were plastered with tiles as these protected perfectly from the summer heat.
As you can imagine, this road distance sign has been removed by now (which is hardly surprising as the image is 35 years old.) At some point in time, the N120 got improved and widened, and with these improvements the area where the sign used to stand, had been remodeled as well. The road distances might have changed as well, so the distances would have been incorrect.
I still remember standing there, in the heat of a summer day, and capture this piece of art. There was almost no traffic at all on the N120, and it was quiet and peaceful, far away from any meaningful location. (Admittedly, Lagos, Portimao, and Faro, were certainly meaningful, but far away at the time.)
I wish I could travel back in time to August 1988 and enjoy that moment again.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | August 1988 |
| Location | N120 near Aljezur, Portugal |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Negative Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6228 x 3897 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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