Day 2: Almada, across the river from Lisbon: I rode my bike back to Belem and boarded a Ferry to Porto Brandao on the Almada side.  This turned out to be a commuter ferry with cars, Tuk Tuks, and a few pedestrians.  It stopped in 2 places on the other side of the river, the 2nd one being Trafaria where I wound up returning from later that evening… (there are nicer ferries to cross the river, but positive note: this is only 1 Euro).  I got off at the first stop and proceeded to ride my bike up to Christ the King statue.  It’s not an easy task as most roads are unmarked and the area is filled with farms, a prison, and dead-end roads.  (Not only was this the wrong ferry, but apparently this was not a well-traveled stop for tourists… don’t try this at home.)  I found a highway and rode with the traffic (still not sure if this was entirely legal), but I eventually got to the statue… to be honest, this is how I would imagine a TV-style evangelical church to feel like: religious tour buses dropped people off, a group from an insane asylum in mesh jumpsuits with ropes for belts wandered around picking up small pebbles and studying them, and in general, loads of tourists milled on the edge of the property and lined up to enter the tower of Jesus.  It’s a great view of Lisbon and the 25 de Abril Bridge, but otherwise, it’s a great statue to view from afar, too…

Later, I rode to Trafaria and a neighboring beach, where I bought fruit and crackers and passed out for a couple hours on the sand.  The water was crystal clear (again with the water- it’s clear everywhere in Portugal…) and the waves were perfect for body surfing.  Amazing that this place was just across the way from a bustling city, and yet seemed so 3rd world and remote!  A nice (albeit brief) hiatus from lovely Lisbon.