South of the Tagus

FROM SAN FRANSISCO TO RIO: SOUTH OF THE TEJO

Crossing the Tagus River is a bit of an unreal experience. It plays tricks on your mind as you cross the Golden Gate bridge towards the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio.
The 25 de Abril Bridge is just that similar to the Golden Gate Bridge (which we didn't really see through the clouds earlier the same year) and the Cristo Rei statue is what I imagine the statue looks like in Brazil. The setting though, is radically different.
To the right, we were graced with the most magnificent sunset over the Tagus River, boldly outlining the Monument to the Discoveries in Belem and making the Golden Ga-- no sorry, the 25 de Abril Bridge positively gleam brighter than gold.
The setback for such unbelivable beauty? Traffic. Crossing the bridge during rush hour is quite an ordeal (if you're driving). For the passengers, it's a blessing in disguise as you get to take in the beauty.

The area itself has a distinctly more local and small-town feel to it. Almada has it's Cristo Rei Statue, Cacilhas has it's old port and Costa de Caparica its surf spots. The Viva Viagem card is not valid here, so it's almost more worthwhile taking the ferry back and forth than traveling by bus among towns.