I woke again as the sun rose. After struggling with that fact for a while I got up and got ready for the day.
Last night I mapped out things to see, so I headed out. Several attractions clustered together about 7 km away. Despite some reservations, I decided to use local transport instead of my bicycle. Charlotte previously mentioned I could get the transport pass at a Metro station, so I picked up a day pass and headed for the tram. Ended up on an absolutely packed bus, in a traffic jam. I could see cyclists whipping past us on the cycle path along the coast as I longingly watched their progress.
Arriving at Jeronimos Monastery, I remembered the problem with selecting things to see off the Top 10 lists. Tourists packed the entrance, with long lines even at the early hour.
In for a penny, in for a pound, I bought the combined ticket for the monastery, the archaeological museum, and the nearby tower. Densely-packed tourists subtracted from my enjoyment of the three sites, but all three have spectacular architecture. I also visited the nearby Museo Colleccao Berardo, a collection of modern art.
From there I again braved the transport system, with the driver not stopping when I signaled, and walking back to the National Art Museum, with the floor of Portuguese art temporarily closed. Not exactly a national art museum.
Mixing bus and subway, I headed over to the Galuste Galbenkan Museum, founded around the donations of a private collector. On the way I stumbled across the old Roman aquaduct. Often tourist attractions close on Mondays. Today being Tuesday, and the Museum in this case closing on Tuesday, I took the Metro back to town to wander the city a while before heading back to the hostel.
Ineeded to get the bike partially dissembled tonight, if only so I could take the bicycle to a shop tomorrow for assistance if necessary. After a quick validation on the Internet for which pedal unscrews which way, they just unscrewed – very anticlimactic given my history. And no bleeding or anything. I spent a while taping up the box (I can’t be done – I still have tape!) and packing the bicycle inside. I only need to make sure I have tape left over if the airline or Customs require me to open the box. The bike fits perfectly into the box, with no need to do anything beyond turn the handlebars sideways (and the aforementiond pedal removal). The bike even fits top-to-bottom and side-to-side, so no need to figure out how to wedge anything in place.
Now what to do tomorrow….