This afternoon we've given everyone some free time, and we're welcoming another forty or fifty people before the larger conference begins this evening. As some of us gathered outside the youth hostel after lunch, someone asked me, "Are you going to the beach or are you going up to see Jesus?" What a funny question… but, in fact, a group of us was making the half hour walk from the hostel to see the "Christ the King" statue and take the lift up to the observation deck with its amazing view across the river to the city of Lisbon. I enjoyed getting some exercise and being able to enjoy the wonderful view.
In fact, the view from our youth hostel is pretty amazing too. From the dining room where we eat breakfast, we can see right across the river to the Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoverers (see first two photos above.) Sometimes, in the morning, the view is obscured by thick fog around the bridge, but it clears by afternoon, and we can see right across the river. This afternoon, we also saw a huge submarine making its way under the bridge and out to sea.
