Wednesday was our last day in Lisbon, with our flight leaving later that day. We had seen many beautiful sights, had a few scares and some fantastic weather and just needed to finish our holiday off in style.

The only thing we had yet to do was the boat cruise to Belem and back. We had left it to the last day as we didn’t know if we would have enough time or not and also what the weather would be like.

Well the last day was a spectacular one; clear, dry and very sunny. Also very chilly!

We packed our bags and checked out of the room. Leaving the bags at the hotel we headed down to our favourite bus stop and waited for the bus to come.

There was another Church we had heard about that we wanted to go and visit.

The Basilica Estrela was built by Queen Maria I to celebrate the birth of her only child, Prince José. The work started in 1779 and took 11 years to build.

We had been told that it was exceptionally beautiful so hopped on the bus which took us to right outside the building.

From outside The Basilica is a stunning white building with two topped towers. It was so pretty and picturesque that we must have taken a dozen pictures outside.

The Basilica

Venturing in, we were in for a bigger treat; unlike Lisbon Cathedral, this was a religious building with stunning decor.

Stunningly Beautful

Lots of coloured marble, gilt and huge paintings dominate each individual alcove or altar dedicated to many different Saints.

Queen Maria is laid to rest in the transept and her tomb is also a work of art.

The Tomb of Queen Maria I

I especially like the skull heads on her tomb; apt yet a little macabre for a Queen!

Such artistry

The decor of the ceiling alone was magnificent. Marble cut into designs covered every inch and were really effective.

Some of  the parts  I loved the most were the smaller unobtrusive pieces such as this sacred heart. Simple yet stunning.

Sacred Heart

Just so ornate

As with every Religious building I visit, I lit candles for those who have departed and said a small prayer. Walking around the building it really was evident that this was a much loved and revered place.

Ave Maria

Eventually we left the Basilica and waited for a tram back into the centre. It didn’t take long for one to arrive and we hopped onto it.

Tram Time

We headed towards the dock as we still had a ticket for the hop on hop off boat ride and it seemed an ideal time to do it, especially as the sun was still shining brightly.

Waiting Dockside

The boat was bright yellow and very few people were queueing for it. In fact, we were first in line.

A little nippy

Getting on board we headed for the open top. We knew it would be a little chilly however we wanted to get some photographs and it was a much better view.

The Centro Comercial

Considering it was the middle of December we were really lucky with the weather. It could have been so much worse, so whilst it was a little chilly, we were able to get some great photos during the voyage.

I would NOT cross this!

All holiday I had been trying to get a good photo of the Lisbon Christ the Redeemer statue and I had not managed to get one that wasn’t blurry. Now was my chance and I must have taken about 40 of them to then see what was the best one.

I have to say I just love this one. As nature intended with no photo trickery, yet the effect is really great.

No filters or special effects, just nature!

Another one I managed was when we were going right under the huge bridge. Sadly I didn’t get it smack bang in the middle of the diamond, but I think it is still pretty cool anyway.

Modern and Old

The boat eventually took us up to Belem, turned round and sailed all the way back to the centre, but I managed to get a few pictures of sights we had already seen, but from a different angle such as the tower and The monument to Discoveries.

The Tower of Belem

The size of the monument is unreal. The carved people are metres tall; the whole statue is 52 metres high and you can walk around the top of it.

Over 30 historical figures are represented

Did we? Hell no! Far too high for me!

Back into Town

Sadly after we docked we had to return to the Hotel. We had our transfers back to the airport arriving in an hour or so and needed to be ready for the journey back.

On our way home

It had been a wonderful trip and Boo had excelled herself in booking such a great place. We really had a smashing time and I absolutely loved Lisbon.

Glorious

Arriving back at Boo’s house around 11pm it took me about 20 minutes to de-ice the car before a two hour drive home. It was a bit of a shock to the system.

However, the best part was walking into the house at 1am and being greeted by my baby boy who was just so excited to see me.

Of course, we had to  have a selfie together!

My Baba

So, you make wonder where we will be going next?

Athens at the end of February, so watch this space.

Till next time,

SPSG xxx