Tropical Botanical Garden

Good evening, Hivers!

Today I want to share with you an outing I had last weekend, to a place very close to my house. It seems almost "impossible", but it turns out to be very true when we say that we only know our "little corner" better when we see it with tourist's eyes. And that's what I ended up doing this past Sunday. Having challenged my mother to go for a walk, and since she likes quiet places to the detriment of the hustle and bustle, I remembered that just a few kilometers from my house is the Tropical Botanical Garden. Located in a prime area of Lisbon, very close to the Jerónimos Monastery, in Belém, is this beautiful 7 acre garden created in 1906 (source).

The entrance for an adult costs 5 euros, and gives access to one of the most natural and oldest green spaces in the city of Lisbon.

At the entrance, and to our right, two statues of dogs (representing strength and guard) flank and toast our visit with good luck?

Less than two meters ahead we are presented with this beautiful specimen of unique plumage and characteristics that are easily recognized. Its ease demonstrates the daily proximity it has with visitors to "its home".

A simple path flanked by splendidly leafy and green vegetation invites visitors to look for nooks and crannies, which are profusely scattered throughout...

After a few meters, we reach the entrance to the part of the garden dedicated to Macau - a former colony of Portugal, a fertile territory with a markedly distinctive climate, it brings much of the diversity of the simplest plants, the most fantastic ornamental trees that nowadays can be found in some public and private places, but that I did not know originated from this quadrant of the globe

The carefully placed stones along the winding but very pleasant path end up making the whole surroundings much more realistic, but without giving the impression of being artificially purposeful. Maybe it's a care that when maintained, makes this garden so attractive and so special, don't you think?

A few meters further on, and a very vivid memory suddenly appears, when we hear the vigorous crowing of a rooster, which very much in control of itself wanted to demarcate the territory of its harem... I did not manage to photograph the hens and the chicks, because I know it would not be very wise, and the rooster might think I was challenging him, and I might have a third degree encounter with his spurs!

At the top of the not very steep climb, and with a very spring-like temperature, around 21 degrees celcius, we arrive at the Palace of the Counts of Calheta. This one is closed, which is a shame, because I wanted more than to have strolled through this palace garden of not very high hedges and labyrinthine cuts.

Further on we meet a host, but this time quite hairy, and much more expressive. His resting pose in the shade, belly up, challenges the passer-by to greet him as if he were a true king. But I can well say that this kitten was a real treat...

And I confess that I was again with the desire to adopt one. Who knows if I do not have a kitten again, after so many years, right?

Facing the Palace staircase, there is this small engraving in high relief, which takes us to school times, when the lesson to be given was Portuguese History. Here a part of Dom Pedro V's life is described in detail, and one of his visits to this Palace, which at the time was much more important than it is today, of course.

Colonialism could not fail to be represented in this place. One of the strongest reasons for that is due to an international exhibition that took place in 1940 during the New State, and under the command of Oliveira Salazar

The representations of several tribes of the peoples of Africa, formerly colonies of Portugal, remained after the so famous exhibition, where the Portuguese State even brought people from those villages (of course none of them certainly did it of free and spontaneous will... slavery in those years might not have been so widespread, but it had an important relevance in society). Years of History of pain and subjugation of one people to the detriment of another, but that should not be forgotten, or erased from memory. The less good things that history teaches us, should always be taken advantage of, and not put under a haze or fog, that leaves us all inebriated and leads us to possibly make the same mistakes.

From the red-hot lands of the African continent, many of the cacti and fleshy plants had their origin, and are now present practically everywhere, and in the case of Portugal, with a predominantly coastal dissemination, near the seashore, and in little-visited coves. Many people still have the habit of picking the fruit of this cactus, called piteira or devil's fig. Relatively recently I did a publication about this.

An inviting path leads you through a carefully tended garden, where sometimes you even think the trees are watching you! Can you "see" the "eye" in the trunk of this tree?

Countless details of nature surround us, and invite us to stop if only to contemplate its uniqueness. The details and details of each element sometimes elevate a simple walk as a "prayer" of gratitude for the beauty we can find in the smallest things, don't you think? It can be considered as a meditation or a mantra, in my opinion.

Who can imagine a cartoon figure's face on this little flower?😅😅

A simple tree in no way allows itself to be "bent" by a "man-made" structure. Look how the trunk of this living being has adapted and wrapped itself around the back of this garden bench made of cement. Nothing is impossible for Nature... Only time determines how everything changes. For Nature it does not matter if a year passes, or a decade or century... The impatience of the human condition does not play against Mother Nature.

The snake lake is a small refuge, located in a place of contemplation for the simplest thing that can exist, when we are in front of a small mirror created by the small artificial lake. Although not very deep, this small lake, invited us to a small moment of pause. And although my mother and I wanted to enjoy it, that was not possible because a couple of lovers had already had the idea... Ahahah

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The path we followed is called "Alameda da Água" and the name leaves no doubt of its purpose. The pleasant fresh air next to this water course leads us to the "Alameda das Washingtonias", where once again our feathered friends, this time the females that take care of their young, make a point of embellishing all the diversified flora that we find. Aren't they just adorable?

Arriving at Alameda das Washingtonias, and with the garden entrance already in sight, once again the male peacocks make a point of strutting in front of us, showing all the dazzle of their plumage and all their elegance? reminiscent of a scene where the knick-knacks of a house are arranged along the majestic carpet of green grass that covers and flanks the paths of this beautiful garden.

A few ducks also make a point of saying farewell to visitors, these being of less photographic interest to most others, but not to me!

The majestic fan palms tower dozens of metres high, reminding those like me who religiously watched the series Miami Vice. Who remembers that television series from the 80s and 90s?
For the more curious and the younger ones in this community I leave here a link for reference.

A very pleasant afternoon and very mild temperatures! After this beautiful walk with my mother, we closed with a golden key and went to the Pastelaria "O Careca" for some delicious and famous under-cooked croissants and palmieres (elephant ear; heart-shaped biscuit; palm tree).

I hope you enjoyed my weekend experience!

See you soon

Bem Hajam 🍀

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Photographic edition with PhotoScape X