Jardim Botânico da Ajuda (Ajuda's Botanical Garden)

This walkabout was born due to frustrating attempt of finding Buddhist places in Lisbon. The garden has a café but it is a little bit snobbish looking and expensive, the walk by itself is worth it, sitting in the shadow and wetting my feet on the fountain. Nice breaks from the city life.

Oh! Inspired by Goethe Café I picked up some verbena from the herbs section of the garden (it as written what it was, I am not that good on identifying). It dried in my pocket and I made tea when I arrived home, take the advice!

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Open from 9h to 18h from October to March. From 9h to 19h in April, and from 9h to 20h from May to September.

Mártires da Pátria Garden

After Goethe we tried to know a little bit of the surrounding garden. We saw a weird episode where a chicken was being seduced by a huge peacock and was running away desperately from him. I laughed a bit. Here are the pictures, no words needed, I guess.

Sinta and Regaleira

I will not bother you with much text, all I can say is that Sintra is an incredible place to visit and to be in. Quinta da Regaleira is an obligatory stop! Photos are not so good but I will return and take some really good ones for sure!

Aquário Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Aquarium)

Little post with the purpose of making you go away from the center and finance this place. It is not a café, restaurant, bar, and you should have that figured out already unless you are thinking this is some kind of seafood palace.

This is a museum dedicated to the water fauna, with living species swimming peacefully through their fake habitats. For those who have interest in these animals it is a really nice place to go, a long time ago I came here with my school to draw them but they were not the most cooperating beings.

But I guess the most amazing thing to do is sit by the lake and feed the giant starving carps with food from the container nearby (some 50cent plastic spheres). They are more than comfortable with your presence already, pet them, feel their slimy skin, do whatever you want.

The museum prices are 4€ for adults and 2€ for youngsters (6 to 17). The garden is free of course. It is a nice afternoon plan, it is always a laugh to see the silly carps, take some food for yourself if you want.

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The museum works from monday to sunday, 10h until 18h.

Jardim do Torel (Torel's Garden)

 

Wonderful Torel's garden, unmatched pearl of Lisbon, hidden in the middle of ascending grounds, stairs and hills that make us barf like old people. Beautiful houses covered with vines, abandoned buildings, walls full of graffiti art and the glimpse of a whimsical episcopal house which the highest tower has one stair missing.

I like this garden, it has space to lay down on the grass and stare at the sky, fountains, benches to sit on with small tables to put a meal, or your feet, wait, ew.

Last time I came I was wearing a white dress and a happy dog decided to jump on me with his paws filled with dirt. Amazing experience. The Rastafarian boys nearby were having a blast with my tortured look.

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The garden's cafe is pretty nice, with an esplanade (the whole garden is an esplanade by itself) and some events now and then. The only problem is the cost, and there is no option nearby so they take profit of it.

My friend asked for the lemonade (1.50€) and I had a "lilliputian" salad, it had really small doses and made me think of a portuguese sketch where a guy over repeats that he has had a salad consisting of a teeny-weeny tomato and a little leaf of lettuce. They were common ingredients and didn't justify the 6€ (only the salmon, but it wasn't that much). At 9pm they didn't have bread for toasts, I was a little puzzled by this.

Well, but anyway, minor stuff doesn't matter, the guy was super nice and that is always a reason to return for a coffee or a picnic.

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Torel is open everyday according to the weather conditions and the season. In the Summer vacations it is usual to be open until midnight or 2 in the morning, mainly on weekends.

Príncipe Real Garden

Príncipe Real's garden is not that big but it is diversified. One of the things I like the most are the benches circling the trunk of an old three while being covered by its shadow. The metallic structure serves as protection from the branches as they may tend to fall while the tree grows older.

It's a great place for couples to date, for singles to appreciate freedom from relationships, for drunk people to sleep and for doubtful characters to do weird stuff. Well, doesn't matter.

There is also a fountain with some interesting life forms (not really). A clumsy pigeon was dragging my attention to it due to its left paw being a little bit retarded, like he was constantly making the Angelina Jolie's move.

A little children park keeps the children entertained, some picnic tables are spaced across the way, and you can also go down some stairs to the Reservatório de Água Patriarcal Museum. There are some kiosks where you can drink delicious cold beverages made with syrup like capilé or groselha. I also read that the garden is now part of a digital garden web that has a hotspot for who wants access to internet. I give no guaranties.

And no words for what we found: someone was walking a bunny. A bunny! This was a first for sure.

Our path was shaped by the tiny streets filled with light and green, a modern take on what The Situationistes called dérive, we followed the sun.