Darryl S.
Yelp
Estufa Fria ("Cold Greenhouse") is a wonderful oasis in bustling Lisbon!!! Who'd've known this place was smack-dab in Parque Eduardo VII??? Not for this visitor, that's for sure! Perhaps this part of the park is not quite as well-traversed, or perhaps because it was relatively early (before noon), but it was such a pleasure to immerse myself into this verdant cornucopia of flora without hoards of tourists and/or school excursions! :D Once we got past the bah-humbug ticket agent (who grunted 7-euros to me, then pointed to the self-serve ticket dispenser), all the chaos of the outside seemed to slam-shut, and we were transported into another world. I'm presuming it's called a "cold greenhouse" due to the fact that it is not a sealed enclosure, but simply covered to let the weather elements come through. That said, it wasn't cold at all during our late-December visit. It's layout is calming and lazily meandering. I wasn't aware there were such tropical trees and plants here in Portugal--a lot of the same kind of flora you'd see in South Florida, for example. Estufa Fria doesn't look very large from the outside; however, inside is expansive! There's wonderful little nooks-and-crannies, and grottos, and water-features, and sculptures, dotted throughout. There's even a section devoted to cacti and such drier-climed plants. And, too, there was a rooster and hen doing their thing scratching away for bugs and such; no doubt a good life's in-store for them. Immediately outside of the greenhouse, is an amorphous lake (with island and fanciful sculpture) that's a hangout for water fowl and such. And on dry land were several peacocks and peahens. Both flora and fauna all seemed to be having a good life in Parque Eduardo...! :D Estufa Fria is simply a wonderful place to get lost....
