Common Treasures: PORTO II

Gardens of the Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace figures among the top 10 of the most iconic and most remarkable places in the city of Porto. It’s remarkable for the beauty and diversity of the gardens but also for the unique views over the city, the bridges and Douro river. In a clear day it’s possible to see the mouth of the river, the pier at Foz, the Atlantic merging in the distant horizon. I remember staring, completely ecstatic, to this same scenery when I was a child… and the feeling remains the same.
For many years the gardens of the Crystal Palace also had a fairground that was opened until late at night during the spring and summer seasons. It was also possible to cross the lake in small boats and there was a kind of aviary with all sorts of birds. Now only remain the peacocks (a kind of ex libris of the gardens) that walk freely all over the gardens, the ducks, the pigeons, the sparrows and the seagulls.

     The gardens have a great diversity of spaces and hidden corners in different levels of the ground. The entrance, where stands the Crystal Palace / Pavilhão Rosa Mota, also known as Sports Pavilion, is on the same level of the street. Then it is possible to go down by different paths or stairs to particular gardens inside the big garden. Each has its own style, a specific design and a specific name. Each level allows enjoying a different perspective of the city and the river.
     In the main level there’s a long and large row of leafy ancient trees with benches turned to both sides (one side turned to the river and the other side turned to the Pavilion and the lake).
      Along the paths and corners we can find all kind of people, enjoying different activities but I would say that contemplate the scenery is always a common activity to everyone; no one can stay indifferent to the surroundings and the view. In spite of all the changes, the magical atmosphere it’s still there.
      The original Crystal Palace, a project by the English architect Thomas Dillen Jones, conceived after the London Crystal Palace, was inaugurated in 1865 (Porto International Exhibition) by the king D. Luís and demolished in 1951. The actual Crystal Palace is in fact a Sports Pavilion (Pavilhão Rosa Mota). The romantic gardens were projected by the german Émile David in 1860 and they remain very similar to the original. All around there are many kinds of fountains, grottos and small cascades. The lake could be much cleaner but there are still some fishes, turtles and plenty of ducks. The sculptures dispersed by the several gardens are still in good condition though they also need some cleaning. The birds adore to land on them and add some unexpected decoration…
      The photographs below were taken on a day when the sky was too white, with rarefied clouds, and there was some wind, so some of the photos of plants got a little blurred. There was also a kind of white mist in the direction of the mouth of the river so it wasn’t possible to get one of those clear views of Arrábida Bridge and the point where Douro joins the Atlantic.