Sunday, September 9, 2007

Jardim Botânico - Botanical garden - Part one

Last weekend our apartment was being fumigated for some little bug feasting on our furniture, and we needed to leave the apartment closed for four hours. Camillo had a list of errands and I decided to walk to Jardim Botânico. I have been to the botanical garden in almost every city were I have live and visited. By far, Rio's is the best I've seen. This isn't a Carioca speaking but an Houstonian, and I think the gardens are the best of what Rio has to offer. I have been to the park 4 times now, and have only explored the left hand side. The front, along the Rua Jardim Botânico, is lined with Imperial Palms, very tall, very straight and very elegant. From the main entrance the park is bisected by a path also lined in the imperials, no matter the season this sight is very impressive. There are examples of many trees from Brasil and a few from other countries. This is were I have seen my only Southern US Cypress. Within the left-hand side of the park there is a bookstore, an Orchid greenhouse (mostly the most common orchids), a Bromeliad (Bromeliaceae) house (Fantastic), a small greenhouse with carnivorous plants (truly interesting), the toilets (very important to know) and many, many park
benches along the trails to encourage sitting peacefully, romantically or meditatively under a tree.


















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