Urban Greenhouse

Our drive to school always takes us through a big park on a hill with an amazing look-out point across the city and down to the water. What I've never known existed, as it's hidden so well, is a gigantic urban greenhouse tucked inside this park. It's called Estufa Fria, meaning cold greenhouse. Turns out it used to be a quarry, and then was used by a gardner to shelter botanical species from around the world. It's now three different greenhouses--but massive spaces. There are winding paths, ponds, trickling waterfalls, caves (my kids couldn't stop asking to play hide and seek)--all sprawling under glass panels and an enormous wooden lath roof that looks like the largest wooden blinds you've ever seen. Luckily we stopped by here this past Saturday after Léoni's riding lesson when we were all still a bit dirty and not ready yet to go home. It was the perfect Saturday stroll.