As a pedestrian who is often tethered to a dog, I always seek out urban green spaces. This is not a new thing for me, but it’s become a stronger impulse as the years go by.
When I lived in Toronto, I moved from the downtown core to Roncesvalles in the West End because there was too much concrete and not enough grass and trees beside the baseball stadium. Where I live now is very green, and since a dog landed at Casa Aguiar it’s been a boon. Ice is mostly grass-trained but curbing his urge to mark poles and electrical boxes and doors requires the distraction of interesting smells and other dogs. Cue: a park.
Jardim de São Lázaro, like many places in Porto, has another name that nobody uses: Jardim Marquês de Oliveira. In fact, for a whole year I’ve listened to people reference Jardim de São Lázaro without knowing it was this garden because the name on the plaque at the gate is Jardim Marquês de Oliveira. (Another example of a garden with more than one name is Cordoaria, which is officially Jardim de João Chagas but nobody calls it that. Even the city buses call it Cordoaria.)
Anyway, Jardim de São Lázaro has two official distinctions: it was the first public garden in Porto (inaugurated in 1834), and it’s the only garden in the city with a railing enclosure and four gates. As you can see, the railing isn’t very high so it might only be useful to keep small children away from traffic. I’ve also been informed of two unofficial distinctions: the garden is a hangout for card sharks (like Marquês and Castelo do Queijo), and it’s also a hangout for prostitutes. I saw neither that day, though, so chances are you may not notice these things, either, unless you’re there daily.
{ More photos in the Spring 2016 album. }
April 5, 2016
Album: Portugal [Spring 2016]
