🌴 A breathtaking encounter with the Umbracle of Barcelona

[MargotG]

Hi there! 👋

You are probably asking yourself....🤔 'Wait, what is an Umbracle?'
Well there is no direct English translation. In short, it is a greenhouse built for tropical shade-loving plants. Instead of glass, the ceiling and walls are made of wooden slats to filter the daylight! 🌴

This one was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1883 in Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona and  is one of the few buildings that still prevail from the original exhibition:

I stumbled upon this marvellous hidden gem while wandering in the area without any particular goal if not to avoid the tourist areas as much as possible. 😅
The atmosphere inside the Umbracle is really peaceful, which is a relief if you spent all day walking in the overcrowded centre of Barcelona. The shadows created by the slats on the tropical plants give this place a rather singular atmosphere, so don't hesitate to take your time and sat on one of the benches to fully embrace the mood.

There was the annual Cacti / Succulent exhibition from the Amics dels Cactus i Altres Suculentes going on when we visited so we even had some extra plants to feast our eyes on! 

The Umbracle does not seems to be open all year long so do your research before showing up there! I could not find a clear indication of the opening hours and will add them here if I do.

Cast-iron pillarsBack of the UmbracleExhibition from Amics dels Cactus i Altres SuculentesDetails of the arcades with horizontal wooden slatsDetails of the arcades with horizontal wooden slatsLovely elephant ear plants and palm trees 

[KlaudiyaG]

Wow @MargotG, you are right it's breathtaking! The pictures are really creative and beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us! 🙂

One last thing, I moved your post to the Share Your Photos & Discoveries as it fits better there.

[MargotG]

Hey @KlaudiyaG, many thanks for the positive feedback, I appreciate it 🙌!

I originally posted on the Meetup board and thought I would be able to move it after posting it, ops!...
Thank you for fixing my mistake!

[KlaudiyaG]

No worries! These things happen to everyone, even to me. 😉

Pssst @ErmesT, I think that you may find @MargotG's main post interesting.

[Badruddeen]

Hi @MargotG

Thank you for sharing these wonderful images.

It is well clicked. 🙂

Cheers

[ErmesT]

Thanks thanks thanks for tagging me @KlaudiyaG,

I love your post @MargotG, about a place that seems to be an hidden gem of Barcelona. Your photos, and your way to guide us in there, are amazing.

A place to add in my personal wishlist, and a more reason, if needed, to visit Barcelona.

I think more people will love it, so please forgive me for inviting here some friends.

@AlejandraMaria, @FaridTDF@ do you know this place?

@KarenVChin, @IlankovanT, you know nature and green, so you should read this post

Ermes

[Badruddeen]

Very nice @ErmesT

Cheers

[Badruddeen]

Hi @MargotG

Do they sell these plants?

Cheers

[FaridTDF]

Que gran post @MargotG, es realmente un lugar grandioso.

Lamentablemente todavía no visite Barcelona, pero este sitio ya está anotado entre los que visitaré cuando esté por allí @ErmesT. Pero si puedo decir que visite el Jardin botánico de Buenos Aires, que no será tan impresionante como este pero tiene sus cosas lindas también, aquí algunas fotos para lo puedan ver.

 Un día de visita por Buenos Aires llendo en auto escucho por la radio la historia del Paisajista Carlos Thays, parisino de origen,  que en 1892, manda un proyecto a la gobernacion de Buenos Aires, para su realización, me dejó impresionado, ya que es uno, sino el más importante paisajista de Argentina con muchas plazas y parques diseñadas por el y en otros países. Tanto que al día siguiente visitó este paseo y a la vez centro de investigación y cuidado ambiental. es el segundo más importante en America Latina, después del de Rio de Janeiro, un lugar obligado a recorrer si se visita Buenos Aires.

 Saludos Farid

 ✋👇

For the case that has difficulty, in reading my answer, in the upper right part of the screen, in the drop-down menu of languages, you can select the language, in which you want to read the post.

[MargotG]

@Badruddeen wrote: 

Do they sell these plants?

Hey @Badruddeen,

The cacti you saw in the little pots were on sale for a few euros yes!
It seems that we visited the Umbracle during a special event which featured a contest and the showcases of other similar types of plants.
It was organised by the Amics dels Cactus i Altres Suculentes, their website is asac.cat if you are curious about it! They seems to plan more events, check their agenda!

Tillandsia or 'airplants'More cacti!