The Rain in Spain...

...is FINALLY falling softly in Galicia. I don't think anyone here has ever been so happy to see rain as we are now. It's direly needed.

Galicia is STILL Burning

The number of wildfires just keeps going up. There are now 135 dispersed all over Galicia, but mostly on the coast. Here are the two local newspapers if you want to take a look at what's going on:

El Correo Gallego

La Voz de Galicia

Galicia Burning

As you can see in the sidebar, the weather for today in Santiago de Compostela is...smoke. Over the past few days more than 90 different forest fires have been blazing throughout Galicia. We had to wait for hours last night before we could come back home from the beach because all of the roads leading back to Santiago were cut off by fires. We've been breathing smoke for 3 days straight.

These devastating fires are deliberately set by individuals who are either pyromaniacs or have been bribed by companies who might benefit. Who knows. The beautiful forests of autochthonous oaks, chestnuts, and pines are being destroyed, and then later replaced by the invasive Eucalyptus tree (because it grows quicker)that push out the native species of trees. The once lush and green hills and mountains are now dead, barren, and black from years of deliberate illegal burning.

Here are some articles in English:
Army sent in as fires ravage Galicia

Raging fires in Spain kill 3

Forest fires wreak havoc in northwestern Spain

What I'd Give for Some AC

It's hot. Africa hot.

It's normally not hot in Santiago, so no one has ever needed AC in the apartment buildings. But with the hole in the ozone layer every year it gets hotter and hotter. Right now an African heatwave has blown our way and our fans just don't cut it. We live on the 8th floor so if it's 85 degrees outside it's 90 degrees inside.

I'm actually looking forward to going to work...there's AC there.

Torrential Rain

The other day in one of my more advanced classes I was teaching them weather vocabulary. Words like scorching, snowdrifts, mild. But this past week I realized that here in Galicia they really only need to know words like gale, blustery, hailstones and torrential rain. That's what we've gotten here lately and it just keeps on coming.

Rain on the Window

This weekend was a dreary, rainy, windy, thunderstormy weekend with even a little bit of hail. I love days like that. A good movie, a good book, good company and hot tea, while listening to the rain pound down on the terrace out front and the patio roof out back. It's comforting.

Autumn

Here are just a few reasons why autumn is my favorite season:

• The changing color of the leaves on trees


• Jumping in piles of raked leaves


• Football


• Pumpkin patches


• Apple cider


• Warm boiled peanuts in a brown paper bag


• Hay rides


• Days that are sunny and cool, but not cold


• Warm roasted chestnuts in a newspaper cone (Santiago, Spain)

• Fleece


• Hot tea


• Trick or treaters


• Camp fires


• and the list goes on...

(Note: I can't take credit for the pictures. I found them online from various sources--Kevin Thom, Denis Flood, modernluddites, and alfanet)

Rainy Spain...Not So Rainy?

For those of you who have been to Galicia, the province that I live in here in Spain, or have ever heard me talk about it, will know that it's kind of like Seattle. It rains about 90% of the year. I know, I know...when you think of Spain you think of ...bulls, toreros, flamenco, gypsies, sangría, sun and fun...Olé!! You will, however, be sadly (or not so sadly) mistaken if you ever get the chance to visit. If you want sun...go to Seville.



Galicia is somewhat of a haven from Ireland. Rainy, green and Celtic.

So, not only is the weather different, the culture is too. Gallegos will have nothing to do with Catalanes or Madrileños or Andaluces. They even have their own language...Gallego...which is strikingly similar to Portuguese.


In Galicia, you can expect to see green rolling hills, small medival towns made of granite, brightly colored fishing boats, little old bow-legged ladies dressed in black pushing vegetable carts, wrinkled old men wearing berets gulping down red wine while playing cards in a café, as well as metropolitan cities, the latest fashion (Zara is Galician), and bohemian avant-gardes. But one thing that's constant in the rain. Whether you're a farmer or a businessman, every house has an umbrella stand at the front door and everyone buys Gortex shoes.



This time of year is usually cold and rainy already, but these last few weeks have been beautiful. Cool and sunny. No one knows what to think, but no one dares to mention it for fear they'll curse the lovely weather. Did I mention Gallegos are also very superstitious??

The effects of global warming are setting in here. Every year the winters get drier and the summers get hotter. The rain is characteristic of Galicia. It makes the old city in Santiago seem magical and mystical. It just isn't Galicia without the rain. However, I am enjoying the sun and not having to carry an umbrella around all the time. I think deep down inside most Gallegos are yearning for it to start raining again. There's just something about the gloominess of the rain that's attractive. I'll let you know when it starts to get dreary again.