The air quality that briefly looked so much better when I started walking, suddenly turned much worse. I feel it in my throat, smell it, and fear it. I notice that what I first believed was a morning fog like the one I recently photographed in Portomarin is actually smoke. I can no longer see the fertile green hills of Galicia in the distance.
Thank you for this excellent account of a really frightening part of your journey!
Finding yourself so close to the devastating wildfires ravaging Northern Spain, waking in the night to the smell of smoke must have been a very fearful experience. Your work in climate change suddenly became much more personal. So happy you got distanced from the worst.
The descriptions of your experiences and interactions with other pilgrims make a great story well written.
What a journey you're on. Thank you for letting us be part of it.
I love your storytelling and the way you capture your stories in pictures as well. Of course I googled that church. What a gem! Thank you for the interior shots. Very interesting. Churches have many stories to tell. And what fascinating facts that guide shared with you!
I can't get over those beautiful stone houses with the exposed stone. And that Alexnote of the grain store - what a treat. It's difficult to describe what it looks like just perched on that wall like that.
That community you found on the Camino sounds very special. Must be nice to meet and talk to people who are doing the same thing. The area you are in right now looks so divers. I could totally relate to what you said about your mood lifting when you saw blue skies again. It can make all the difference.
I have been thinking of you, of the record temperatures, of the heat & humidity, & of the terrible fires & smoke, along with the rise in COVID cases. Glad you are OK. Vicariously traveling El Camino with you highlights our climate problems & makes them more real to someone ~ me! ~ sitting at home in air conditioned comfort. I worry that governments aren’t doing enough; they aren’t making a difference. I will vote with that in mind, as I always do. I pity the children of today that will pay a price for the ignorance of legislatures that could have made a difference, but didn’t.
Thank you for your posting today. Love the pictures, the AlexNote, & the narrative.
Kudos Alex for forging on. Climate change is real & brutal. Look where your journey has taken you. To magnificent architecture & storied churches where The Virgin lives.
Dios te salve Maria illena eres de gracia. Where there is the Mother, disturbance does not prevail. Fear does not win. Vaya en gracia.
Loving your posts Alexander - hope you stay safe through the heat and smoke. Your latest post recalled my 10 years of summers living in southern Portugal and waking every morning to do a fire check - looking for plumes of smoke in the distance, or catching the faint aroma of something burning in the wind... it's a hazard at the best of times in the hot dry south, but climate change has made the spikes more dangerous. I wonder if anyone has quantified the impact of a 1.5 degree rise in global temperatures in terms of spike frequency and amplitude? My guess is that the relationship isn't linear and that while 1.5 degrees is bad enough, the spikes will be much more dangerous. Well, stay safe, and I'm so enjoying your reporting, with your wonderful images and experiences.
Thank you Zoe, climate scientists were good at predicting the temperature rise related to atmospheric CO2 levels. But they were surprised that the system is more dynamic than predicted, is reacts faster to changes than expected
I’d been seeing news coverage of the heat and fires in France and Spain and had wondered if it had continued to affect your pilgrimage. I’m glad to hear you’ve encountered interesting others also on their journeys. Hope you are feeling the excitement of soon completing your pilgrimage.
Thank you for sharing, and taking the time to include lovely details and photos. What you are experiencing with the bad air filled with particulate matter, the debilitating heat, the fear of being trapped by fire—that was our life in California, and it is only becoming more extreme. We went about with masks even before the pandemic because the air was frequently too toxic to breathe. It kept my nerves on edge, which is to say, I really feel for anyone who goes through that! And it makes me crazy if anyone disputes climate change!
I hope that you will remain unscathed for the remainder of your journey. Buen camino!
I feel like Greta when it comes to world leaders... blah blah blah... we know what to do and have the technology, and yet the fate our world seems to hinge upon the intractable greed of self-centered "leaders" who refuse to think of lives beyond their own. :/
Stay strong! You are making this pilgrimage for many of us. We are with you in spirit. Buen camino!
This heat has been relentless. It hit 40 here in the U.K. this time yesterday and in most other places the coolest was 38. There have been a fair share of fires here too but perhaps not as bad as where you are/have been.
Good morning Alex. This was an amazing post – for many reasons. Your descriptions of the churches, their ancient artwork and the accompanying photographs were brilliant. What really struck me though, was the undeniable impact of climate change. You mentioned early on that you weren't going to focus on climate change for this journey. You are a champion of the issue and of the environment. How sad that it has reached such crisis proportions. The only thing I can hope is that all the people who choose not to focus on climate change ever, or deny climate change completely, are confronted with it and can no longer ignore it. This was an excellent post. Thank you.
Thanks for your poignant report, modern day pilgrim. So many living details, eventful descriptions and rare photos ! Glad you brought all this to us. Wishing you and all walkers continued safety and strength.
Enjoyed your thoughtful post, Alexander. Last year my husband fought to get from Ottawa to British Columbia to see his dying mother. I say fought because he flew but the airlines were not able to get in to the airport due to smoke. He returned home and drove across Canada. He said that from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Kamloops B.C. it was nothing but smoke. Blessings on your travel, God help us all.
Thank you for this excellent account of a really frightening part of your journey!
Finding yourself so close to the devastating wildfires ravaging Northern Spain, waking in the night to the smell of smoke must have been a very fearful experience. Your work in climate change suddenly became much more personal. So happy you got distanced from the worst.
The descriptions of your experiences and interactions with other pilgrims make a great story well written.
Your photos are extraordinary! Thank you!
Continue these last miles to Santiago safely.
Thank you Lizzie
So glad you are well 🙏 This post was quite welcome indeed
Yes, all well. But deeply worried about the impacts of climate change at less than the “safe limit” of 1.5 Celsius
And our leaders are distracted by that of lesser value.
What a journey you're on. Thank you for letting us be part of it.
I love your storytelling and the way you capture your stories in pictures as well. Of course I googled that church. What a gem! Thank you for the interior shots. Very interesting. Churches have many stories to tell. And what fascinating facts that guide shared with you!
I can't get over those beautiful stone houses with the exposed stone. And that Alexnote of the grain store - what a treat. It's difficult to describe what it looks like just perched on that wall like that.
That community you found on the Camino sounds very special. Must be nice to meet and talk to people who are doing the same thing. The area you are in right now looks so divers. I could totally relate to what you said about your mood lifting when you saw blue skies again. It can make all the difference.
Be safe out there!
Thanks Evelyne. Looking back it is so weird how fear for nature’s furry and the fun of meeting others went hand in hand
I have been thinking of you, of the record temperatures, of the heat & humidity, & of the terrible fires & smoke, along with the rise in COVID cases. Glad you are OK. Vicariously traveling El Camino with you highlights our climate problems & makes them more real to someone ~ me! ~ sitting at home in air conditioned comfort. I worry that governments aren’t doing enough; they aren’t making a difference. I will vote with that in mind, as I always do. I pity the children of today that will pay a price for the ignorance of legislatures that could have made a difference, but didn’t.
Thank you for your posting today. Love the pictures, the AlexNote, & the narrative.
Safe journey! The finish is in sight.
Thank you, Jean :-)
Kudos Alex for forging on. Climate change is real & brutal. Look where your journey has taken you. To magnificent architecture & storied churches where The Virgin lives.
Dios te salve Maria illena eres de gracia. Where there is the Mother, disturbance does not prevail. Fear does not win. Vaya en gracia.
Thank you Sharon, you would recognize the architecture here
Loving your posts Alexander - hope you stay safe through the heat and smoke. Your latest post recalled my 10 years of summers living in southern Portugal and waking every morning to do a fire check - looking for plumes of smoke in the distance, or catching the faint aroma of something burning in the wind... it's a hazard at the best of times in the hot dry south, but climate change has made the spikes more dangerous. I wonder if anyone has quantified the impact of a 1.5 degree rise in global temperatures in terms of spike frequency and amplitude? My guess is that the relationship isn't linear and that while 1.5 degrees is bad enough, the spikes will be much more dangerous. Well, stay safe, and I'm so enjoying your reporting, with your wonderful images and experiences.
Thank you Zoe, climate scientists were good at predicting the temperature rise related to atmospheric CO2 levels. But they were surprised that the system is more dynamic than predicted, is reacts faster to changes than expected
I’d been seeing news coverage of the heat and fires in France and Spain and had wondered if it had continued to affect your pilgrimage. I’m glad to hear you’ve encountered interesting others also on their journeys. Hope you are feeling the excitement of soon completing your pilgrimage.
Thanks Dawna, it has been amazing at so many levels. A unique experience
Do you sense your pilgrimage has transformed, shifted your perspective of life?
Thank you for sharing, and taking the time to include lovely details and photos. What you are experiencing with the bad air filled with particulate matter, the debilitating heat, the fear of being trapped by fire—that was our life in California, and it is only becoming more extreme. We went about with masks even before the pandemic because the air was frequently too toxic to breathe. It kept my nerves on edge, which is to say, I really feel for anyone who goes through that! And it makes me crazy if anyone disputes climate change!
I hope that you will remain unscathed for the remainder of your journey. Buen camino!
Thank you Mischa, every year now millions more will live with that fear. For a challenge that is solvable if the main world leaders would lead.
I feel like Greta when it comes to world leaders... blah blah blah... we know what to do and have the technology, and yet the fate our world seems to hinge upon the intractable greed of self-centered "leaders" who refuse to think of lives beyond their own. :/
Stay strong! You are making this pilgrimage for many of us. We are with you in spirit. Buen camino!
This heat has been relentless. It hit 40 here in the U.K. this time yesterday and in most other places the coolest was 38. There have been a fair share of fires here too but perhaps not as bad as where you are/have been.
Yes there is no escape from climate change. In ten years we will look back at the mild conditions of 2022. This is only the beginning
🌻🚶♂️🧭🌞✍📜
Thank you, Alexander, wonderful update on events. Beautiful photos!
If we do not change our attitude about how we manage our environment today, I think that we will be in for a whipping . . .
Indeed we are
Good morning Alex. This was an amazing post – for many reasons. Your descriptions of the churches, their ancient artwork and the accompanying photographs were brilliant. What really struck me though, was the undeniable impact of climate change. You mentioned early on that you weren't going to focus on climate change for this journey. You are a champion of the issue and of the environment. How sad that it has reached such crisis proportions. The only thing I can hope is that all the people who choose not to focus on climate change ever, or deny climate change completely, are confronted with it and can no longer ignore it. This was an excellent post. Thank you.
Thank you, bobbie
I wish for you much bravery, and that you should not need it. Be well and keep us posted.
Thank you, Maia
Thanks for your poignant report, modern day pilgrim. So many living details, eventful descriptions and rare photos ! Glad you brought all this to us. Wishing you and all walkers continued safety and strength.
Thank you Aida
Suerte y valor, peregrino
Enjoyed your thoughtful post, Alexander. Last year my husband fought to get from Ottawa to British Columbia to see his dying mother. I say fought because he flew but the airlines were not able to get in to the airport due to smoke. He returned home and drove across Canada. He said that from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Kamloops B.C. it was nothing but smoke. Blessings on your travel, God help us all.
Thank you Laurie, indeed we need all the help we can get since governments don’t deliver what the people need