Greece is Burning

In June, following some work in Hungary, we travelled to Greece. The wildfires first broke out while we were there, but it seemed as if they were following us. They broke out north of Athens just two days after we drove through that region. We understood nothing on the television, but could recognize Athens with flames blazing behind her. We often saw smoke on the Peloponnesean peninsula where we were, and we often saw helicpoters taking water from the ocean in various towns where we were staying.

We joked when on the tiny secluded island of Kythira that being surrounded by water would seem like a good thing during wild fires, but on second thought, with no bridge and a once a day ferry and practically no English speakers around, that might not be the best case scenario.

We drove through the most secluded region of mountains that I've ever been through (that's saying a lot...I grew up near Appalachia). It felt eerie to be surrounded by the most sheer mountains I've ever seen, with no guardrails, crumbling shoulders on the road, and to not meet a single soul for hour upon hour. (We made a mistake taking a rural road instead of the national highway. Um, don't do that.)

During our time with Beppo (how we dubbed our rental Hyundai Passport), we worried about being unaware of driving into a wildfire. When in the rural parts of Greece, there is often one way in and one way out. What looks like a way out actually will curve around a mountain and deposit you where you started. Unfortunately, the wildfires only continue to spread, and some people have met that very death. *Shudder*

These sweltering temperatures. Global warming? A natural increase in the ebb and flow of life? Some of both? I don't know, but I do know (now) not to climb Acrocorinth when it's 114 Fareheit (45 Celsius). I now understand why Paul was cranky when he was up there preaching to the people having orgies.

*Updated.* I have just been reading more online about the fires, an endeavor that is difficult because there is such little information out there. Saying that the Peloponnesian region is on fire is like saying Illinois is on fire, not very specific. But I found out that those very mountains that we traveled over, the Mount Parnonas region (link is to a word document), is burning and is not yet under control. This area is full of quaint villages of hard working Greek Orthodox who farm olives and lemons and herd goats. My heart breaks for these people, who have very little means or access to get out of these treacherous mountains, and whose entire livelihood will likely be gone for those who do manage to escape. I fell in love with Greece and her people, and it is so sad to see this happening.