Smoke on the water
16 September 2013
Andrew
We spent a week in the Marina at Portosin, Ria De Muros. Very nice clubhouse, staff were great.
We were finding the Spanish bus service cheap and efficient so used it to for some tourist visits; first a nearby "Castro", or iron age settlement, well preserved and,typically for Spain, entry and tourist info all free, and in English!
We then did a day trip to Santiago De Compostela. You cannot fail to be impressed by the Cathedral and the history that surrounds it. Seeing so many devout pilgrims making a journey physically, but I suspect also mentally and emotionally, made us reflect on on our journey so far. The city is totally geared up for visitors of course, since they've been coming here for centuries!
The Rias are beautiful and generally peaceful apart from the endless fishing activity on all scales...., sorry I mean big and wee boats, day and night.
The other drama this week was provided by the forest fires. They have burned all week among the hills around us. We would see clouds of brown smoke rise, sometimes many miles away, then the big yellow planes circle, land on the water in the Ria and scoop up their cargo of tons of water to deliver it from high above the burning forest. (see picture above) There was also a helicopter that circled with a bag hanging from it, a proper water-bomb!
Our neighbours witnessed a discussion in a local shop where an elderly man suggested that the fires were being started deliberately so that the Bombardiers would get paid more! his solution, "bring back Franco, he would sort them out!"....
We saw areas of hillside that had burned right to the doorsteps of houses. Apparently much of the woodlands are Eucalyptus, which explained the lovely sweet smell we would awaken to, the ash over the decks was however less welcome!
We enjoyed a couple of memorable evenings watching the sunset from the Real Club Nautico balcony. A layer of brown smoke from the fires, backlit by the sun, sat above the water contrasting with the normal pink and red skyscape.....fire in the sky!