I’m spending this portion of my summer in Greece. So I thought I would tell you all a little about what its like here right now.

Well for starters? Its REALLY weird! Greece is normally borderline desert in a lot of places, due to the intensity of the sun and the lack of precipitation. Naturally the land is pretty dry, and the green bits you see on google earth are the developed bits. See all over Greece, land owners are selling their large chunks of land, or else developing it themselves to make condo or maisonette type complexes. These come with nice little patches of green grass that is laid over the earth with a web and is kept alive by doggy sprinkler systems (or by possessive housewives with a hose, or else they have their hired help do it for them).  Sense the sarcasm.

And thats on the mainland. All year round. Now lets talk about the islands and summer. Everyone associates Greece with beaches. But the beaches aren’t accessible everywhere. Sure they are only 45 minutes from where I’m staying now, and its fine for a little outing. However so many houses, and new houses/developments/hotels on the islands all have their own pools. And they aren’t all small. This furthers the problem.

Can you see the problem with this? Well, I hope you can, because people here are in denial about the harm they are doing to the environment. They think its worthless to do their small part in helping the environment because they think it will have no different, but thats exactly the point. If EVERYONE in Greece cut down their water consumption just a bit, that would make the entire situation a great deal better. Why do you think we have all the problems with forest fires in the summers? Yes I know they are started by anarchists, but if the forests weren’t so dry, they wouldn’t spred so much, or at least so quickly.

Which is why I love the weather Greece has been getting lately. More than enough sun to be happy with, soak up your healthy dose of Vit. D. but there has also been a great deal of rain lately. I know so many people complaining about it. OHhh, that limits my time to go to the beach (not that they would even be at the beach then, they just want the opption of going whenever they want- sorry, but mother nature holds the reigns) Ohh, its not so warm when it rains(sorry, but I rreally dont like feeling like I’m in an oven). Whatever stupid excuses people come up with for why they DON’T want it to rain when it is so desperately needed, I say they can just get over themselves and realize that they aren’t king of the world and the universe doesn’t revolve around what they would like to do. Every summer Greece goes into a water crisis because there are so many tourists, taking extra long showers, splashing around in a pool and not to mention putting a lot of strain on drinking water.In some tourism towns, there is a noticeable dip at about 3-4 p.m. when everyone has come home from the beach to relax in the A.C. and take a nice cool, long shower to get the sand off.

Of course there is also the Power problem. Many times throughout the summer one can count on encountering a power cut, particularly if you are staying on the mainland near Athens. There are so many people with their air conditioning on full blast, not that I blame them in the city where it is horribly stiflingly hot. Who I DO blame is the shops. You can walk around the commercial areas in the summer, where ever there are clusters of shops, and you might actually feel cool with the noon time sun beating down on you. Because all the stores, boutiques, and shops have their air conditioning on full blast and leave the doors wide open.I wonder what goes through their minds, from and economic and environmental point of view.

So why do I love the weather they are getting right now? Its a warm pressure system, so its windy, which would be bad if there were any fires, but its also rainy, and the air isn’t as dry. The clouds aren’t always in full coverage, so you can still enjoy the natural light without the harsh glare of the naked sun in your eyes. Its beautiful like this. The thunder and lightning is also  beautiful to hear and see. Its a beauty Greeks don’t always appreciate, yet I love it. Hopefully having all this rain so late in the year this year will help them out a bit. Keep the reservoirs filled, tourists happy, and the forests healthy.

Happy and Healthy. That’s all our parent’s wish for us, and that’s all Mother Nature wishes for her lands. So quite complaining, and embrace this weather Greeks. Get out there and Dance in the rain!