Cantabria's lush green comes at the price of constant rain
On 22 August, a bike ride through Cantabria in northern Spain reveals a green landscape. The flip side: it rains all year round. The green paradise myth falls apart.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Cantabria, the green that is paid for in rain
On 22 August, a cyclist rides through Cerrazo, San Esteban, Fresnedo, Rudaguera and Villapresente. He posts photos: everything is green. For someone writing from the Spanish plateau, the contrast is stark: not a single yellow kilometre.
The reflection comes naturally: "Magic doesn't exist; if you want it green, it has to be raining for most of the year." That is the fine print of the northern paradise. Estate agents selling homes in Galicia or agencies promoting summer holidays in Scotland pick the three sunny days and turn them into an advertorial.
Asphalt, the invisible enemy of the landscape
Another note from the ride: everything is road or paved track. The bucolic landscape becomes an inaccessible stage set, because direct contact with the land has been extinguished. We consume nature without setting foot on it. Rural tourism, but with an asphalted catalogue.
The final question is uncomfortable: how much sunshine has to be sacrificed to keep that picture? The locals of the north know it, but they don't make adverts. Until there is data to explain it, the colour green will remain Spain's great climate mortgage.
On 22 August, a cyclist rides through Cerrazo, San Esteban, Fresnedo, Rudaguera and Villapresente. He posts photos: everything is green. For someone writing from the Spanish plateau, the contrast is stark: not a single yellow kilometre.
The reflection comes naturally: "Magic doesn't exist; if you want it green, it has to be raining for most of the year." That is the fine print of the northern paradise. Estate agents selling homes in Galicia or agencies promoting summer holidays in Scotland pick the three sunny days and turn them into an advertorial.
Asphalt, the invisible enemy of the landscape
Another note from the ride: everything is road or paved track. The bucolic landscape becomes an inaccessible stage set, because direct contact with the land has been extinguished. We consume nature without setting foot on it. Rural tourism, but with an asphalted catalogue.
The final question is uncomfortable: how much sunshine has to be sacrificed to keep that picture? The locals of the north know it, but they don't make adverts. Until there is data to explain it, the colour green will remain Spain's great climate mortgage.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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