Come September. Almost immediately the month brings cooler weather, something I had forgotten was still possible. These have been strange summer months of pandemic red alert, wildfires, and travelling at own risk. The latter I didn’t do as it was too warm to go anywhere. Maybe this month will take me beyond the city.

Twice in one month, I was stopped from entering the Calanques for the danger of wildfires from summer heat and fierce winds. There were some forest fires indeed. Fortunately, they did not compare to the ones in Australia and California. It’s painful to watch such destruction of nature and the superhuman effort it takes to stop it.

These are almost suffocating times – with climate change, destructive weather, wildfires, pandemic, economic collapse, and social turmoil, all interrelated … pushing for authentic change. Hikes in the Calanques help clear my mind, giving the right perspective to the news stories of the day. It shows that nature and man go hand in hand.

And so people think and do here in Marseille. Sea and mountains are part of the city life. I have heard young people say why going on vacation when everything what you want is already here. No doubt that a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle goes together with natural surroundings. Climate change is a serious threat to that.

Cooler weather from September onward. At least we can keep our heads cool while choosing the right route for our future. There is definitely an increase in consciousness in many people about the urgency of the current world, political and social injustice challenges. That looks promising to me.

All Photos Copyright © 2019-2020 August Timmermans – All Rights Reserved