So, I don't want these posts to be all about how Europe does everything right and we unsophisticated North American's are stuck in the dark ages. The truth is, they could learn a thing or two from us--like how to stop smoking! And, how about banning it in public places. Especially restaurants--yuck! How are we supposed to enjoy our dinner with all the smoke? But, we here at Pughville did learn a thing or two from them while we were over there on vacation.
Today, I want to talk about Portugal. Did you know that Portugal is on its way to being one of the world's largest wind power producers? There are turbines everyhwhere...all different kinds, too. It's quite hilly there and they line the hills. I know that in some less 'sophisticated' places(just kidding, Portugal is very old world europe) people are concerned about the way these things look. Well, I think that they look super cool--especially compared to any of the number of large coal fired power plants we came across on our travels. I never took any pictures of those. Gee, I should have. They just announced a plan to produce 500 turbines to power 750,000 homes and provide 1600 jobs. Wow. Impressive. Who would have thought that there might be benefits to ones economy by going green?But I did give thought to the idea that perhaps in centuries to come, these things will be seen as interesting tourist destinations. Why did this occur to me? Well, driving along the road in Portugal(we do not recommend driving for people with heart conditions, epilepsy, or pregnant women) we came across another type of windmill. It was run by Sr. Arnoldo of the wind mill and he was kind enough to give us a tour. These are actually quite picturesque, don't you think? Why are we so closeminded as to think that turbines can't also be this beautiful? I just don't get it. Will my grandchildren drive down to Pincher Creek and ooohhh and ahhh at the beauty of the turbines against the mountains? My husband does. Maybe he'll be Sr. Robert of the turbine!
