Tired if running again and again in the same local park, I’ve decided, in yearly February to change a bit the landscape, and essentially to reboot back to my “play ground” from many years back. I thought the cold rain outside will temper the heavy air pollution from Bucharest. One I didn’t notice some time ago, when I was running everywhere, mainly in Bucharest. For more than two years I’ve ceased this habit. I was convinced that the air from Bucharest is no good, and it isn’t. The pollution is from another world. Not a good one. Rain doesn’t help, even if I thought so… The gases from all those cars are pushing heavy on my lungs.

Bucharest, reverse mentality and actions

In some cities like Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Oslo, not only that the motorized infrastructure is shrank, but also people “despise” them more and more, hence use them far less. In Bucharest, unfortunately, gas powered cars are in huge numbers, and not only that, but most people travel alone. And they travel 24/7. At many moments it looks like many don’t have a job / a certain purpose, just drive around. The problem is not this, from my perspective, they can stay stuck in traffic forever. The issue is what is released in the air. Big fumes, smoke, a lot of bad things for one’s breath.

Too much air pollution

I know there are a lot of places in the world more polluted, but from a European Union capital city, you would might expect more. It is not the case. I use a decent, actually slow pace to not open my mouth. Using solely my nose improves the impact. It wasn’t a good idea. Sticking to my new habit from now on. I don’t know if at any time something can change. I just wish people have been different, more empathy for others, more respect, more good will. You can never do that by using obsolete cars, developed with combustion capacity like there’s no tomorrow.

Stick to my routine…

They are cheap, and easy to show up, because of lack of culture when it comes to what really means in life. I can avoid this, hopefully, but it shouldn’t be like this. Not in 2026, we can be different, because nothing is more important than the air we breath. Nothing. I am afraid that, when we will purely realize that it would be not only too late, because I think it already is, but also very useless to do anything. I’ll stick then to my “legendary” running roots, and hope for a better future, the one I can contribute myself to build, without being dependent on other’s actions and mentality.

The quality of the air we breath really is the pure essence of each nation. You can’t foul that.