Ahhhh, nothing like stewing in the hot Paris sun! Yes indeed, that same sun that just loves to play hide and seek most of the time here, is making me feel right back home!
As droplets of sweat slowly trickle down my neck, arms, and legs, I have been holding up my pompous southern girl self above all those little wimpy Parisians who can’t take the heat. Nothing like being born and bred under the hot Louisiana sun as tough boot camp for ponying up to heat!
There they are, furiously flipping their flimsy little paper fans inches in front of their face like they are gasping for their breath, complaining and then complaining some more, just in case no one was paying attention to their distress.
I felt like saying, come on folks, it’s just heat! Relax and quit fighting it! For God’s sake, you know it won’t last forever !
All jesting and teasing aside, it absolutely does make a difference to not be able to get much relief from the stifling heat. Because the truth is, they won’t be going home to air conditioned apartments to cool themselves off, like the vast majority of Americans do.
No, Paris wasn’t built to handle extremely hot temperatures, except for one saving thing. Those very old thick walled stone churches and buildings!
Very few residential dwellings are air conditioned here, primarily because Paris rarely gets this hot. But when it does, it becomes a national emergency with constant levels of alerts that they assign to extreme weather conditions.
The majority of older public buildings, town halls, hospitals, nursing homes, stores, hotels and museums are not air conditioned. Supermarkets, modern shopping malls, and luxury hotels are air conditioned.
After 2003, when a catastrophic heat wave caused over 15,000 heat related deaths, the government has stepped up health guidelines, alerts and vigilance as a preventative measure after having faced so much criticism for not doing so in the past.
Paris has made available “cooling off” rooms in each districts and opened the parks at nights for those in need to sleep outside rather than in an overly sweltering apartment.
It seems to me though a little of a no brainer to remind people to drink enough water throughout the day, wear lighter clothing and avoid heavy activities outdoors, etc. You would think that most folks would just normally give in to quenching their thirsts in the first place.
That however is not always put in practice by the elderly who have a poorer skin thermoregulation , and are unaware that they are slowly being dehydrated, forgeting to drink enough to maintain proper levels of hydration and can go into heat stroke, especially those already fragile due to a pre existing illness.
Additionally the French still seem to have a national aversion to ice cubes. As any of you know who have visited here, you generally have to ask for ice in your drinks, and and are lucky if the glass is returned with 2 or 3 measly few ice cubes quickly melting in front of your eyes, before they can chill your drink.
When I was a student here many moons ago, I remember being told more than once, that drinking iced beverages was unhealthy for you, despite the parching temperatures. It was explained to me that doing so could cause your digestive system to go into shock, for having go into overdrive to digest all those “congealed” ingested foods.
Besides that crockery, I found it even more crazy to be told to drink hot beverages in the summer! At least this explication might have made some sense, in that it would make you sweat, to increase cooling by evaporation.
But when you are already sweating up a storm, who wants to sweat some more, unless they are buck naked in a sauna in Finland! Besides, in my own experience, drinking hot beverages always warmed me up, not cooled me down!
The French have an inane national obsession of catching a cold, as witness by all those scarves being worn, even on warm days. They reckon that any overly cooled stream of air whizzing by your neck, via air conditioning, can bring on that dreaded cold, especially while sleeping , yet are always advocating opening the windows for a awhile on freezing days! Go figure!
Some of the other strange French ideas about handling the heat initially sounded just as weird to this southern girl, but I have come to see some credence in their practice. Precisely keeping your windows shut during the heat of the day!
How many times would I resent to find my hotel room boarded up with closed windows and shutters during summer vacations here, Just plain nuts I thought, during the height of a summer day!
Well, I was dead wrong! Those boarded and shuttered windows kept the sun from warming up the room, that had been cooled during the night, when temperatures often fell enough to cool things off.
In regards to my own views on air conditioning, a little can go a long way! In addition to my southern upbringing, I considered myself more cold sensitive than most.
Even before I moved here, I couldn’t handle being in those icy cold over air conditioned buildings and homes that Americans live and breathe for, wasting energy like crazy.
In my hospital office where I worked part time , I would usually turn that blasted ever streaming cold air off. Ditto for the car, unless it had been left to bake in the Louisiana sun.
Don’t get me wrong, air conditioned places are needed in the south and can be a life saver and boost the comfort of us all in hot weather, but just not over done! Even in the steamy Louisiana summer, with nary a breeze in sight, I preferred eating out on my veranda, than the cool of my house.
I do though, absolutely love fans of all types! Nothing like the breezes from a ceiling fan while sleeping to make you think that you are almost outside in the tropics. The rumble of the old attic fans are pleasant to my ears too, and perfect for autumn and spring cooling.
The hottest thing selling this past week in Paris were table fans or supported on poles. It was so hot, even for me, that I broke down and added another one for the living room.
I use my trusty buzz fan in the bedroom year round to sleep, not only for my beloved breezes, but to override the constant outdoor noises of traffic and blaring sirens shrieking throughout the night. In the summer, it becomes a tough decision; do I want the cooling breezes of night air or shut the window to keep down the ever present traffic noise?
This past week, I had little choice, as even a modicum of a temperature drop felt like saving grace from the blistering hot of the day. I even came up with the help of my American ingenuity, a rigged up “air conditioner” of sorts. Voila, as seen in the photo, is my blue fan with the frozen metal ice cream liner sitting atop a bowl, enhanced or not with another bottle of frozen water!
Ok, so all was melted in a few hours, but at least I could have sworn it did cool the air somewhat and at least enough to get me off to dream land. Nevertheless, I felt proud as a peacock over my new fangled contraption!
During the day, if I just had to feel some cold air to my skin, I went to the supermarkets and lingered longer than usual like all the other Parisians either contemplating or pretending to buy.
If you are a tourist here with an un air conditioned room, with is the norm, then opt to cool off in the Macdos and Starbucks if you must, or take in a spree at Galleries Lafayette or Printemps department stores. They are air conditioned, but certainly not frigid like you will find in the states.
Head to any one of the many city fountains spewing water from sculpted statues and dangle your feet over the rim, splashing around a bit. Better yet, put on a swim suit, and head to Parc Javel to the shooting water spouts, where you will have to compete with loads of kids frolicking around.
I even caught some adorable babies having the best time splashing on the wet concrete, and I have to admit I was tempted to get into the cooling sprays myself, dress and all, but refrained except for my feet.
For sightseeing, opt to visit the many huge stone churches that offer a respite from the heat. It is also a great time to go to the catacombs, guaranteed to be even much cooler, though you will have a painfully hot wait in the sun to get in!
Some of the subways seemed a tad cooler too, but the best place is to position yourself at the entrance and hope for a blast of air tunneling in, being sucked by the vacuum of passing trains.
Keep yourself sprayed with water which really helps and fight the crowds walking on the shaded side of the street. Consider sleeping with a dampen t shirt to ensure an hour or so of cooling evaporation.
A small wet towel or handkerchief draped in the back of your neck feels cooling too. When you come across those lovely old green water fountains, do what other Parisians do, take a little sponge bath fully dressed!
Enjoy the great artisanal ice creams and sherbets such as Berthillon on Ile Saint Louis, or Grom over in the 6th on Rue de Seine. Some of the pastry shops and chocolatiers also offer their own homemade ice creams often presented outside their boutiques.
Better yet, find a spot in the shade of course in one of the many outdoor cafés and enjoy an ice cold glass of rosé wine, which by the way will probably be one of the cheapest on the beverage menu! Take a late evening tour of the Seine, guaranteed to not only dazzle and delight your eyes, but give you a cooling breeze as well.
Since most of us who live here, including me, have complained often about missing out having a real summer, we will remember this latest heat wave with at least some partial nostalgia when the skies return to those occasional cold rainy summer days, enough to wear a sweater in July or August!
Maybe the universe was trying to make up for all those lost summer days at once, by turning the thermometer up way past blazing hot! Maybe it is also a part of the global warming?
In that case, the city will be very busy renovating all these ancient buildings without air conditioners. Regardless of whether it’s freezing or steaming( least probable), Paris remains the most beautiful and romantic city in the world to walk around and visit!
Cherry, that was an interesting aspect of life in Paris. In the old days in the South, they used high ceilings with tall windows that opened at both the top and bottom to promote circulation for cooling; and the houses were built with large roof overhangs to shade the walls from the heat; and exterior porches for more shading with long central hallways to allow breezes to flow through. I well remember the hot, humid, and rather stagnant heat of Louisiana. When I was in college, I used to have summer jobs on the pipe lines; and we frequently worked in the stiffling hot and humid swamps . . . that was really rather suffocating and sweltering heat, esp.with the swarms of misquitos and yellow jackets. ; I remember that well. . . . Ha!))
South Florida is much closer to the equator, and the sun can be extremely intense. Tourists often do not realize that they can develop a sunburn on the beach in as little as 15 minutes. Even under a beach umbrella, a sunburn can be easily gotten by the sun reflecting off of the sand. But south Florida is blessed by the ocean breezes that tend to cool things off in the shade.
Last week it was ranging from the high 70s at night to the mid 90s during the daytime; and that was an intense heat during the day . . . . but NEVER quite as bad as I remember Louisiana used to be. This July 4th weekend we spent a couple of days in Naples, Florida (west coast of Florida on the Gulf side) visiting with the grandchildren; and it was intensely hot at 95 degrees there. The Florida Gulf coast usually runs 5 – 10 degrees hotter than or cooler than the south Florida east coast . . . hotter in the summer and cooler in the winter.
Years ago, when I was in the USN electronics school at Treasure Island in the San Francisco bay, we used to go to the Golden Gate Park, which is sort of a mini-NY Central Park. In the summer time lots of people, especially the older ones, would strip down to their underwear in the park to cool off. (I think that there was a lack of a/c in the older buildings in S.F. also.)
When we dine out, June often prefers the outside dining; but I often times feel that is a little too hot . . . I normally give in, unless it is just too darn hot.
We usually keep our home a/c set at 76 or 77 degrees . . . to me it is amazing how one degree can make a noticeable difference. In milder weather, I prefer to open up all of the windows and the sliding glass patio doors and have the breeze flowing through the house. Last winter we only ran the heat for part of one or two days, just to take the morning chill out of the air; but a.c. is really necessary to be comfortable during the summer months, esp. in July and August. We have ceiling fans, the reversible type, in almost all of the rooms in the house and on the porch overhang to the screened in patio areas . . . . the moving air is usually enough to provide comfort except on the hottest of days.
Your “Jerry-rigged” a.c. unit is a rough version of the “swamp coolers” that they used to use in Texas. The “swamp coolers” are a boxed window enclosure with wood shaving batting on the sides, a squirrel cage fan, and a water pump and tubing to keep the wood shaving bat sides wet. They are rather effective in areas with low humidity. It is the same principle as they use with the outdoor water misters and fans in Las Vegas and South Florida. (You might even try that with an oscillating fan . . . Ha!) How humid does it get in Paris? These remedies don’t work too well in places with high humidity though; and can even cause problems with mold.
Based upon what you have described, I don’ttink that we ever want to plan a “summer vacation” in Europe . . . . sounds a little too hot for comfort.
Rightnow we are just sort of waiting for the heat of the month of August to pass so that we can make it to the more comfortable seasons in south Florida.
Thank you David for sharing your situation living in one of the “perfect climates” of the world. South Florida, except for the hurricanes and alligators, competes certainly with Hawaii and French Polynesia. Never really too cold , nor too hot! Beautiful white sand beaches and continuous sea breezes year round!
nature at its best for sure, full of flowers and fruit!
If I ever moved back to the states, I would be tempted to settle there for all the best reasons. I forgot to mention that here in Paris in the older buildings, the ceilings and windows were also very tall. I think it must have been for esthetics, for as in colder weather, which predominates, the heat lifted upward. perhaps for that very reason, they always stayed cooler in the rare few weeks of heat.
Summer is a great time to visit Europe, except for the very high flight prices, crowded tourists and higher hotel and rental fees. These heat waves are rare so far, as the general temps are very nice to cool in the northern countries.
I think that the late spring and October, are good times to travel here, as many places are closed during the traditional vacation months of July and especially August.
Had no idea about those Texan get ups for cooling; but at least mine is simple, clean and reusable, if not terrifically
effective!
Well, I have to say that Florida can be a little hot during the summer, esp. in July and August. Air conditioning is a necessity for comfort during those periods. Before air conditioning, it had to be a little uncomfortable during the summer in Florida. As for those Teas “swamp coolers”, I recall seeing smaller versions of those many years ago, perhaps back in the 1960s; they were about half the size of of window air conditioners and a lot lighter in weight; but they did require either periodically filly a reservoir with water or a connection to a water line.
The adjustable, reverse flow ceiling fans are practical for winter time in that they draw the warmer air in the ceilings spaces downward.; and they are fairly energy efficient. The “rather fine mister” sprays with a wall mounted fan (oscillating or not) might be ideal for your balcony during the hot season also. In the winter time, there are those propane radiant heaters, that you use on your balcony also; those seem to work rather well too. In Florida and in Las Vegas , a lot of the restaurants use those radiant heaters for their outside dining areas. So you could enjoy your balcony even during the more chilly seasons.
Thank you David for your recommendations, which are all very good for extremes of temps. I have noticed the radiant heaters here on almost all outdoor cafes and restaurants which work well! Since Paris suffers more from the cold, than hot,it makes sense! Today it has been cooler, with expected lows tonight to be between 13 to 16 C, which is high 50’s to 60’sF!
Will definitely enjoy the cool night air despite putting up with all the night time traffic noises. You can’t have it all!
Cherry, I just happened to go by Home Depot and then Lowes this morning; they both had all sorts of inexpensive misting systems and even flex tubing misters.As time passes, there are more and more manufacturers for residential versions of the products. During the last several years they have marketing relatively inexpensive ($100.00 +the cost for the propane tank . . . the same as one uses for outdoor cooking grills ) propane radiant heaters too, which would probably be more useful for your use on your balcony during the colder weather.
It appear that y’all have comfortably nice night even during the heat of the summer. Your life in aris seems to be rather ideal.
Cherry I saw on the Weather Channel TV station that y’all are having a heatwave, with temperatures of a hundred and three degrees last Wednesday Wow! that’s hot !!!
Shreveport has had lower temperatures than normal but we’ve had above normal rain, with the Red River flooding,the worst in a hundred years. That has added to the very high humidity which I cannot take very much of that anymore after a near heat stroke 2 years ago. I am still very sensitive to heat it used to never bother me but now it just kills me to be outside in the heat. I also have to have a small fan running at night on my bedside table And it has to have just that right sound . Some of my earliest memories in life or on a pallet on the floor with a ceiling fan above me as we did not have a air conditioner when I was little. I don’t remember it being that hot when I was little or it just didn’t bother me as I liked to be outside most of the time
North Louisiana is famous for scorching hot temperatures with high humidity, and as having grown up there, I am acclimated. On the other hand I have not gotten use to the cold here that predominates too long, especially into the spring. The heat wave broke yesterday, with cool enough temps, that I needed a jacket. One extreme to another in the same season!
I agree about the buzz fans sound being needed just right, a treasure for me at night!
Cherry I’ve noticed how the heat and humidity affects people’s emotion. At The store on a hot day customers come in and get agitated over the least thing. Thank goodness that does not happen to me.
Thank you Isham for bringing this up about how heat affect people. It does indeed increase their reactions of frustration and anger. I find it to be worst here, but then again the Parisians are not as laid back as Louisianians by any measure! Hope your back and knee will heal without surgery! Hugs