We’re coming up on the end of a heat wave. Normally, at this time of the year, it would be in the mid 70s (that’s in “freedom” units). We’ve hit the 90s every day this past week. My one saving grace is that it never gets that humid here.
It might not seem that hot to most of my American friends, but Europe is really not built for the heat. I love the giant windows in our apartment, but we’ve been shuttering them up like little trolls. Even then, our concrete building traps in the heat.
It’s been hot enough that, at a dinner in the courtyard with our neighbors the other night, someone brought an ice machine. And then they all put ice in their red wine. So much for stereotypes. Even the French with ice down their red wine if it gets hot enough.
(And, no, it wasn’t sangria!)
It cools down nicely at night, so we throw all the windows open to get a cross breeze. French mosquitos are tricky little buggers. Much like the French themselves, they’re smaller and quieter than their American counterparts. We all have little bites all over. Luckily, they’re not super itchy and the bites don’t last too long. One of our friends says that if he can just find a better way to mosquito-proof French apartments, he’ll be a millionaire.
(Something, something a better mouse trap something).
Air conditioning isn’t super common here. We’re lucky that our apartment has it (in the form of heat pumps). You can’t put condensers where they’re visible outside, so our landlords built a clever little antechamber in the front bedroom. We’re still trying to figure out if the system needs service or just is just not super efficient, so we’ve been trying not to run the AC too much. But it sure is nice to turn on when the sun starts baking my office! The aerial studio I go to has A/C. I’ve been joking that I’m going to start signing up for every class and then sit in the corner and read a book.
A lot of people here carry around hand fans. I think I need to get myself one! That way, I can cool myself down while waiting for the bus and also flirt with my husband from a distance.
The public pool near us is lovely, but Lyon could use more swimming options. That’s a bit ironic, considering the fact that we live between two rivers. Unfortunately, they’re both too murky to swim in. One of our friends told us that the city has a plan to activate some old pumps and create a swimming hole. I hope they can make it happen! Fingers crossed, she said they’re shooting to be ready with it next year.
Speaking of the rivers, a boat tour is a great way to cool off. We took a dinner cruise when my family was here last week. The dining room was air conditioned enough to take the edge off, but it was even nicer up on the top deck. People sing songs about ocean breezes, but don’t sleep on the river variety.
I enjoyed the view of the city at sunset, but my dad’s favorite view was watching a spider spin its web from scratch. Thanks for catching all of those mosquitoes, little friend. Truly, you were doing the lord’s work.
The high tomorrow is projected to be a balmy 81 degrees. Everyone, please think cold thoughts for us.
