Canicule [Heat Wave] in France

For three and a half weeks, end of June to the fourth week of July, ever since David came back from his Loire Valley bike trip, we had been living with an almost uninterrupted heat wave, with temperatures ranging from 88 to 100F.  We had a two-day period of 79-80 degrees in there but otherwise, hot weather.   [30C=86F; 35C=95F]

Temperatures in the Second Week of July

 No A/C in our apartment – only portable fans.  We learned to close our outside shutters and windows in the late morning, and turn on a fan.  Inside, the temperature stayed below 90, but we felt a bit trapped as it was not pleasant to go outside and walk, visit parks, etc. 
We also ate out a lot, as it was difficult to cook, and we didn’t want to add more heat to the apartment [any excuse to eat out!].  We went to various places (see previous posts about Mons and The Juliette) and ate a lot of charcuterie and salads and drank a lot of good rosé and refreshing white wines.  For five days and four nights, we went to our favorite Auberge in Vivier and enjoyed the pool and A/C at night.

Kids Playing in a Fountain

Evidently this has been the worst heat wave since 2003, when a reported several thousand people died all over Europe.   Since then, various French governmental bodies have set up places with A/C for at-risk people to go to, and phone trees to check up on vulnerable people, such as single older people living without A/C.  This has been evidently working well, as we have not read of any serious problems, other than long lines at public pools.

Public Pool on the Banks of the Rhone - Lyon

Late last week, about July 23, temperatures began to moderate – high 70s to low 80s.  Everyone’s outlook changed for the better, and we certainly have appreciated cooler sleeping conditions.