It's hot. I resisted converting from Celsius to Fahrenheit, because I really didn't want to know how hot Strasbourg was actually getting. Unfortunately, it was so high yesterday I could no longer resist - 37 celsius, which translates to 98.6 degrees fahrenheit. And it's expected to top out at 38 celsius (or 100.4 fahrenheit) this week, before it starts to get better.
Keep in mind a couple of things . . .
1. I've lived in some pretty hot climates in my life (Arizona and Taiwan), so noticing that it's hot to me is pretty remarkable. I experienced Phoenix in 110 degree weather one summer day. And the summer in Taiwan with 105 and lots of tropical humidity wins for the most uncomfortable time.
2. There's no air conditioning. Most apartments (except for Gaby's) don't even bother with air conditioning at all, but some businesses say they have air conditioning. It's about as cooling as putting a frozen water bottle in front a fan at medium speed. I think if they actually went to Olive Garden in the middle of summer, and experienced the US ideal of air conditioning of 62 degrees - they would simply freeze to the spot.
3. I'm still riding my bike to and from work. Ironically, it's considered the coolest part of my day, since I sweat like a eskimo in Hawaii in a rubber jumpsuit, and I actually get an artifical breeze. The stopping at lights is the problem, since I'm only a few seconds away from internally combusting.
All joking aside, the french kind of have this hot weather thing down. There's only one bad month, so why invest in a hugely expensive air conditioner. If you're constantly in the heat, then you move slower and it's not as shocking to your body to go in and out of the cold buildings - they probably get sick less. They also change their menus - no more lasagne, chocolate fondant, and Bordeaux - it's all been replaced with tomato/basil/mozzarella salad, fruit sorbets, and cold Pinot Noir. Life could be harder.
