Paris Journal 2008

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It is hot in Paris today. The thermometer reads about 88 degrees F outside right now, and I’m sure it will reach 90 or more. We’ve managed so far today to keep it about 10 degrees cooler inside the apartment. That isn’t easy, because this apartment has three sets of glass double French doors facing south-southwest, onto a stone balcony, and there are only sheer curtains – nothing to block the sun. The owners have, mercifully, very recently installed translucent retractable awnings over two of the French door sets. That helps somewhat. Without them, the sun comes through the sheer curtains and heats up the dark wood floors. Until one of them began staying in the apartment through June (just a couple years ago), the owners had no idea how hot it can be in here. Now they’ve experienced it a little bit, and at least they agreed that awnings were needed. But they haven’t experienced it like we have. We are, after all, survivors of the great heat wave of 2003, where the heat just went on, day after day, and every stone and tile in this building heated up to the point where they were hot or warm to the touch. Thousands of people died here that summer. And we’ve been here for plenty of hot weather since then, but nothing that lasted so long as that dreadful, deadly canicule. So we are now experienced at how to stay cool in Paris, with no air conditioning, and in particular, in this apartment. (The other apartment, over in the 6^th, is naturally much cooler because of its orientation.) Here’s the hot day routine: The night before, water all plants on the balcony. They’d never survive otherwise. Arise early and open up as many windows as possible to get the cooler morning air. Do a load of laundry in the morning (there is no clothes dryer). Then hang the laundry to dry on the overhead rack and shower curtain rod in the bathroom. Set up a fan in the hallway, blowing into the bathroom with all the damp clothes hanging in it. The evaporation caused by the moving air will act as a makeshift air conditioner. This can cool things down by a few degrees. Drink lots of water. Tap water is fine. No need for bottled water. At 11:30AM, as the sun starts to come around the building, lower the retractable awnings, close the French doors, and close the curtains. By noon or 1PM, close the windows on the back side of the apartment. If you get hot, pull one of the damp t-shirts off the overhead rack in the bathroom and wear it. If you are really hot, sit in front of another fan, in the living room, wearing the damp T-shirt. If you are still really hot, soak your feet in a tub of cold water. You can do this while reading or even while working in front of the computer. You will not be electrocuted. When you wash your hands and face, do so with cold water. Instead of drying your hands or face, let the water evaporate, or smooth the water around on your neck and arms, even your legs. Do not cook anything in the oven and do not run the dishwasher. Don’t go outside between 2PM and 8PM (a rule I usually break). If you are still hot, take a cold shower. This is pretty drastic, because water running through pipes in the ground in Paris is quite cold; much colder than water that runs through the warm sands of Sanibel. The exception: in 2003, the ground heated up in Paris, and the water coming out of the tap was noticeably warmer – like Sanibel’s in summer. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain and the high temperature may be 15 degrees cooler. Aaahh. I’m so glad this heat isn’t going to last. Tonight, we meet Jim and Maddy at L’Épopée for dinner. More about that later. Last night, we got a very late start because of working on the book, so we just had a quiet stroll along the Allée des Cygnes and then dined at 10PM at a small neighborhood brasserie, Le Select, on Avenue Emile Zola. It was nothing extraordinary, just normal. Just another beautiful evening in Paris.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 The McDonalds at Place Charles Michel has re-opened, in a new building on its old site. This is part of the Beaugrenelle project I mentioned yesterday. These are undercover cops, I think, who stopped to chat with a few customers (cops on their day off, no doubt) at the Six Huit when we were there the other day. Just before they came by, two marked police boats with cops in uniform, had just sped by, clearly on an urgent mission on the Seine. Some views of Notre Dame from the boat, the Six Huit. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook.

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