Paris, in the summer, when it sizzles.

Cole Porter said he loved it, but I don’t believe that he was actually here in the summer.  It does indeed sizzle, but that’s not a good thing.  We’ve had two days of 35C/92F + weather and we are very pleased that it seems to have broken.  If this is what July and August are like we are out of here “tout de suite”. Not only is it hot but it’s humid and miserable..

The Arsenal port is “an oasis in the middle of Paris” but it is also set down below street level and get’s some breezes but they seem to have been pre-heated by the streets by the time they get here.  Once the sun goes behind the buildings it cools off some and the late nights are lovely, but the afternoon from 2 to 8 is very hot.  So what? head off to a museum or something.  Nice idea, but it’s summer and the museums involve at least a one hour line (in said hot weather) waiting for tickets, the metro is not air conditioned, the department stores are rumoured to be cooled  but either the hamster running the compressors hasn’t been fed or the thermostats are set to 90F.

So we have decamped to the bedroom of the boat which is at water level, has a nice little fan and toughed out the last two days.  Cooler weather is forecast so we will try and get all our museuming done and make a run for the (hopefully) cooler countryside before the real sizzle returns for a longer run. Perhaps we will return in the fall when, according to Cole Porter, it does nothing at all – sounds good.