Paris when it sizzles: Staying cool during la canicule

It's been 10 years since the 2003 canicule, or heat wave, that was blamed for 15,000 deaths in France and 70,000 deaths in Europe. Météo-France defines une canicule as more than three days of daytime temperatures over 33C/91F and evening temperatures that do not dip below 20C/68F.  It's not clear that the upcoming week will fit the definition of a canicule, but it promises to be very hot with a high of 94F/35C forecast for Tuesday, July 23rd followed by slight decreases in temperature. Here are some strategies for staying cool in Paris.

Staying Cool at Home

Demonstrating Proper Cooling Technique

Toast2Taste © 2013

When a heat wave continues for more than a few days, the accumulated heat of the day never fully dissipates. The heat trapping capabilities of thick apartment walls are appreciated in the winter, but less so during sizzling summers. Try to live like a Mediterranean.
Open your windows at night to let the cool air in and close them in the morning. If you have shutters, close them, too. I have window boxes on some of my windows, so when it's very hot, I turn the window boxes around facing the living room. I can't then close the windows, but I draw the curtains to block out even more sun. After the sun goes down I open everything up again. 

Make sure to close all windows when you leave home. Heat waves are usually accompanied by thunder storms. 

Run fans if you have them. You can purchase fans at BHV, Leroy Merlin next to the Pompidou Center and Monoprix stores (the Reaumur-Sebastopol Monoprix even sells bagged ice cubes!). 

If you have a freezer, wet some washcloths and put them in the freezer. When you return home, take out a nice frozen washcloth and plop it on your head. 

Staying Cool Outside

Stay out of the heat and sun as much as you can. There usually is a sunny side of the street. Stick to the shade as much as you can. You've probably noticed that the hottest time of day in Paris is between 2pm and 6pm, and that evening coolness is very long in coming. Take walks in the late evening.

Paris Plage, which just opened this weekend, is open until midnight, along the the Right Bank of the Seine, at the Hotel de Ville, and also on the Canal de l'Ourcq. Relax on a lawn chair along the Seine, have an ice cream, stroll in the evening breeze (hopefully), and fight for a spot under one of the misting stations. Stay hydrated. 

Other Cool Options

Go to the movies. See Paris Anglo Info for a listing of English language movies. Just make sure the A/C is functioning before you buy your ticket.
Take advantage of the last days of the soldes, summer sales, by hanging out at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, both nicely air-conditioned. Take a dip at the outdoor Piscine Josephine Baker, a municipal pool floating on the Seine. It's open until midnight on some nights.

Keeping Your Electronics Cool

When the ambient temperature exceeds 80-85F (26-29C), electronic devices start to suffer. You may have problems with electrical power and you may notice that your computer is running slow or not at all. Raise your laptop up on a paperback book to get air flow around the motor. Use a small desk top fan to keep the room temperature as low as possible.

You may also notice that your refrigerator is not keeping things as cold as usual. Do not increase the cold setting on the refrigerator. This will only put additional strain on the motor. Instead, make sure there is adequate air flow around the items in the refrigerator and do not fill it completely. 

Avoiding Heat-Related Illness

Exercise extra caution with eating out and purchase food from stores with adequate refrigeration. With the heat it becomes more of a challenge to keep food adequately refrigerated and there is an increase in food-borne illness during heat waves.

Le Quatorze Juillet - Bastille Day 13-14 July 2013

Updated July 12, 2013

Bastille Day Balls - July 13th and 14th

 Bastille Day balls are (generally) free and popular with people of all ages.  The music can include anything from French chanson or musette to old-time classics, house or techno. Balls are usually held in major squares and in front of town halls of some arrondissements. Paris Fire Stations also hold very popular dances, or bals the evenings of the 13th and 14th.

Grand Bal Populaire, Place de la République, M: République, Temple

A traditional neighborhood bal with music and dancing inaugurating the newly renovated Place de la République, beginning at 9:30pm on the 13^th.

Bal Revolutionaire, Institut des Cultures d’Islam (ICI), 19-23 rue Léon, 18^th, M: Château Rouge or Marcadet

Le Bal à Bistan (world folk music) will perform from 8-11pm on the13^th.

Le Bal Pop’ at Le Grand Palais, 21 avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 8^th M: FDR

Les Envahisseurs, The Invaders, will head up a six-hour Disco Tour dance party under the dome of the Grand Palais. Tickets are 15€.

Fireman’s Balls - 13^th and 14^th

The fireman’s balls are among the friendliest and best-organized parties in Paris.  They make an essential contribution to quatorze juillet merriment.  This year most balls operate on both the 13^th and the 14^th, and open around 9pm, but don’t get going until later in the evening. Entry is usually free, although a donation may be requested. There are long lines to get into the more popular spots.  Some feature live bands and food stalls, and most continue until dawn.

           

It is advisable to patronize the ball within walking distance of your home unless you plan to stay out until the metro starts again the following morning.  Cabs are very rare.

July 13^th ONLY

Arènes de Lutèce, 4 rue Monge, 5^th (in the ancient ruins of the Roman arena, the only fireman's ball not in a fire station)

Château-Landon, 188 quai de Valmy, 10^th (at the Canal St. Martin along the water)

Blanche, 28 rue Blanche, 9^th, M: Blanche

Boursault, 27 rue Boursault, 17^th, M: Rome

Montmartre, 12 rue Carpeaux, 18^th, M: Guy-Môquet

Ménilmontant, 47 rue Saint-Fargeau, 20^th

            JULY 13^th and 14th

Sevigné, 7 rue de Sevigné, 4^th, M: St. Paul

Rousseau, 21 rue du Jour, 1^st, M: Les Halles

Colombier, 11 rue du Vieux-Colombier, 6^th, M: St. Sulpice

Château-Landon, 188 quai de Valmy, 10^th, M: Jacques Bonsergent (at the Canal St. Martin)

Chaligny, 26 rue de Chaligny, 12^th, M: Faidherbe-Chaligny

Massena, 37 bd Massena, 13^th, M: Porte d’Italie

Port-Royal, 53-55 bd Port Royal, 13^th, M: Les Gobelins, RER : Port Royal

Grenelle, 6 place Violet, 15 ^th, M: Commerce (near the Eiffel Tower)

Bitche, 2 place de Bitche, 19^th, M: Crimée (on the Canal de l’Ourcq)

Beware of firecracker-tossing teenagers!

Note:  A long-standing Bastille Day tradition is for teenagers (referring to both chronological and mental age) to throw firecrackers into crowds at people’s feet.  This holiday is a “go wild in the streets” kind of affair.  Watch your pockets, bags, feet, and be prepared for a BIG PARTY CRUSH. 

Le quatorze juillet - July 14^th

Military Parade, Champs-Elysees, 9am – 12pm

The annual show of French military muscle starts at the Place de l’Etoile at 9am where President François Hollande will inspect the troops before leading them down the Champs to the Place de la Concorde.  The marching parade opens the festivities around 9:30am, followed by the horseback parade and the motor vehicle parade.  This year’s guests of honor are Mali and participants in the Operation Serval as well as Croatia who entered the EU this year. It is also the 50^th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty, the French-German friendship treaty. Military divisions from Mali, Croatia and Germany will be marching in the parade. An aerial display will end the festivities and the President will leave at 11:45am to prepare for the annual garden party at the Elysées Palace.  

http://www.garnison-paris.terre.defense.gouv.fr/14juillet2013/les-coulisses/programme.htm

The best place to watch the parade is on TV.  If you go to the parade, take a metro to Kleber or Ternes and then walk.  The métro stops along the Champs-Elysées will be closed.

After the parade, representatives of the different military branches will gather in 8 central arrondissements to answer questions and show off their high-tech arsenal.  Central sites are the Place Saint-Sulpice, 6^th; Esplanade des Invalides, 7^th (helicopters and parachutists); Place de l’Opera, 9^th; Place de la Nation, 11^th, 12^th, 20^th; Parc Montsouris, 14^th; Port de Javel, 15^th; Place Jules Joffrin, 18^th; and Armel Carrel, 19^th. Army bands will perform at each venue.

Fireworks - 2013 Theme: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

Note: For the first time, the fireworks display will be broadcase live online and on French TV. 

The half-hour show will begin at 11 pm on July 14^th on the Champs de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, between Place Jacques Rueff and the Ecole Militaire, M: Ecole Militaire.  This is a very crowded event, so get there very early if you want a good spot and be prepared for crowds (Most of the Champs de Mars will be closed off). People often bring a picnic beginning around 6pm, and listen to the free classical music concert from 9:30-11pm.

Note on fireworks: The suburbs surrounding Paris often organize firework displays on the evening of the 13^th so if you are close to the periphery, you may see fireworks on the horizon.

This year’s fireworks display is a tribute to the French motto and recounts the historical and universal development of the three words LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ and form the structure of the fireworks show. 

Below is my translation of the City of Paris program notes for the fireworks show.

Opening
The words of the French motto so dear to the hearts of French men and women were born of the brilliant ideas of the Enlightenment. They are Liberté (Liberty), Égalité (Equality), Fraternité (Fraternity/Brotherhood) and were the basis of the new society.

Act 1 – The French Revolution
At the end of the 18th century, ideas were circulating and took hold of hearts and minds. The people, who were hungry and thirsty for a change took to the streets. The monarchy was rattled and France trembled. Behind the conflict, the Republic would bring peace.

Act 2 – The Champs de Mars celebrates the French Republic
On July 14, 1790, the recently established Republic was celebrated on the Champ de Mars. French citizens came from all over the country for a great celebrationof the Federation. Unity was restored and the parade of the federated forces was applauded. Flags were hoisted and the festivities went on until dawn.

Act 3 – Three words become universal: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
After this festival on the Champ de Mars, the three words became universal. One hundred years later, Paris hosted the World Exposition of which the Eiffel Tower would be the centerpiece.  The Eiffel Towere would become the symbol of France, its most beautiful flag, the monument that flies the words and colors of the republic.

Act 4 – The three words extend out to the world
After having grown up in France, the motto has inspired numerous countries. The values transmitted have crossed borders and orders. The Statue of Liberty, constructed in Paris, has taken its flame to the United States.

Act 5 – The rainbow of all freedoms
Beyond its republican character, the motto speaks to all human beings. Its universal and timeless values extol peace, difference, tolerance and solidarity. It is a hymn to our humanity.

Free Bastille Day Concert

- Carolyn Carlson’s modern ballet troupe will perform Signes at the Opera de Paris, Palais Garnier at 2:30pm. Tickets are free as long as they last. The line will form several hours before the performance.

Bastille Day Freebies and Open Shops – Opera, Dance, Museums

- The Louvre will be open on July 14^th until 6pm.  Entrance is free.

- Napoleon’s Tomb and the Musée de l’Armée at the Invalides are open and free on the 14^th until 6pm.

- Many shops will be closed on the 14^th for the holiday. 

- Les pique-niques are traditional on le quatorze juillet along the banks of the Seine, in parks and on the pedestrian bridge, the Pont des Arts.

See the Mairie de Paris web site for additional information in French: http://14juillet.paris.fr/

and in English: http://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/major-events/paris-celebrates-july-14th