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.

Repeat Visitors to Paris: Pursue Your Passions - Street Art, Photography, Bouldering, Yoga and More

No one visits Paris for the first time, as Tim Freytag notes in his article Déja-Vu: tourist practices of repeat visitors in the City of Paris. The icons of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur, are universal in their appeal and presence and even first-time visitors arrive with distinct impressions of the City of Light. As the European capital of city tourism, Paris invites repeat visitors. There is so much to see in Paris, that it often takes more than one visit to cover the main sites.

Even novice tourists shy away from the ‘tourist’ label.  Think Adam Goldberg’s Jack in the Julie Delpy movie 2 Days in Paris when he, just arriving in Paris himself, sends a group of American tourists off in the wrong direction. Repeat visitors, defined by Freytag as those having visited at least three times, tend to distance themselves even more from the typical tourist experience.  They focus less on ‘checking off’ the major sites and more on exploring their own personal interests in the city, generally seeking out a more authentic, local experience. Living like a local may include heading off the beaten track to explore the newly hip neighborhoods of Eastern Paris or discovering the city through the lens of personal hobbies, passions, or a particular shopping mission (a vintage pen and inkwell – stylo plume et encrier, for example). 

Stylo plume et encrier

cmalojikamoi.centerblog.net

Here are a few ideas for seeing Paris through a different lens (pun intended).

Street Art

Isabelle Vianu © 2011

Street Art Tour - a walking tour of Paris’ finest street art. Learn about the culture, visit a street art gallery, and meet the artists. Tours are every Thursday and Saturday at 11AM and last approximately 3 hours. 20€ (15€ online). You can cover more ground on the Street Art Bike Tour (20€ plus 12€ bike rental) every Sunday at 10AM. If you want to learn graffiti techniques, take the Stencil Art Workshop Thursday and Saturday at 3pm (20€). The Stencil Art Workshop can also be combined with the Thursday morning Street Art Tour (40€). Reserve at tours@undergroundparis.org.

Photography

Better Paris Photos founder Sophie Pasquet oversees several international photographers from Ireland, Russia and the US. Basic Private Day Tour (for 1-2 people) 195€ half-day; 290€ full day; Shared Tour 145€ and 215€; Night Tour 240€ for 1-2, then 60€ per additional photographer. The web site has a nice presentation of the different instructors. Pasquet’s company has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Trip Advisor (132 excellent; 4 very good – Ranked #11 of 305 Activities in Paris.)

Bouldering

If the idea of visiting another Paris museum or monument has you climbing the walls, go bouldering, escalade de blocs, at Blocbuster in the western suburb of Courbevoie, a five minute walk from Métro/RER La Défense) or Blockout in the northern suburb of Saint-Ouen (metro line 13). These climbing gyms also organize outings to Fontainebleau, renowned in Europe for its climbable rocks.

www.blocbuster.fr

Yoga

American-style yoga is everywhere in Paris. Yogateau seems to be the main resource for yoga classes and workshops in Paris. Here you’ll find a listing of studios and information on types of yoga and classes taught in English, French or both. The studios that get a lot of press are Rasa, Beyoga and Guerilla Yogi (Mark Holzman) at the American Church. Classes cost around 20€ per session. Affordable Yoga lunchtime classes are only 5€ per session.  

Movie Walks

Download maps with explanations in French and English from Paris Film Trails and follow in the footsteps of stars from your favorite Paris-based movies, from Ratatouille, The Devil Wears Prada and Midnight in Paris.

Participatory Tourism

There are several organizations that facilitate meetings between visitors and Parisians. Ça se visite offers urban walks in Paris and the Club International des Jeunes à Paris brings together French and international students.  If you are tempted by an evening of conversation, food and wine around the table with locals, check out Beyond Croissant, a dinner-with-the-locals organization founded by Sarah-Lou Gervais and Aurélie Daniel to gather “travelers, expats and locals in their homes to share (more than just) a meal”.

Post Scriptum

Julie Delpy’s mother, Marie Pillet, who plays herself in 2 Days In Paris was one of the original 343 Salopes in 1971. In this hilarious exerpt from the movie, she explains to Jack that she was one of women in France who signed the charter of the 343 Salopes (bitch, slut, take your pick) who, risking prison, openly announced that they had had illegal abortions. 

Addendum: 22 July 2013: For runners, here's another way to see Paris. See Vivian Song's New York Times article Paris at the speed of sneakers.