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.

Il pleut, il mouille, c’est la fête de la grenouille: 5 Ideas for Rainy Paris

As the French comptine goes, “It’s raining, it’s wet, it’s a frog party” (it rhymes in French). It has been a wet slog to summer and with Accuweather’s poetic forecasts of  “a shower in the morning” and “times of cloud and sun” it’s best to plan for some indoor time. Below are five ideas for things to do in Paris if it’s too wet to stroll. 

Wander in Covered Passages from the Palais Royal to the Grands Boulevards

There are many covered passages in the 1^st, 2^nd and 9^th arrondissements originally created at the beginning of the 19^th century for just this purpose. Starting at the southern end of the Palais Royal (M: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre), pass through the covered arcades to the inner courtyard, admire the recently restored black and white Buren columns and the Bury fountain with its bowl of floating silver marbles. If it’s raining, stay under the arcades and enjoy the window shopping on the Galerie de Montpensier. Have a peek at the military and civil medals at Bacqueville, in business since 1790. Exit the Palais Royal gardens and pass by the gorgeous 18^th century Grand-Vefour restaurant or the adorable music box shop Boîtes à Musique – Anne Joliet at 9 rue de Beaujolais. Head straight up the rue Vivienne to the rue des Petits Champs. Turn right and just across the street you’ll see the entrance to the twin passages, Galerie Colbert (1826) and Galerie Vivienne (1823). Galerie Vivienne is lovelier and you can stop for tea and dessert at the salon de thé A Priori Thé. Around the corner is a musty old bookstore Libraire Jousseaume. 

Passage Panoramas

The7eme.aup.edu/the-hidden-passageways-of-paris/

The two passages connect in the back and you can exit next to the trendy Jean-Paul Gautier boutique. Admire the brick and stone façade of the old Bibliothèque Nationale across the street and then turn right on rue Vivienne. If it’s raining, you’ll make quick work of the five minute walk to the entrance to the Galerie Feydeau which turns into the granddaddy of the covered arcades, the Passage des Panoramas (1799). See the Soundlandscapes’ Blog for an excellent post and beautiful photos of the Passage des Panoramas.

Pop across the street to enter the Passage Jouffroy (1845), home to the Grévin Wax Museum. The Hotel Chopin is located in the passage next to La Boîte à Joujoux where you can pick up any furnishings and electrical fixtures you might need for your doll house. Exit the passage and jump across the small rue de la Grange Batelière (you may not even get wet), and enter the Passage Verdeau (1847). If it’s still raining, tuck into an Italian meal at L’Aquila, located at the end of the passage at 31 bis rue du faubourg Montmartre, 9^th. 

Go to the movies!

I’ve said it before (here and here) how much I enjoy going to the movies in Paris. When the weather’s bad (rainy, cold, hot), the movies are always great. Go to a small indy movie house – Le Nouveau Latina (M: Hôtel de Ville), MK2 Beaubourg (M: Rambuteau) on the Right Bank, or one of the small houses on the rue Champollion on the Left Bank (M: Cluny-La Sorbonne), indulge in the luxurious Art Deco theater, Le Grand Rex (M: Bonne Nouvelle), or the atmospheric La Pagode (M: Saint-François-Xavier) for its Salle Japonaise and exotic garden. 

Hang out in a café and complain about the weather with the barman

Duck into a neighborhood café and have a drink at the bar (cheaper than en salle or en terrasse).

L’Elephant du Nil at 125 rue Saint-Antoine, 4^th (M: Saint-Paul).

Consult Time Out’s list of “bars sympas et pas chers”.  

Go to the Canal St. Martin and watch the raindrops on the water from 

      Café Le Valmy, 145 quai de Valmy, 10^th (M: Gare de l’Est, Château Landon)

Go to a Hamman

The Hamman Medina Center is a simple, traditional hamman with very reasonable prices. For 39€ you have entry to the hamman, a bathrobe, gommage, access to the pool, saunas of varying temperatures and humidity, a hot tile area and a relaxation room. At the end of your visit, you’ll be served tea and oriental pastries. Check the website for men and women times. Saturday is unisex.

Make yourself at home in a House Museum

In preparation for La Nuit des Musées (see below), leave the hoards behind and visit one of these quaint house museums.

Gustave Moreau’s dreamy paintings, watercolors and sculptures are right at home in the three-story house he built and later used as his studio. He bequeathed the house to the French state with the stipulation that the collection be kept together forever. Musée National Gustave-Moreau.

Nissim de Camondo built his house (1911) in the style of the 18^th century and furnished it with period pieces during his lifetime. It is preserved as a private home. Don’t miss the kitchen. Musée Nissim de Camondo   

The Jacquemart André museum, not far from the Nissim de Camondo was the classically-inspired private residence of the banker Edouard André and his artist wife Nélie Jaquemart. The museum houses their private collection of French, Italian, Dutch/Flemish and English paintings, sculpture and furniture as well as temporary exhibits. The current exhibit of landscapes by Eugène Boudin, called by Corot ‘the master of the sky’, runs to July 22, 2013.

Maison de Balzac is the former residence of the great 19^th century French novelist Honoré de Balzac.

Antiquaire Place Furstenberg

Victor Vianu

It is tucked away in the 16^th arrondissement and you can stroll in the garden (bring that umbrella !). It is one of the 11 free museums of the Ville de Paris and one of three literary museums in Paris (Victor Hugo’s House and La Maison de la Vie Romantique – George Sand).

The Musée Cognacq-Jay is located in the historic Hôtel Donon (1575) and houses the extensive collection of 18^th century fine art and decorative items donated by the founders of the La Samaritaine department store.

Nestled in the circular Place Furstenberg (certainly one of the most charming squares in Paris) is the house and studio of the French Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix which opens onto a private garden. Musée National Eugene Delacroix 

See my post on Springtime in Paris for other ideas for when the sun makes an appearance.

 Don’t Miss !

Saturday, May 18, 2013 : Nuit Européenne des Musées – European Museum Night

All of the big venues and many smaller museums take part in La Nuit des Musees which begins at 6pm and continues until around 11pm. Entry to all museums is free. The programs often include music, dance or another special activity. Consult the Paris program to plan your evening. If you go to the large events, be prepared to wait on line for hours.

The Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine is planning visits by flashlight, concerts, films and dramatic guided visits of the gallery of plaster casts with readings from the works of literary giants. 

The Musée de l’Orangerie will have jazz music in the Matisse-Picasso rooms. 

The Musée Cognacq-Jay (see above) will feature musical readings of Diderot’s The Triumph of Reason.

The Hunting Museum, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature will have not only poetry and music, but also a performance of Nosferatu/Dracula. 

Other venues to see, Les Docks-Cité de la Mode et du Design (for the exhibit ‘Mannequin: le corps de la mode’ which ends on May 19^th), La Cinemathèque and Quai Branly.