Updated 00.56 | Published 00.32
PARIS. The French are smoking in the canal.
Tourists faint on the way up the Eiffel Tower.
And now the fans are out.
– So that’s great. We are having a great time, says the French Emma ironically.
There are rosy cheeks on many people in Paris after they were hit by an extreme heat wave. Red weather warnings for high temperatures are in place over half of the country – including the capital.
There is no sea there.
But channels.
At the Canal Saint-Martin in eastern Paris, there is a folk festival. People jump into the green water from the bridges and enjoy a cooling bath. Young people usually sit here and drink wine in the evenings. But since two weeks ago, it is allowed to swim in the canal.
In the hot bath, a young woman smokes a cigarette.
“Not pleasant”
It is especially welcome when the thermometer has climbed up to 38 degrees and it is expected to be even hotter in the coming days.
Franciscan sisters Emma, 25, and Lou, 27, sit leaning against the fence by the water.
– We are very warm, says Lou.
– We come here to swim in the evening. We have a fan that is on all day and all night but it is not comfortable.
In her apartment it is 29 degrees.
– It has been difficult to fall asleep.
In the office it has been just as hot.
Emma’s apartment is also not adapted to the heat. She has no shutters, which means that the sun is on all day.
– It is not very pleasant. All fans are out of stock throughout Paris, so that’s great. We have a great time, she says ironically.
Scorchingly hot in the shade
Many restaurants lack proper air conditioning. Instead, guests wave their hands or the menus to get some air. In a sweaty restaurant, the waitress miscalculates the bill and apologizes. She blames the heat.
Even though it’s afternoon, it’s scorching hot – even in the shade.
The Swedish friends Agnes, 20, and Sara, 20, who both work in Paris, also cross the channel during the afternoon. They say that the last few days have been difficult.
– You take a cold shower when you’re at home. You are indoors as much as possible and go to museums and churches a lot where it is always cool. Otherwise it is difficult. It’s not possible to be outdoors or in your apartment if you don’t have a fan at home, says Agnes.
“A wall of sauna heat”
Sara has caught a cold from her fan.
How would you describe the heat?
– I would say that when you walk out of a store where there has been AC, it feels like you are walking into a wall of sauna heat. It’s very hot, says Agnes.
– It’s really not pleasant. It’s not enjoyable, Sara adds.
The heat stays put. Several hours later, it’s still not over.
At 22.30 the thermometer shows 32 degrees. It almost feels cool compared to earlier in the day.
In front of the Eiffel Tower it is full of people who want to be photographed. Below the Place du Trocadéro, people dip their feet in the fountain.
Caught in the middle of the heat
The Amberlind family, who traveled to Paris from Skåne on holiday, were taken to bed by the heat when they arrived here last Saturday.
– It has been hot. Too hot, says Staffan Amberlind, 45, on the lawn directly in front of the tower.
To cool off, they have visited an aquarium, among other things.
They have also managed to climb the Eiffel Tower.
– We had booked tickets two weeks ago. So we were happy that we had taken it fairly early in the morning.
The attraction was later forced to close to the public due to the extreme temperatures.
Faded in the tower
They say that it was a bit windy when you went up the stairs.
– When we were about to get down, someone had fainted up there. Then they had to call for help, who came with wet paper.
There will be many water breaks. In one store, the water ran out. Now they’ve bought enough so it’s enough.
But what is it like to vacation in this heat then?
– So it’s hard, says Simon Amberlind, 11.
– We had thought of some other things in Paris. We would go more and do more and see more. But we have limited it a little, says mother Linda.
A hop-on hop-off bus in blazing sun was unthinkable.
Tomorrow the family has booked a visit to Disneyland. Then it is expected to be even warmer.
– This was not exactly how we envisioned the trip when we booked. But nobody could know that, says Linda.
If you had known, would you have gone anyway?
– No, we are not that fond of the heat.
Are you longing to go back to Sweden now that it’s so hot here?
– No. Right now it’s a fantastic evening. Evenings like this are missed in Sweden. That it is this hot is absolutely unbelievable, she says.
