FHurdle

I spent most of June in various parts of Europe, as well as eight days in March. Every indoor area seems to be maintained at about 80 degrees. It might be 55 degrees outside, but the train will be 80. We stayed at a small German hotel on the Rhine that had a gourmet restaurant. The heat was stifling, but they never bothered to open a window.

Europeans, or at least the French and Germans, seem to be sensitive to any type of cold weather, because I would see them walking around bundled up on days when I was wearing short sleeves or long sleeves with no coat.

At night the temperatures in June would get down to about 55 degrees, and opening the hotel window would slowly cool the room off. But there was very little air circulation, and it usually took four or five hours. Why aren't these rooms equipped with fans? I'm seriously thinking about buying a 10-inch fan for my next trip that I could use on trains and also stick in a hotel window, although I'm not sure how much it would help cool a hotel room. Has anyone done this?

Don't any Europeans want to be nice and cold?

hetismij2

Northern Europeans spend 10 months of the year "nice and cold".

I can't say that I have experienced what you are describing to be honest. We certainly don't want air-conditioning everywhere so you need a sweater when you enter a shop and get heat shock when you leave it again as I have experienced in the US.

RM67

Being green is also quite important. It's not that people are not aware of air conditioning and fans - they just don't think it particularly environmentally friendly to be using them all the time. You will find aircon in many corporate buildings, and in most cars, but in virtually no homes. People in the hotter countries tend to keep rooms shuttered in the fiercest heat during the day and only open windows in the evening. And if you live anywhere any length of time you acclimatise anyway. Just drink plenty of water and use the hot weather as an excuse for ice cream!

bilboburgler

I'd die at those temperatures. Siting here at 15C and windows open as required. But basically the drive for green and energy costs will beat comfort unless someone else is paying so all offices will be an icy 20C.

fourfortravel

We moved from hot and humid DC to Vienna, Austria four years ago, and it took about a year to adjust to the cultural norm of rare AC, even rarer ice cubes, and, quite often, very warm temperatures in stores and restaurants. The temperature shock from arctic buildings to the summer heat outdoors in the US ground me down, to be honest. I thought it silly to carry a sweater to the office on 90°F days, but I knew the building would be like an igloo.

You could have asked that a window be opened at the restaurant. I often open windows on some of the older trams in order to facilitate a cross breeze on warm days. Every once in a while I get a death stare from someone, but generally no one really seems to mind.

BigRuss

Electricity prices in Europe are enormous compared to what we pay in the US. They also buy into the green nonsense that human air conditioning is ruining the planet more than horrifically bad environmental policies like subsidizing "green" energy (ask the Spanish and Germans) or encouraging Brazil to strip its rainforests to grow plants to meet the ethanol requirements in the US. Only the French are bang on with their electricity generation policy of using the cleanest power source available - nukes.

RM67

Yeah, everyone's just jealous of your freedoms and your energy and given half a chance we'd all have fridges the size of Birmingham cos the only thing stopping us guzzling energy is the price. It couldn't possible be that people are educated to be more sparing of energy usage, and are thinking about the future of the planet. They're all just jealous. Of you and your aircon and your fans and your guns. Yeehaw!

PatrickLondon

>>Every indoor area seems to be maintained at about 80 degrees. It might be 55 degrees outside, but the train will be 80. <<

Not in my experience.

KTtravel

Yes, heat does sometimes bother me while traveling but usually when it is hotter. I now try to book rooms that do have air conditioning, if traveling during July or August, whenever possible.

During the day I slow my pace down and take advantage of "needing" to try gelato!

fuzzbucket

If you are used to living in constant air-conditioning, as many people are, this is a valid question.

I lived in the Deep South, never walked more than 2 blocks if it wasn't absolutely necessary, and refused to go anywhere that wasn't air-conditioned to just above the freezing point.

When I moved to Paris in 2008, during a nasty heat wave, I almost perished. Slept in the bathtub, with frozen water bottles tucked around me. Nope, not kidding.

Took me two years to get used to handling 100 F heat without anything other than an oscillating fan and a spray bottle full of water. I don't use ice, anymore, either.

Wear loose-fitting clothing, hats, stay in the shade, and slow the heck down. If you don't have a/c, keep the shutters and curtains closed during the day. I see tourists who don't heed this advice dropping like flies...

annhig

Europeans, or at least the French and Germans, seem to be sensitive to any type of cold weather, because I would see them walking around bundled up on days when I was wearing short sleeves or long sleeves with no coat.>>

I suggest you visit Newcastle upon Tyne or Glasgow. There you will find plenty of people dressed in T-shirts even in January.

Edward2005

The only way to escape the heat is to visit northern Europe in summer and southern Europe the rest of the year. And leave your jeans at home. I live in Florida and jeans in the summer are just bad news.

BigRuss

<< It couldn't possible be that people are educated to be more sparing of energy usage, and are thinking about the future of the planet. They're all just jealous.>>

Considering the state of climate science, and the absence of limitations upon China and Russia, nope - it's not possible.

Macross

I made the mistake of renting an apartment end of May in Florence that had ac. It was so hot and we found out they were not allowed to turn on till sometime in June. Windows opened and the mosquitoes poured in. The landlord plugged something into the outlets and it helped a bit but it was steamy with no fans or ac. I learned my lesson. We try to travel fall, winter or spring to avoid the heat. I do find the Germans run the heat so high in the winter that I open the windows in every hotel to sleep.

Pegontheroad

If the room is too warm at night, I generally open the windows so I will cool down. I use earplugs to moderate the street noise, if there is any.

I once traveled with a woman friend who couldn't use earplugs, so she didn't want to have the window open. We always had to leave the window shut, which made the room stifling.

Come to think of it, we should have compromised, having the window open one night and closed the next night. As it was, we always did what she wanted.

nytraveler

This is one of the reasons we like to travel in southern areas in April or May at the latest (or late Oct/Nov if necessary). If we travel in the summer we do Switz, Scandinavia of the British Isles.

That said - any trips in the summer (business for instance) - I will stay in hotel only with AC. You can find them in almost any city - but often have to go for an upscale hotel, frequently a global or US chain. Not what I would prefer (luxury yes, but also local) but only if it has AC.

Dianedancer

Diesel ain't too environmentally friendly.

nyse

Peg, if you had alternated nights, you could have pushed her gently out the window on an open window night - just a thought/

IMDonehere

Merida, Spain so hot a noon, it was impossible to go out.

One summer in Galicia, a heat wave heat caused the family to kill the chickens and we helped with certain details.

fourfortravel

"It couldn't possible be that people are educated to be more sparing of energy usage, and are thinking about the future of the planet. They're all just jealous."

Given the number of Viennese I observe who drive Porsche SUVs, Bentley's, and other gas-guzzlers to the market for three or four items (and take two parking spaces because their vehicles are so large), I'm not thinking these folks give one thought about the future of the planet, be they educated or not.