Tulips

I really don't know what you're talking about FHurdle.
80F = 26 C (had to look that up, we don't use F). We're very happy if we have a temperature of 26 in June. On the odd day that it is warmer than that, we are ecstatic. Instead of investing in an AC that we would perhaps use for 10 days a year, we take a day off work and go to the beach.
In March we would have heating indoors, to keep the temperature around 20 to 22 (colder in bedrooms, as Whathello says). And we will light a fire if it's too cold.

I really dislike AC on a cold setting as they have in much of the US.

justineparis

We weee in greece and southern Spain this pasr May. We swam in the ocean many times and wore shorts and sundresses all day. It averaged between 20-26 C. We loved it and thought it was hot.

We did not many folks wearing these thin down jackets!!!We were incredulous ar their heat tolerance, most appeared to be from warmer climates( darker skin and speaking italian, spanish or some other language than english) .

We actually would look at some of them and just marvel at their heat tolerance as we were sweating.

Back home, here, anything over 25 we would call a heat wave. Its what you grow up used to.

Whathello

Tss, F to C is sooo easy : -32 then * 5 / 9.

annhig

only a Belgian.

billbarr

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

So right annhig, at least here in Glasgow. It can be minus 5 in January, I'm wearing around five layers plus a warm down jacket to try and stay warm and I can guarantee I will see someone wearing jeans and a t-shirt only. Totally baffles me.

Bill

Macross

quokka on Jul 17, 16 at 12:44pm
Not in the hotels we have stayed in, controlled by the hotel. I wish it had been that simple. Only a place we stay at in Garmisch has the radiator type and love that. Goose down quilts to crawl under and able to breath cool air.

annhig

Until yesterday, the thought of being too hot in the UK was risible but we have a heat-wave and most of our buildings are woefully inadequate when the temps go over 25C. I am lucky in that the building I mostly work in is air conditioned but parts of it were only retrofitted with aircon, so either you can hear people speaking [quite important as it's a court room] and boil, or not hear them and be comfortable. Not much of a choice.

But my little office was very hot even with the window wide open [no a/c there] and home wasn't much better, though like most cornish farmhouses, the kitchen is positioned facing north so that makes it bearable.

joannyc

When I was in northern Spain a few years ago in August, it was very hot in a number of places. I booked all hotels with AC. Some hotel rooms had thermostats with AC and heat settings but did not work when trying to turn on the AC. Only after calling the front desk did I learn that they turned it on when requested.... And apparently off at their discretion.

Last year, it was hot as Hadies in the south of France in July!!! Lost 11 lbs even with all the foie gras eating and wine/beer drinking!!!

FHurdle

Tulips, I'm making reference to the interior temperatures as much as the outdoor ones, although in Bacharach the afternoon temperature got up to around 85 (29) and it was still not hot enough for our hotel owner to activate our room's air conditioner (it did cool down at night, but opening the window did not cause the air to circulate).

I just hate the super-hot interiors, such as trains maintained at almost 80 degrees, plus virtually all public buildings. I learned to cope in colder weather by wearing a colored undershirt, so I could take off my long-sleeved shirt on trains or indoors. I also carry a hand towel to wipe the massive amounts of sweat off my face and dry the sweat out of my hair.

Anyway, next up is to try to find a fan that I can put in my pack, so I can take it out on the train (or plane) and blow it on my face. Obviously I'll be looking for one with 220v or else battery powered. I was just curious if anyone else did this, and whether such a small fan might aid in bringing in cool air from the outside when the hotel windows are open.

bilboburgler

Years ago, in Morocco, 32C in an unconditioned coach, only the guides and Mrs B still had jumpers on.

hetismij2

I don't think trains are maintained at 80F. Bodies add heat, so the more crowded the train (or restaurant) the hotter it will be.

It takes a week for a human to adjust to high temperature, which is why locals generally don't have a problem. In the UK and the Netherlands we tend to get sudden heatwaves which make it harder to adapt. Keeping windows and curtains closed in the heat of the day really helps, counter intuitive as it is.

Likewise if you are used to cold weather you are more likely to be wearing less clothes than those not used to it.
In February in Norway we saw plenty of people in clothing we would consider suitable for autumn, not for -10C, but they were clearly quite comfortable.

If you spend your days and nights in air conditioned spaces your body has no chance of adapting to conditions, making you feel the heat/cold more and making you spend more time indoors. A vicious circle.

Whathello

I'm liquefied btw.
In northern France, 32C in the shade, we have no airco of course. Have been 7 guys sweating in a meeting room since 8 am. Plus 7 laptops and one projector adding some heat too.
At least the windows open, so the air is still breathable.
No rain yet but it will definitely come. Probbaly when I'm on the road towards home.

twk

It seems to me that one area which gets overlooked a lot in this discussion is architecture. I live in Texas, and before air conditioning in this extremely hot climate, homes tended to have high interior ceilings (lets you open windows top and bottom for better circulation) and often transoms over doors (so as to allow circulation while maintaining some privacy). Once homes started being built with central air, builders went to low ceilings (allows for duct work and reduces area to be cooled) and windows that were more to be looked through then used for circulation.

In most of Europe, it just isn't hot enough, long enough, for cooling to be the central concern--it's almost always keeping warm that is priority number one because of the climate. So, 92 degrees Fahrenheit in England is a record setting day worthy of a newspaper headline--in Texas, we would call that a cool spell for this time of year (when the average high is 98 F).

fuzzbucket

A great many older residential buildings in Paris still rely on ancient boilers in the basement - many of which cannot be regulated for temperature, just for hours of operation.
Since the elderly feel the cold more intensely - and complain about it the loudest - the building normally gives in and turns up the heat to suit them.
But "collective heating" costs for a building like this are shared among many apartments, so if some people are overheated, they just open the windows - which they are convinced would still cost less than buying, installing and running individual heating units (whether gas or electric).
Last year, I had enough of the heat not working properly, and ripped out my "collective" radiators and installed modern, efficient, programmable electric units. When the residents asked about my electric bill (which was far below the "collective" charges) they voted to change to individual units.

As far as air-conditioning in Paris -
In most parts of the city, historic building regulations prohibit condensers - both as visual and auditory nuisances.
If the building's regulations allow it, some apartments can have window units if they are well-concealed and don't drip or annoy anyone - but this is rare. Most buildings also prohibit any machines running after a "reasonable hour" - usually 10 or 11 PM.

Hotels may have air-conditioning, but it must be disguised in air-shafts or elsewhere and must have noise buffers.

Open your windows first thing in the morning, and close them when you see the sun. If you are lucky enough to have exterior shutters, close them during the day and also close the windows and curtains. Keep the shutters closed for security and open the windows late at night. You can buy an oscillating fan for around 25 - 30 EU. One per room will do the job.

Live like a troglodyte for a few days, you'll be happier.

Whathello

And jump into a swimming pool in the evening.

kerouac

<i>Electricity prices in Europe are enormous compared to what we pay in the US.</i>

In the summer, I pay about $30 a month for electricity in Paris ($80 in the winter since I have electric heat).

What do you pay in the US? (Of course, it has to be admitted that France has the cheapest electricity in Western Europe.)

lolfn

The one by product of places being warm is more bothersome to me than being hot. The odiferous BO smells are bad enough to knock a person out. When you aren't used to the musk, it can be unbearable.

Underhill

We absolutely sweltered one August in Salzburg. Never again! But the worst was at a hotel without a/c high up above the Moselle. It was so hot that the butter melted on the plate in the restaurant. We survived only by filling the tub with cold water and taking turns in it. August in Aachen wasn't much better. The hotel had a/c, but going out for more than 20 minutes or so was about all I could manage.

StCirq

As I mentioned upthread, our electricity bill for the last TWO months here was 35.43 euros, for a 4-bedroom house, garage, veranda, cabana, pool, and loads of workmen using power tools days after day.

It was a refreshingly cool day here at 28C and a light rain this evening. I put on a light sweater to sit outside.

If we had AC here, I think our systems would go haywire.

hpeabody

Last year in July about this time I was in the Med area and Italy on a cruise I have never been so uncomfortably hot. It was relentless. Every day over 100 degrees f and Rome was 104 and sooooooo humid. Finally when in Venice it broke a bit, it was only 99 degrees f. I learned I am not a good traveler in the heat, UGH!!! I have no A/C, I type this as I sit in my home/condo with a fan where it is a lovely 92 degrees f inside in the 7:00 pm hour. It will be getting even hotter the next few days.