7/26/17 Notional A/C
Mid 70's and partly sunny.
Air conditioning exists in Europe. Sort of. It's more of a notion, an idea, a rumor. In my recent travels I was fortunate that the weather was mild, mid 60s to mid 70s most days and even dipping into the 50s at night on the cooler days. See I'm a cold room kind of guy when it comes to sleep. A room gets to be above say, 70 degrees and I have a hard time sleeping. The good news here is that unlike some of my other habits and lifestyle choices I'm on the right side of science with this one.
In the parts of Europe that I've been (a fair amount actually) the locals are mystified by the American need for things to be cold. The air conditioning in a lot of places is barely a whisper of slightly cool air even when the fan level is cranked to the max. Water in restaurants? Room temperature unless you ask for ice and as soon as you do you'll be pegged as an American if your accent didn't give it away already. The better hotels make a concession by having some carafes of water on a refrigerated table top for Americans, the rest are just out on the buffet. It's an exciting thing when you get a glass of cold water over there, a refreshing taste of home.
It'll be interesting to see if the cooling situation improves over there as the world gets warmer. I heard France had a terrible heat wave, I wonder if the locals will start clamoring for the sweet relief of refrigerated air.
Air conditioning exists in Europe. Sort of. It's more of a notion, an idea, a rumor. In my recent travels I was fortunate that the weather was mild, mid 60s to mid 70s most days and even dipping into the 50s at night on the cooler days. See I'm a cold room kind of guy when it comes to sleep. A room gets to be above say, 70 degrees and I have a hard time sleeping. The good news here is that unlike some of my other habits and lifestyle choices I'm on the right side of science with this one.
In the parts of Europe that I've been (a fair amount actually) the locals are mystified by the American need for things to be cold. The air conditioning in a lot of places is barely a whisper of slightly cool air even when the fan level is cranked to the max. Water in restaurants? Room temperature unless you ask for ice and as soon as you do you'll be pegged as an American if your accent didn't give it away already. The better hotels make a concession by having some carafes of water on a refrigerated table top for Americans, the rest are just out on the buffet. It's an exciting thing when you get a glass of cold water over there, a refreshing taste of home.
It'll be interesting to see if the cooling situation improves over there as the world gets warmer. I heard France had a terrible heat wave, I wonder if the locals will start clamoring for the sweet relief of refrigerated air.
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