Up to 42 degrees in the shade expected. France goes through a heatwave which looks intense and durable. Météo-France has placed more than half of the countries in vigilance orange, and even some departments in vigilance red, a good part of the Île-de-France. Of high temperatures should be recorded on the day but also at night where the thermometer peinera to go down below 20 degrees, especially in the city where the heat builds up quickly.
For those who do not have the chance to spend a week of heat wave, holidays on the edge of the water, or be equipped with a swimming pool in their garden, there are a multitude of places where you can take refuge in the freshness. The Point gives you a few ideas to escape the sweltering heat.
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1. Sink beneath the earth
The strong, like that of the Hackenberg, keep a cool temperature thanks to their thick walls and their construction is often in-depth. © Ungaroo – Udo Ungar / Wikimedia Commons
To protect themselves, due to lack of surface space or to better preserve food, man has built a multitude of underground structures. Even today, they offer a refuge in nice during a heat wave. Why not visit, for example, the catacombs of Paris ? When the thermometer can reach 40 degrees above the cobblestones of the capital, its sub-soils provide a constant temperature of 14 degrees.
the Same effect in the ancient military forts, now open to the public. Near Verdun, it is 12 degrees in winter and summer as in the forts of Vaux and Douaumont, the cities destroyed during the First world War. Freshness the same as the fort du Hackenberg Moselle, on the Maginot line, “an underground environment where the temperature is stabilized at 12 degrees throughout the year,” promises the monument on its website.
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Built under the land to keep the wines at a constant temperature and fresh, and the cellars are also a good solution to preserve heat, whilst sampling good wines. “In the cellars, the room temperature is around 17-18 degrees,” recalls France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, which indicates that during the heat wave of 2019, the wine merchants have noticed an increase in attendance of 20 % in the afternoon.
2. Explore caves
In the caves of la Balme in Isère, it is between 12 and 15 degrees throughout the year. © Thibaut Déléaz / Point
France has a multitude of caves open for tours to the public. Meticulously pierced in the rock for thousands of years by the flow of water, these cavities hold naturally the freshness, providing a constant temperature throughout the year. Some are even used to store wine, as in that of the Aven d’orgnac in the Ardeche !
A freshness that, in these times of heatwave, even becomes a marketing ploy for these tourist places. “Between 12 and 15 degrees all year round !” pitching the caves of la Balme in the department of Isère, near Lyon. The gouffre de Padirac, in the Lot, we had fun : “there is air conditioning, but it is set to 13 degrees throughout the year. “
3. A walk in the forest
In the forest, is on average four degrees lower than outside. © GAIZKA IROZ / AFP
Nearly one-third of metropolitan France is covered in forest, according to the national Institute for geographic information and forestry (IGN). A chance at a time when heat waves are growing : a study published in 2019 in the journal Nature, Ecology and Evolution, found by the CNRS, showed that the temperature in the forests was on average four degrees lower than the outdoor temperature.
If the tropical forests, with their more large trees and their foliage, thicker than our temperate forests offer the biggest range of temperatures, the 17 million hectares of French forests offer the promise of beautiful walks in the cool shade of the trees. In this period of a pandemic, it is also one of the few places where you can drop the mask, if the trails are not too crowded.
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4. Enjoy the quiet places of worship
Constructed of thick stone, the churches are places that remain cool, whatever the outside temperature. © Thibaut Déléaz / Point
The places of worship, including churches, cathedrals and other chapels, are havens well known from the heat. Their thick stone walls and stained glass windows allow you to keep your environment fresh and pleasant in their breast, even when the thermometer starts to move up on the outside.
5. Be grown by taking advantage of the air-conditioning
In the museums, the temperature is regulated for the conservation of the works. © FREDERIC IOVINO
If they are not of the places, keeping of course the freshness, the museums see their temperature regulated for the preservation of the works. Almost all have since reopened the déconfinement, and most, especially in Paris, are still little frequented and see anyway their attendance limited. A good plan to enjoy the freshness cultivating, without being jostled by the waves of tourists as usual.
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Reopened them, too, and cinemas are now almost all air conditioned, and allow you to spend a few hours to charge before one – or more ! – film. Anything to boost attendance at cinemas, boudées since their reopening in late June ? Not necessarily so. During the heat wave in 2019, the general delegate of the Fédération nationale des cinémas français explained to the Parisien that the heat did not really to the cinema : “When it gets too hot, people are struggling to get out of the house, even to go in an air conditioned room. “Enjoy the cool during a heat wave, it has to be earned !
writing will advise you
Heat wave, and Covid-19 : the obligations of your employer Covid-19 : the necessary adaptation of the actions to be barriers to a heatwave Heatwave : get to sleep when it is hot Heatwave : the plan of attack of the SNCF
