Summer

Monday we went for a run in the Canicule heat. For the most part we skirted woods where we could, and stopped twice at the same fountain to drink, splash ourselves, and recover from the heat. In so doing we cooled ourselves and stayed hydrated.

After the run we went to the Plage De Promenthoux for l’apéro, which was mainly chips and a drink or two. We also stood in the water for a group photo. “That’s a lot of shells” I thought. The bottom of the water was sandy with a few stones. It was obviously around 21°c.

On Monday we were running in the rain, and getting soaked and two women were discussing Caribana, Paléo, Festineuch and more. During another hike people were speaking about Montreux, and during a book discussion someone said “I don’t think I can be at the next book discussion because of a concert.

Now, on the flipside you have groups that wake up to run at 6am on a Friday and normal society says “But that’s too early” because normal society considers that going out at night until 2am, or watching TV until late is a good use of an evening.

Yesterday I went to a Ruby on Rails talkin Geneva. I headed to town early and had a walk from Cornavin to the UNHCR building before walking towards the WMO. I then turned towards the lake and headed to the parc.

In the park I saw that people were in summer mode. Some were having barbecues whilst more were having siestas and more. Geneva has switched to summer mode. After passing by the Palais Wilson I headed back into the centre, towards Grottes, and that’s where I saw the Orchestre des Nation performing in the street.It is amusing to see Geneva being more Mediterranean.

I live in a Minergie, which, in theory, means that I never need to worry about climatisation because the building keeps itself warm in winter and cold in summer. In practice the features that make a flat fantastic winter make it awful in summer.

Good in Winter

Large windows, in winter allow heat radiation in, so you use the sun to heat your apartment. From Spring until Autumn it has the opposite feature. It turns a room into a sauna, rather than giving an enjoyable temperature.

For as long as I remember I have enjoyed summer heat. For a long time I lived in a house that was like a cave in summer. It would be 30°c outdoors but 21 to 25°c indoors. It felt like stepping into a cave when I got home. For a summer or two I lived in a apartment on the 5th floor in Meyrin and during the 2003 summer heat wave I would open the windows on both sides of the building and get a nice draft.

Yesterday I went for a bike ride. By my norms it was a relatively cool day, just 27 or so degrees, compared to the 30-37°c I have ridden in, in the past. I was comfortable on the bike, with a cool breeze to cool me down.

I went by the lake and I think other people were heatstruck. They were lethargic and innatentive getting off buses. They were all by the lake side, sunbathing like marine iguanas. As I road by the lake it was sometimes frustrating to see that the bike lane was used by pedestrians, with no thought to cyclists. The same pedestrians who had driven to the lake side in a car.

When you cycle you feel the difference between different landscapes between seconds. You go from farming landscapes to wooded areas near forests before finally getting to the cities. In the process you notice the difference in temperatures between these different land uses.

The Permanent Summer Heatwave

This summer has been mild in Switzerland, so far, but it could get up to 37°c for several days at a time again. As heat becomes more common the way the Swiss are building new properties becomes absurd. Where there was a single house, surrounded by grass, with two of three trees, and shade, you get a tarmaced parking space, with walls that prevent breezes and tarmac that absors the heat during the day, and radiates it at night. Fantastic in winter, awful in summer.

I walked to the Chateau De Bossey today. It’s an easy walk from one village to another and another after that.

A dirt road part of the walk.

A view of the Salève

A view of a field, the lakes with boats and the Alps in the background.

One sunflower is looking the wrong way. The morning sun is in the other direction.

The unthreatening clouds did not bother me during my bike ride but it was cooler than sometimes at this time of year. I occasionally felt that an extra layer or two would be welcome. That’s unusual in July at this time of year.

I chose routes that kept me as far from cars as possible. I also chose wider roads. They may be safer. The challenge is to find roads where cars are banned.