I have various cities1 saved in my weather app, so I’m always vaguely aware of what weather family and friends are enduring or enjoying. I know it’s hot everywhere right now, and the headlines tell me we’re not just hot, we’re living through record-breaking temperatures, again. It seems like every summer’s heat breaks the last.
I am well acquainted with heat, mainly the humid kind. Thanks to the Peace Corps, I’m even acquainted with living through heat with no electricity. That doesn’t mean I’m used to it or like it. I’m fortunate to work in a building with air conditioning, but that’s not the norm. My physical therapist’s office has lots of windows, but no A/C. Some trams have it, but the A/C only seems to work in the middle and front of the tram.
If you love A/C, perhaps the summer isn’t the time to travel to Switzerland. Or most major European cities (the Scandinavians seem to be ok). If you do book a trip, don’t assume your accommodations will have air conditioning.
When I told an expat who’s been here for 15+ years that we were considering getting an A/C, she jokingly tsked me and said, “It isn’t done.” People find creative ways to keep cool. One person told me she uses a cooling arnica spray before bed. Another said she put her socks in the freezer. We get through the heat with a couple of fans and by Lüfting the apartment.
Gabe continues to work from home in the heat, but outside of work hours, I find it challenging to do much beyond swim and lie around. If you’re in the same boat, here are some random entertainment recommendations for hiding in the A/C or lying around listlessly in your un-air conditioned home:
The Europeans podcast - if you’re interested in keeping up with European current affairs, this weekly podcast is my go-to (in addition to the Swiss news & a German news podcast. This is in English, so I understand all of it). It’s not just politics: they put Malta’s Eurovision song on my radar, introduced me to a vegan activist Swiss drag cow, and turned me on to Neopolitan singer La Niña, whose music they describe as “witchy pop.”
Swiss and Chips - a podcast for British people living in Switzerland hosted by a Swiss and Brit couple. Despite being an American, I find it informative and entertaining. Their most recent episode was about Lüft!
Smarter German - In case you’re both learning German and feeling like you need to be a little productive in your heatwave, this is for you. The online courses are self-paced, and I like the instructor, Michael’s, inventive approach to helping you learn article genders. He’s also offering the lower level classes for free (though payment is invited and encouraged).
Finally, I do not recommend endlessly scrolling social media and wondering what is going to become of the United States, and yet, I am. Happy 4th of July to my American readers (I guess???)
How have you been escaping the heat?
Today in German: Hitzefrei
I just learned the term “Hitzefrei,” literally “heat free,” less literally, “school’s out today because of the heat” (that’s how pons.de translated it).
This seems to be more of a thing in Germany, and it applies to schools and workplaces, who might declare “Hitzefrei” when temperatures become unbearably hot. It’s not generally a Swiss practice, though it used to exist. For example, until the 1980s, students in canton Zurich got a day off if the temperature was in the 30s (86 F and above) before 10 a.m. There are recommendations for office temperatures and guidelines for breaks and working hours for construction workers, but everything differs from canton to canton. Apparently only pregnant and breast-feeding people can call off work if the room temperature is above 28 degrees (82.4).
My Texas schools had A/C (not in the gym, though), so we never had heat days, just closures for ice and too much rain (only once). Have you had days off for heat?
Sources
“Hot asphalt, ‘corn sweat’ and floods: midwest swelters as heatwave grips the US.” The Guardian.
“Hitzefrei: Gibts das überhaupt in der Schweiz?” Beobachter.
Houston, TX; Mascoutah, IL; Washington, D.C.; London
I recall in grade school having half-days when the schoolyear began in August during one particularly hot year. The old building didn't have AC, although the new part they built while I was there did.
Linda,
Just be glad you don't live under Trump's tyranny. Every day, things get worse.