Hot, Hot, Hot… again!
Remember the scenes in Tennessee William’s A Street Car Named Desire where Stanley (Marlon Brando) is drenched in sweat from the oppressive heat of the city? Well, during our week in Périgueux, there was a heat wave that sent temperatures into the high nighties and a couple of days over 100°. I felt like Stanley looked, especially in the scene where he was playing poker with his buddies in his apartment and even though they had all the fans going full blast, they were all drenched in sweat. And then even when we went somewhere walking outside, the stone buildings and streets added to the miseries by soaking up the heat and then slowly releasing it back to you all night long.
For some reason we can’t understand, the French still haven’t embraced the idea of air conditioning. Only a few shops and restaurants have it. Most French homes do not. So in trying to keep their homes somewhat cool, they go through this daily ritual of closing shutters during the day if windows are facing the sun and opening them if they are not. But regardless, all shutters are tightly shut at night. This happens even in the small villages and hamlets. Makes one feel like your sealing yourself in from some danger on the outside.
So, when we finally arrived at out next stop in the countryside, we were overjoyed with relief. It felt so good to be away from the heat, away from all the stone buildings that surrounded us and from the stone streets and sidewalks that tired the feet. It was also a great relief to have an expansive view, to be able to look out at the cliffs, valley, and countryside.
And the very first thing we did after moving in? Jump right into the pool!
Poolside at Le Manoir des Granges
Our first evening here, we had a nice, long relaxing dinner outside on our own private patio looking at the cliff face across the valley, blushing slowly in the setting sun.
View from our Patio of La Roque Saint-Christophe
Read our Hot! Hot! Hot! post from 2012 to find out how we coped with the heat then. Obviously, we had a lot more energy then than we do now. Taking it slower this time and enjoying France even more.
Paris and Beyond 