With the intense heat of the last week and my crazy schedule it’s been a bit manic with not much time to blog!
Wedding Cruise
Last Tuesday I attended a wedding party of one of my first French friends I met when I was just 16 on one of the boats on the Saône river in Lyon. Despite living here for many years, a river cruise is something I had never done we were lucky that the day was so perfect for such an activity. The weather was just hot enough to spend the whole evening on deck, cruising along without feeling any chill whilst coiffing back champagne and enjoying delicately prepared nibbles from a well known traiteur (which I don’t know and need to find out!). I didn’t get chance to take too many photos as conversation was flowing and I hadn’t seen a lot of people on the boat for 10 years plus, but if you’re ever in Lyon it is definitely something I would recommend.
Then last Friday I dashed off on a last minute business trip to Paris on what was to be the hottest day of the week and the last day of school for Parisian kids. What a nightmare! The heat in Paris was so intense you literally melted, I thought things were tough in Lyon where it is often hotter than Paris, but mix in the Parisian pollution, tall buildings and that many people everywhere and the heat feels far more intense.
Whilst I was in Paris I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with Karin from An Alien Parisienne in a Starbucks close to Opera Garnier. It was great to meet Karin and it is a shame that she’s in Paris (or that I’m in Lyon) but I’m sure we’ll get other opportunities to meet up in the future. I’m sure Karin won’t mind but I’ve pinched one of the photos she took of us to share here (below).
Karin was excellent in guiding me from the tube to Starbucks and then she kindly accompanied me to my meeting as I didn’t have a clue where I was going (I’d forgotten to take any maps, duh!). It is only thanks to her that I know I have seen the Opera Garnier now, I have often wondered what the building was!
Another thing I have to thank Karin for is introducing me to Picasa for my photos – it’s great and I love it. Picasa is another reason why I have not blogged this week!
At the end after all my meetings, I was a melted, tomato sauce splattered wreck and wanted one thing and one thing only – to be back home. Alas, I was not going home tonight though, I was off to friends for a weekend! As I waited in the crowded Gare de Lyon with everyone who was going South, I started to wish for rain. This is most unlike me, but the heat was just so intense and with all the people standing waiting for their late trains it was extremely claustrophobic and I could barely breathe without touching other people as my lungs expanded. I ventured outside to try and get some fresh air before I fainted and was overjoyed to feel spots of rain on my bare arms. ‘Hurrah’ I though as I stood there embracing the rain. It was a short-lived sensation though, my train had been announced and the platform was the other side of the station – not an easy feat trying to cross Gare de Lyon during the peak traveling period like that! I have now made note never, ever to travel again by train during peak periods such as last day of school.
Saturday the hot weather persisted and I was unable to do much, but come Saturday evening I had a new lease of life and we enjoyed a boat trip with friends around Lac de Bourget near Aix-Les-Bains. Now, this is somewhere I would love to live if I ever left Lyon… I did get one of those free property magazines but I don’t dare open it and look just in case I see somewhere I really like the look of as I think I may just be tempted!
Lac du Bourget
Aix-Les-Bains is only an hour or so drive from Lyon and it is a fantastic thermal spa town sitting on the Lac de Bourget. We weren’t staying in Aix itself but in a nearby village at one end of the lake. I love being around water when it’s very hot and I can say that we definitely appreciated being on water Saturday evening and most of Sunday as temperatures soared past 34 degrees celsius.
Since returning from the lake, the hot weather has persisted in Lyon and yesterday I registered 36 degrees, so it’s now been officially declared that the canicule (heat wave alert) is persisting in Lyon and as I write this the temperature is increasing steadily and yet the sky is slowly being covered by large, grey menacing clouds. I think we’re going to be in for one heck of a storm later! I miss the fresh air from the lake and all I can inhale here are car fumes. I may just sneak a peek at that property magazine this weekend after all…
Where would you like to be during this heat wave?
It’s been hot here in the Loiret lately too. But Paris is the worst! I remember taking the metro to work early in the mornings on summer days and everyone would already be stinking of sweat at 7.30 in the morning. I don’t even want to talk about the end of the day!
How lucky to have met another blogger! Karin seems quite nice. I’ll have to go check out her blog. I’ve met two women here in the Loiret thanks to blogging.
The boat trip/wedding cruise looks fantastic. What a fun thing to do for a wedding.
How are your tomatoes?
People do stink on the metro, in Lyon at 0730 it’s the same. They must be a special breed of people because I rarely come across their stinkiness in other places… Best not to think about the end of the day. I took the line 14 in Paris and it wasn’t too bad – if I stood carefully I would get wind in my air and it was like a ventilation system.
Blogging is great isn’t it? How long have you been blogging for Dedene? Karin is the first “real” person I have met and she is great and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to go to Paris and that she was free. I don’t get the impression that there are many (if any?) bloggers in Lyon, it doesn’t seem to be too much of an expat type of place.
My tomatoes are doing fine thanks! I’ve treated them for the mildew and I had 12 more yellow and red t’s off the plants last night. I have found another tomato plant in a different pot with a load of weeds, it’s amazing, the things are growing everywhere!
Where would I like to be? In the frozen food aisle, or, even better, on my dream desert island with air con and ocean breezes.
Funnily enough, when I got married, we hired a boat for a night-time cruise on the Thames as part of the reception. I’d never been on a Thames cruise before, either. It was quite fab. (I later got divorced, but the cruise was still fab!)
Sarah, joking aside I once spent everyday of my summer holiday in l’leclerc as it was too hot to stay at by beaux-parents place or do anything else. I would go there for a walk each morning, then have a coke and some lunch and then do the shopping for the evening meal and then come home. Really sad – it was during the last major heatwave in France when lots of the elderly popped their clogs due to the intensity of the heat. In Provence we were topping 40 degrees quite often… So I can understand your wish to be in the frozen food aisle!
Let’s hope that river cruises do not set a precedent for marriages then! In anycase, cruises are such a good idea so long as the two families get on – I can see it quickly turning into a nightmare if there were any family disputes! Man overboard!
*waves* Hey there! Thanks for the write up about our meeting.
And yay! Picasa! The photos look so good, and isn’t it fun to play with? Wonderful!
“Since returning from the lake, the hot weather has persisted in Lyon and yesterday I registered 36 degrees, so it’s now been officially declared that the canicule (heat wave alert) is persisting in Lyon and as I write this the temperature is increasing steadily and yet the sky is slowly being covered by large, grey menacing clouds.”
UGH. Oy. That is not nice. We were super hot yesterday, but today is cloudier and cooler. I keep wondering if we are going to have storms.
Where would I like to be? I’d like to be in the Colorado Mountains which is such a pleasant place when the rest of the world is too hot!
I am so glad you had a good weekend at Lac de Bourget — so pretty there! I could see cooling off there as well. What a nice place that seems.
I hope this weekend will be a nice one, too.
Keep doing the Picasa-ed photos. They look great!
See you again soon, m’dear!
hello! I hope you don’t mind me stealing the photos from your blog?
We didn’t get any storms here finally so the heat is persisting, mid thirties forecast for all the weekend! We’re off to the beaux-parents today for a family do and it’s forecast 35 – 36 degrees… they don’t have aircon though so I’m going to have to bagsy a room downstairs! I realised last night that we’re the only childless (or not pregnant) couple left in his entire family (inc all the cousins) so we’ll probably not even get a room
boo hoo 
I am in love – with PICASA!!! It’s so great, I don’t know how I managed without it for so long!
Colorado is somewhere I have wanted to visit. I like being in the mountains in the summer, the freshness of the night helps offset the heat of the day.
Have a great weekend Karin!
“I hope you don’t mind me stealing the photos from your blog?” I do not mind a bit!! I got readers from your post about this, which was really nice, so thank you for posting about it/the photos.
Ohhhh, good luck with the visit (although it’s Monday now so maybe you are back home…). I hope you were able to stay cool.
I’m pleased more people were able to discover the joys of your blog!
It was 39 degrees yesterday. Needless to say I evaporated! Back home now and loving the aircon!
Lac d’Aiguebelette is also very nice. Smaller than Bourget and further away from large cities. I hope we go back soon. I miss being by lakes during the summer, especially with this heat.
I often drive by Lac d’Aiguebelette but have never stopped off there. Do you know how long (roughly) it is from the motorway once you get off? My Hubby fishes so this could be interesting, I’ve heard it is a very clean lake?
I get worried by the puce de canard though so will only swim in the centre of the lakes from a boat. I’ve never had it but know lots of people who have and it totally creeps me out!
Sad I wasn’t in Paris to meet you! I’m currently melting in New York. It was sweltering even if Vermont, too! (Global warming?)
Stay cool. I am suddenly thankful for the A/C all over the States.
Hi Sion! So, how are you doing over in New York???? I won’t leave my home at the moment unless I have to because I have aircon but Hubby is going to drag me away from my PC and my lovely cool room soon…. argghhhh! So when will you be back in Paris? How is the course going?
I would have liked to have meet you too, there’ll be other trips to Paris hopefully when you’re back! Take care
When we left Paris for Toronto — it seems so long ago — it was crazy hot in Paris. Our hotel room didn’t have air con and there wasn’t much of a breeze either.
Well, we arrived in Toronto last week to a heat wave too. It’s been in the mid 30s every single day. It rained on Wed afternoon…and the rain did nothing to temperature or the humidity. Today, at long last, we have some rain and the humidity has broken.
Your photos look great by the way. And there’s nothing like dreaming about a little property by a lake with great views and lovely summer breezes!
We all seem to have experienced the horror of the Parisian heat! Did you find that even though the temperatures were lower in Paris than where you live normally the heat was more intense due to the density of the city?
I hope you’re enjoying Toronto and that your visit is not making you homesick for being there. I look forward to reading all about it over at yours soon
You know I just came back from St Tropez – if only I could have stayed longer. London in the heat is not that much fun either. Fortunately, I don’t have to face the tube, it’s about 100 degree C down there and people are sweaty and stinky. Thank god for our garden though!
I gave up on the tube in London along time ago when I was still in the UK and had to make frequent visits to London. It’s way too hot and people are really packed in like Sardines! YUCK!
St Tropez is lovely, I like that the area for the small secluded beaches you can find hidden away from the road – just park your car up and stroll along until you find something, lovely! Except no bar man to deliver drinks
So, how hot is it in London at the moment?
The heatwave you are experiencing is normal weather for us from June through till September. It’s a nightmare. I spend most of my time in the bedroom because it’s the coolest room in the house. I only use the aircon if absolutely necessary because I don’t like the feeling you get when you switch it off.
Trying to sleep at night is impossible. I’d give anything for some rain right now!
wow Ayak, that’s a long time to endure this type of heat. I’m really not complaining about it being hot (I was about the stinkiness of Paris though) as I enjoy the heat normally but this year it’s made me feel unwell. My perfect temperature is 28 – 29 degrees…
I detest aircon normally but have had it on as the upstairs of my house is under the eaves so to speak and it gets like an oven up there. If I don’t turn the aircon on then it gets over 45 degrees which is impossible to work or sleep. I know what you mean though about the feeling, it’s not very nice!
I can sympathize with enduring the heat wave, since where I live it regular crosses 40 (we even touch 50) in summer and stays around 35 the rest of the year! The monsoons are the only relief we get.
Other than that you life sounds so interesting and wonderful, have decided to live vicariously through you till I am free to go travelling again. A baby and a business combined are the best way to keep a person tied to their home :-p
That is hot! Where do you live nmaha? I tried to find some clues on your blog but unsuccessfully (or perhaps it is me not being fully functional this morning!).
Sorry to disappoint but my life is not that interesting. I have my own business and work from home so I try and get out of home as much as I can as it can feel like being in prison sometimes. Once I went two weeks without leaving – not good! I would love to travel more, after a trip to the Grenadine Islands this winter I spent weeks dreaming about giving everything up and moving out there permanently. I even found a business to buy out there… When I can, I would like to take a month off work and travel wherever life takes me; a month probably wouldn’t be long enough but it would be a start!
Loving your idea of taking a month off work and travelling wherever life takes you
If you can afford it, just do it! We’ll hopefully have Sadie the Sprinter fully functional by the autumn and intend to take off and explore as much of Europe as possible in her. My business can be run from a 3G dongle which is fortunate 
We should be able to go to wherever has the best weather and escape the claustrophobia that seems to accompany winter in this neck of the woods. I can’t wait!
Re tomatoes – loads of flowers on my various plants in the potager but no fruit yet. Everything is somewhat delayed this year thanks to the daft weather we have had this Spring. August should be a good month tho.
Hi Penny! I can’t wait to see photos of Sadie the Sprinter fully finished. It sounds like such a fun project.
I’m very lucky too that a lot of my business can be conducted from wherever I am but only for short periods of time as I have lots of post! Beware of your 3G roaming charges though – I got landed with a bill for over 500 Euros once for using 3G on my iPhone whilst in the UK (I was only there 3 days and only used internet a little bit to send and receive emails and to check out traffic jams on the motorways! I hear lots of stories about roaming charges costing an arm and a leg…
We have lots of flowers and can see plenty growing but I think we get one tomato a day almost turn colour – certainly not enough for a salad. I think it’s going to be sods law and they’re all going to be ready when we go on holiday!
We have just had a kick-ass storm here in my little Ligurian village!!! Thunder, torrential rain; the works. What a difference… I can finally breath again!
Lucky you! Still no storm here *SNIF* and already very very hot this morning. Yesterday we had 39 degrees and I was so close to passing out. I think I had heat exhaustion! I do not plan to go anywhere that doesn’t have aircon today
I also agree that it is fun meeting people via blogs in real life. Glad you had a lovely time at the wedding.
Hi Kelleyn, thanks! I hope I get to meet a lot more not just in France but throughout the world
We must stop doing the same things at the same time in Lyon!
Frogs, Aix Les Bains … too funny! Let’s meet up for a cool beverage some time.
Hi Charley, thanks for stopping by! Spooky that we’re doing the same things… although I’m not surprised as the heat in Lyon is just too intense at the moment!
a cool beverage sounds great, I’ll send you an email through your website
I’ve been meaning to come and visit your blog…always see your comments on Delana’s blog!
I must say, I do feel for all of you in the intense heat…it’s been hot, very very hot, here also ( New York State) but with one huge difference: we have air conditioning. Much as I think it is so overused and wasted in this country…….it is SO NICE to come home and have it cool in my living room.
I’ve been in Paris and Provence during real heat and it is no fun!
I’ll definitely be back here to visit!
Libby
Hi Libby, thanks for stopping by and commenting. The French don’t really like air conditioning, lots of people I know say it makes you ill. My Beaux-Parents live in Provence and nearly every summer experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees C but cannot be convinced to get aircon and yet they suffer from the heat!
I agree that aircon is often overused in the US, although I have no experience of New York state, I did pass through Miami once for a few days and it wasn’t even hot outside and yet every where had aircon on full blast! It was a topsy turvy place, jacket off outside but inside had to put jacket on and wear sarong as scarf!