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.
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.
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.
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.
A field with hay and trees
They announced rain and storms but we hardly ever get either in this part of Switzerland. I wasn’t going to use this blog for short posts but I can’t focus.
The view is not as good as sometimes. A few clouds but with the haze hiding the Alps today.
There is an article on Swiss Radio and Television that discusses the positive impact that the flooding has had on the water tables. For several years not only have we had warm weather but we have also gone with very little or no rain for months at a time.
During some weeks we were told “The water reserves are so low that we will soon need to switch to retrieving water from the lake rather than our reservoires.