Baby It's Cold Outside

Probably the most frequent question I was asked during our trip to the U.S. was "what's the weather like in Paris right now?" My response was "grey, damp, and hovering around 40 degrees." Well, that was pretty typical for last winter but the last few days have been anything but. The snow here was the headliner; the real news is the cold. And I'm talking seriously cold. When I got up this morning, it was just 10 degrees (Fahrenheit, that is). Yesterday, I don't think it got above 20 or 22 and the outlook for the next week is more of the same. Fortunately, there's no more precipitation in the forecast and so the only thing to do is layer up and deal with it.

I've got a bone to pick though with Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris and champion of all things green...more bikes, recycling, eco friendly bulbs for the Christmas lighting displays around town and that sort of thing. He seems to have left one detail off his green agenda: energy efficiency. There doesn't seem to be anything resembling a storm window here with the result being that the geraniums are staying in good shape from the heat leaking out (see my post from earlier this week) and we're shivering inside from the cold air whistling in through every crevice. Undoubtedly it would cost a fortune to retrofit these old buildings and perhaps this is a matter for national, rather than local, policy. By the time I figure it out, my guess is that the temps will be back to the 40s and a nice gray drizzle will be falling.