French la Vie

Sunshine Extreme in France

Corey — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:52 +0000

I’ve lived in France for 40 years. It was hot last year, but this year is off the charts, and they expect things to get even worse.

I grew up in California’s Sacramento Valley, where summer heat was simply a fact of life. For years, whenever people in Provence complained about the heat, I would say, “No, this isn’t hot. Sacramento Valley is hot.”

Last year, and especially this year, the conversation has changed. The first thing people ask each other now is, “Do you have air-conditioning?” Most of us just shake our heads. Why would we? Until recently, it was rarely needed.

Installing air-conditioning – Outdoor units often can’t be placed on buildings because of historic preservation and or regulations, and in many apartment buildings there is simply no practical way to vent the system. or in our case we have 3 feet thick plus stone walls, actually hard to vent them.

What makes the heat especially difficult is that life in France is very different from life in the USA. If your home isn’t air-conditioned, there’s usually no cool refuge. Many people don’t have garages. You walk to your car, and parking is often limited, so you may have to park far from where you’re going. The Metro and the buses are not air-conditioned either. The places you visit frequently might not be air-conditioned. In small towns, most daily activities are done on foot, not by driving from one air-conditioned space to another.

When you live in a climate that is hot, such as Arizona or parts of California the infrastructure is designed around the heat. You moved from one air-conditioned space to another. Here, even when temperatures reach the same extremes, life is different. People walk, shop, meet friends, and go about their daily lives outdoors. but without the infrastructure to keep cool the heat is ruthless.

Comments

At least in the Central Valley, it's a fairly short drive to ... by Kathie B.
Dear Corey, I cannot imagine not having air-conditioning in the ... by Leonie

Heatwave

Corey — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:00:06 +0000

photos and text via Keys to France.

Comments

I am so sorry you are experiencing this devastating heat. I ... by Judy Wilcox
Just a thought. When I worked as a camp counselor, in the ... by Rachel Scott
How do Chelsea & Martin keep the chickens cool? by Kathie B.
Thanks for the heatwave vocabulary Corey! Hope you're able to ... by Diogenes
I know many people don't have air conditioning. How can you ... by Teddee Grace
Tell Chelsea the same! by CAROLE

Creating a Home with Old Things

Corey — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:00:22 +0000

My friend Laurie’s Italian cousin is renovating her family home in a more contemporary style.

Her aunt had lived there before, and the house was filled with old things—everything from jars and dressers to trophies, kitchenware, buffets, nightstands, bed frames, and countless other treasures. Even the old tile floors are being removed. She invited us into her home and encouraged Laurie to take whatever she wanted.

We tried to convince her to keep some of the pieces, telling her how beautifully old furniture and vintage objects can complement a contemporary home. But she wouldn’t hear it.

In a way, that’s fortunate for me because I love old things, and I happen to live in a country overflowing with them. At the same time, it’s bittersweet to watch old homes be stripped of their historic interiors in pursuit of something modern. But things change. Styles change. Life changes. I understand that.

One thing I’ve come to realize after living in France for nearly 40 years is that when you’ve spent your entire life surrounded by centuries-old buildings, antique furniture, and history at every turn, it’s natural to crave something new—something that speaks a different aesthetic language.

Laurie brought home a dresser, a buffet, a light fixture, and some shelving. But the piece that meant the most to her was her great-aunt’s wooden cutting board and rolling pin. There was still flour clinging to the cutting board from the last time gnocchi had been made on it.

We carried them down the worn stone steps through the village to Laurie’s home, a place lovingly filled with the beautiful leftovers of things that other people no longer wanted.