My family and I spent ten days in Paris in July just before I turned 14.
Our hotel was lovely and it had no A/C, but I don’t remember being uncomfortable.
Lots of Parisians also have no refrigerator in their home. Or if they do, it’s only a small one. Because they only buy perishables from the grocer on the way home from work the day they intend to prepare them. But that’s the way their culture is set up, and their grocery store infrastructure. They’re a nation of “foodies.”
The Tour de France historically starts on the first weekend in July, so I too have been to in Paris in July. Several times. Most of the time the weather wasn’t unpleasant, but not always. One year I cheaped out and picked a hotel in Paris with no aircon because its rates were less insane than the rest.
The problem with no aircon is it makes sleeping with the windows open mandatory. The problem with sleeping with the windows open ... is noise. And sometimes odors.
World-class athletes performing on the largest stage of their lives need to be able to get their rest, which usually happens right after the orgies wind down. It would be a pity to louse up their chances because they couldn’t sleep for the noise. Or the heat. And leaving windows open also poses a security risk, especially since window screens aren’t mandatory in Parisian homes either.
It’s a bad idea all around but whoever let it get this far without making certain the athletes had accommodations that met a certain standard is an idiot.
I think all of Europe is further north (and cooler) than most Americans imagine. The southernmost point in continental Europe is at about the same latitude as Ok City. Galveston is about 670 miles south of that.
Paris is on the 48th Parallel. The majority of the US-Canada border is on the 49th Parallel, so Paris is about 70 miles south of that.
They have portable air conditioners.
Ain’t Communism wonderful.
My college, in the 70’s, had an evaporating tower cooling system for the Quad. The process involved circulating water to the top of the tower (about 30 feet tall) and having it rain down over heat exchangers. The resulting cool water was then used to cool the building. It worked quite well in the Florida heat.
I only remember this because we had to do the calculations in physics class. This was also useful information in explaining the life cycle of a thunderstorm. I am a well meaning old man with a failing memory but I think it released 80 kcal per liter during the evaporating process.
EC
I hear they’re adding a “Smelliest Shorts” event....Biden has volunteered to sniff the girls entries...