France: A nuclear power reactor had to shut down because the river that cools it is too hot (28C!), the Louvre shuts early because its climate control can't handle the afternoon heat from its patrons, and people are drowning in rivers trying desperately to cool off.
I wish I was reading these things in a Michael Crichton novel, not the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/23/heatwave-france-spain-italy-europe
@SuperDocteur @uncycliste I don't think this is just a French thing - putting a theoretical Australian slant on it, I can see people going "it got a bit hot so they went for a dip in the river, bloody typical".
I don't think being desperate for a reprieve from a heatwave has a nationality. Thinking back to my worst summer here, in a concrete block of an apartment with no fans, no aircon, and windows that didn't even fully shut, I might've have gone and jumped in a river too if one was nearby.
Living in the hottest place on the french map these past days, the ppl you see jumping in hazardous wate rstreams are not desperate they are just dumb and think that it is summer fun time a bit early and that there is no harm in jumping in an unknown remote unsupervised river or waterway...
But no, never would they think that they are bad swimmers unfit for livewater diving & swimming...
I wouldn't do it and I'm quite a good swimmer.
This is an education issue.
And by education, I mean both parents not explaining the risks and neither supervising their children in such a situation but also the last few governments failing to teach safety and swimming habits to young pupils as it was done in my time (i'm not so old (I hope :) ) but yet...).
Tim 🎮
Cycliste du quotidien
SuperDocteur