The Heat is Oppressive

Hello all!  I'm here with a tiny little post today, but since I'm still recovering from the Berlin Behemoth I put up on Monday, I hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me.  But for now, a PSA.

Ever since Saturday, it's been stupid hot here in Germany.  Unbelievably so.  I mean, 90 isn't overly hot compared to some places, but please understand that I am on the North Sea.  Historically, this is a very cold place.  I'm not entirely sure people up here own shorts, as it's cold in the winter and 65 and rainy during the summer (you know, like it was when I first got here).  Then the temperature went up.

And it got hotter and hotter.

Bremen is not equipped for the heat.  It's well prepared for cold, with heating units in every room and large windows to let in sunlight.  What does that mean?  All the stuff meant to keep rooms warm in the winter trap heat in during the summer.  So I'm sitting in a room that's 95 degrees when it's only 92 outside.  There might be a cross-breeze that comes through those windows, but nothing near strong enough to cool the room down.

Moreover, Germans don't believe in ice.  In anything.  So you get your water luke-warm, juice luke-warm, beer luke-warm...  And all your hearty German food is served to you piping hot as you sit in your outdoor sunny cafe spot sweating buckets and trying desperately not to die.  Ughhh

So I talked a lot about how hot it was in Spain while I was there two years ago.  Don't get me wrong, it's hot in Spain.  But the buildings there are designed for the heat, and you tend to get your drinks at least a little cool.  Also, the food is lighter, so you don't feel terrible while eating it.  So what I'm saying, is in Spain, you're prepared for heat.  In northern Germany, you expect reasonable temperatures in rain.  So that when you don't get that, you have no idea what to do.

It could be worse, though.  All of Europe has it rough right now, the heat is everywhere.  It's ruining crops, and people are actually dying from wildfires.  Sweden of all places has it particularly rough, with at lease 11 massive wildfires that haven't occurred in Sweden in centuries.  Sweden! It's in the arctic circle!

 Greece, too, is having these wildfires, and it's probably worse there.  But as with Spain, Greece at least is partially equipped for intense heat.  Sweden is used to rainy summers, like the UK is famous for, or just cold.  Speaking of the UK, it's dry as a bone and hot there, too.  Welcome to the new Europe, kiddos, and we're just getting warmed up.

Why is this happening?  The jet stream.  You know how Europe, despite being at the approximate latitude as Maine, still has warm weather? The jet stream is responsible for yanking warm air and water from the mid-to-north atlantic and chucking it north-east, where it likes to land in Spain before proceeding into the mediterranean.  Typically, there is a low air pressure system north of the band and a high pressure south of it. This is why Spain is historically so hot, while the low pressure system, hovering above the UK, causes so much rain.

So what's the problem?  The jet stream is moving north, that's the problem.  The band is carrying uncharacteristically hot air up through England, Germany, peaking in Sweden before dipping back down south towards Greece.  Meanwhile, places like Spain are enjoying unusually low temperatures while the rest of Europe roasts.

I'm saying this because it's hot.  Too hot to walk around.  Too hot to sleep.  Too hot to do anything but curl up in your tile bathroom or under a cold shower.  Most of Europe cannot handle this kind of weather, and it's causing major problems.  Hannover had to shut down it's airport due to damage to the runway from heat.  Crops are dying, people have to leave work early due to the heat, the North and Baltic seas are warm enough for there to be official warnings not to go swimming if your immune system is weak, since certain bacteria are thriving.  That sucks because it's hot, so swimming is like the only thing you can do.

The beer producers in Northern Germany are having a serious boom, though, as the heat is making it way easier to produce more beer.  In fact, there's a bottle shortage.  Huzzah.  Glad at least one good thing is coming out of all this...

Anyway, I haven't done much in the last few days besides try and stay cool.  I got some ice cream yesterday despite my lactose intolerance and have been drinking water like a man lost in the desert.  Lets see... I had a fishy to eat in a little Kneipe two days ago, we had a butterbrot breakfast provided by the school this morning.... I did some laundry...

And I saw a delivery SmartCar.  So much cute.

Thats all I have to say.  Bye now.