Heat Wave

Have you noticed that the photos I've posted all seem to have grey skies and flat light? It's not a problem with the camera or the photographer; it's a problem with the sky, which is grey a lot more often than blue. It's usually cool and overcast and the local joke is that when the temperature hits 72 degrees Fahrenheit that a heat wave is in progress. It happened today.

The person who cleans my room is not the same person every day but often is a young man from Vietnam who chatters happily as he plumps pillows and cleans every surface of the room. He was quite giddy about the weather and really thrilled that it was so warm and sunny today. He said he was hurrying through his work so he could go walking in the sunshine. He kept insisting, "I know you want to write your book, but you must go out and play in the warmth. Walk! Walk! There is sunshine everywhere!"

The temperature has been in the 50s and 60s ever since I got here and this, they tell me, is quite typical for August near the North Sea. There’s a little sun during the day, there are lots of clouds during the day, and most days it rains a bit. There is air conditioning in the hotel but I don't use it. I do use the duvet at night though. It’s really been very pleasant and I got a little uncomfortable this afternoon during my walk in the 72 degrees with the sun shining on my back. Thinking back to the 100 degree Washington DC summer we endured this year makes me wonder how in the world 72 degrees can be uncomfortably warm.

I've eaten my meals at the outdoor cafes almost every day. A couple of times it's been too chilly or too wet to stay outside but usualy it's perfect weather for a breakfast or dinner al fresco. I’m usually glad for the long sleeved shirts and the sweaters and light jackets I brought along with me. I have couple of items that were great for a US summer but really would be inappropriate here so they are back in the suitcase until I leave. I thought about getting that short-sleeved red sweater out today, though, just for this 72-degree heat wave.