Sevilla is Getting Hot

Summer is arriving quickly in Sevilla. It was a lot hotter today than when we arrived last Friday. Some of Karen's fellow students who have been here before have told us it gets very hot, up to 110F! It has gone from the mid-70s to the mid-80s in just a few days.

Today there was a very clear sign that Summer, which doesn't officially begin until June 21, is looming. Several of the walking only streets had cherry picker cranes with guys up at roof level installing awnings that stretch across the streets to provide shade.


Right now, without the awnings, it is shady on one side of the streets in the morning and shady on the other side in the afternoon. I've never seen these in any other cities, except in Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the markets. They remind me of tents. I am wondering whether this custom was brought here by the Berbers and Arabs from North Africa, commonly known as Moors who occupied this region from the 8th to the 15th century. Their elaborate architecture is still seen throughout Andalusia, originally called Al Andalus.

It must get seriously hot here for the city to take such measures to ensure the comfort of shoppers.
One would think that if it gets really hot here they would have really good air conditioners. We have been warned to only run ours when we are in the apartment as they are for light duty only and can be damaged if run extensively. No more set it and forget it like back in the US. We actually enjoy the fresh air and keep the doors and windows open during the day, closing them during afternoon siesta and at night to soften the sounds of living in a high density environment.

Here's an example of both the type of air conditioners and of high density living. Those AC units look to be newly installed and they didn't complete the job by patching the holes in the wall for the wiring. Mañana... We have these beautiful french doors in the living room but that's the view. If you walk out onto the balcony, stretch and look way up you can see the top of the tower on the cathedral.