One of the things I love about Holland is the climate.
Yes, I complain about the lack of sunshine and frequent rain… but I really appreciate that it’s almost never bitterly cold in the winter (though I do miss the snow) and almost never meltingly hot in the summer.
Until now.
We seem to be having a heat wave. Last Thursday in Ell (a small town in the South West of the country), the temperature was 37 degrees (that’s 98.6 F). If you ask me, that’s just wrong and sweaty and disgusting… and shouldn’t be allowed. Especially in a country almost completely lacking in airconditioning.
Of course, it IS pretty rare. According to the BBC, summer temperatures in DeBilt range from a cool 13 degrees to a perfectly reasonable 22 degrees (link). In the south of Limburg (where you find the town of Ell), only 4 days in the last hundred years have reached 37 degrees. In the north, at the Twenthe airport, temperatures have gone above 35 degrees only roughly once every 10 years since the early 50’s.
Funnily enough, this year was also a cold record-breaker in Ell when, back in January, it dropped to -20.6 degrees (-5 F)! Brr!!!
Not that I’m complaining about the sunshine - I just wish I could enjoy it without sweating… and bottle it up for the short winter days.
Right now it’s a lovely 23-24 degrees… here’s hoping it stays just like this for a little while longer.
Original article here.
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