La Canicule and the Pyrenees

La Canicule is a French word for a heat wave. Technically speaking, overnight temperatures do not drop below 20 degrees C and day time temperatures are above 33 degrees C. This causes heat to build and it is just plain miserable. Most of the northern hemisphere has suffered from La Canicule this summer, but this was not the first time in history. Back in the Roman times it was believed that hot weather was a result of the star Sirius rising and setting at the same time as the sun, which it does between July 24th and August 24th. The Romans knew that other events followed in this heat; a worsening in the condition of the water supply, more dogs got rabies; people succumbed to the effects of heat…. Hence the term dog days of summer.

La Canicule in France has been responsible for a significant amount of death over the centuries. Death toll for the years: 1636: 500,000 deaths, 1718: 700,000 deaths. As recent as 2003 there were 15,000 deaths in France and 20,000 in Italy attributed to the summer’s La Canicule.

The effects of La Canicule on the grape crop can vary from exceptional vintages for vines with deep roots and a vintner who knows what to do or disaster if the leaves burn up and the fruit dries out too soon. Due to the late La Canicule this year, there is no way to know what will happen. The grapes may have been far enough along to resist the heat or they may have dried out too much, so keep your eye out for the 2012 vintage and see how it goes.

Faced with the thought of another weekend in the city with no air-conditioning, we decided to escape the heat. I spent the better part of the morning last week looking at weather reports of the region to find cooler weather, especially overnight. The lack of air-conditioning and not living in a stone castle makes the hot nights here difficult. This past weekend, the area of Luz-St-Sauveur and Cauterets matched the weather profile. Instead of a day time high of 100 F, it would be 90 F. Overnight lows instead of mid-70s F would be 54 F. Both of these towns are deep in the Pyrenees Mountains.

The Pyrenees Mountains are essentially the boarder between France and Spain. They are not as grand as the Alp’s, but are steep and high with few ways to get through them. The Pyrenees range was formed roughly 55 million years ago when the micro continent of Iberia slammed up against the European plate. Eventually they fused together. The Pyrenees are 430 meters long running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The mountain range is lower at the coasts and higher in the middle, steeper on the French side than the Spanish side. Few roads pass through the mountains, 3 using tunnels and 4 high mountain passes that are generally closed for snow in the winter and spring. Historically, some of these mountain routes were used by invading and defending armies and during medieval times many pilgrims crossed the Pyrenees.

Religious pilgrims still travel the ancient routes through France to get to Spain to complete their journey to Santiago de Compostela. Santiago de Composetla was where a miracle occurred in the 9th century revealing the location of St James the Greater’s tomb. He was the Apostle of Jesus who reportedly traveled to Spain on his mission. Alfonso II built a sanctuary at the site of the tomb and Santiago became the 3rd most important Christian site after Jerusalem and Rome.

Modern warriors of the cycling type use this region to prove themselves. Le Tour de France goes through the area near Luz-St-Sauveur climbing multiple peaks in one day’s ride. We journeyed to the top of Col du Tourmalet by car, and there I concluded the real hero of Le Tour is the man in the polka dot jersey! I had a death grip on the car door handle as we were going 80 km/hr on the downhill side of the mountain. I just witnessed a young llama slip on the edge of the road and almost go over. The road so narrow with hair pin turns so tight, if you missed your mark slightly you would certainly plunge to your untimely end. A cyclist passed us on the back side of the mountain. For him the reward was not to pedal at all on the way down.

The hiking is strenuous, as the mountains are steep and the air is thin. But the views are fabulous. However, 10 degrees F did not make much of a difference when it came to cooling off during the day. Hiking was miserably hot and much of the trails are not wooded, so the sun is bright and strong. The evening did cool off and the towns we passed through had nice restaurants. All was not lost; we know for sure where we will go for our winter ski excursions.