Amalfi Edge -heat in Europe

[Jesseslola]

Acropolis in Athens was closed because of the heat (CNN) last Thursday. Anybody experiencing it right now in Europe? What did you do to cope?

[ghstudio]

We are on constellation...the heat humidity is awful....we have been wa,king around each port for a couple of hours....but that’s okay with us...we hadn’t planned many excursions.  It is truly unbearably hot.

[Mynki]

4 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

  It is truly unbearably hot.

And that's coming from a resident of SW Florida.

 

It looks like we'll be seeing more of this going forward due to climate change. :/

[ginak1112]

Just got off the Edge, Rome to Barcelona. I’m from south Florida and it was hot! We had 100 degrees in Rome but thank goodness had planned some pool days at our hotel. The humidity is not nearly as high as it is where we live and that does make a difference. My hair never frizzed up lol. I bring a tiny battery operated fan I carry, dollar tree or Walmart. Wear white or light clothes. My wide brimmed hats saved the day. You can buy in Europe if you don’t bring. Drink lots of water! Leave the ship early to get things done early. Pace yourself. Enjoy!

Edited July 7, 2019 by ginak1112

[SkystheLimit]

I use cooling scarves found at most sports stores.  You soak them until they are "plump" and then wrap them around your neck. Similar to a bandana/ascot tie.  I put mine in a ziplock bag and overnight them in the mini refrigerator.  They are really helpful.

 

[Jesseslola]

Thank you all.

So scary because of our Asthma. Our Dr. gave us puffer to help out.

 

Thank you for your suggestions, Wish us luck, we are going August!!

[GastroGnome]

As well as heat watch our for air pollution in major cities like Rome or Athens.  When humidity is high there is often also what is termed a low level inversion in place which traps pollution (and dust!).  The ancient sites can be very exposed with little or no shelter from the sun.  You can bring a sun parasol (or use an umbrella) if you need shade.

[TeeRick]

Try to schedule your tours earlier in the AM if at all possible to avoid the hottest part of the day.

[freddiebud]

On 7/6/2019 at 6:59 PM, SkystheLimit said:

I use cooling scarves found at most sports stores.  You soak them until they are "plump" and then wrap them around your neck. Similar to a bandana/ascot tie.  I put mine in a ziplock bag and overnight them in the mini refrigerator.  They are really helpful.

 

And I wet mine when ever I pass a watering spot.

[lola2013]

WOW...suddenly all the rain we had in Rome a few weeks ago doesn't seem so bad.  At least we were able to enjoy everything we wanted to do (including a 5-1/2 hour bike ride in a downpour) without melting because of the high heat and humidity.

Stay cool!!!

[megfla]

We had a heat wave on our Rhine river cruise last July, it is tough as many locations do not have a/c!

 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we have some cool temps in Vancouver and Alaska on our Eclipse sailing in a few weeks!

[MrsEmmaPeel]

See my coming per-port items in my full review, but my wife and myself (mid 40s) and our daughters (12/14) just got off of the Rome->Barca Edge cruise and had 3 days in Rome prior.  Indeed, as departure approached, we were panicked.  But, we planned ahead, were flexible and ended up loving it.  We tend to go-go-go on travel, but we adjusted a little, especially in Rome where there was no early "all aboard".  It was so hot that on our day at the Coliseum (22K steps for the day, apparently), we stopped on an asphalt street in Rome to review our maps and found we had STUCK TO THE SIDEWALK!  The pavement was melting/softening.

 

- We stocked up on lightweight trousers/dresses and (for me) long-sleeved vented shirts.

- We all used _large_ sun hats, Tilley hats or parasols (sorry, but the cheap/trendy Trilbys sold by every vendor are useless except for covering your scalp)

- We brought a full-sized water bottle for each of us, kept in pairs in our two daybags.  Yes, there are Nasoni all over Rome to drink from or refill.  But...  Often not when you need them.  And the rest of the Riviera could be "good luck" for refilling.  So we kept those filled.  This is the absolute #1 item.  The closest we came to losing a crew member was day 1 at the Coliseum in 99F sun when one of our daughters wasn't bothering to drink water.

- We stopped for gelato, or The Fredo and Cafe Shakerato once or twice a day, and we skipped our usual "grab lunch on the go" for sitting down for lunch; pick a place away from the core tourists by 2-3 blocks and that lunch becomes a travel experience in itself.

- Sunscreen - THE REAL STUFF, not (most) spray-ons.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.  You don't want to burn on day 2 of 8.

- When not in port, consider a schedule like this: Up early, tour an outside site.  grab lunch, tour a museum (be careful, some are HOT), return to lodging and nap until late afternoon.  Walk to a nice dinner, maybe through a church!  Dinner, then hit an outside, public site like Trevi or the Spanish Steps late at night when it is cooler.  The nap makes up for the late night and early morning.

- Don't shame anyone for slowing down a bit sometimes.  "Call an audible", grab something cold to eat or drink, and adjust your plans.

- Find shade when you can, even if you change your path a little.  In cities with narrow streets, you can often find shade and breeze.  Seek it.

 

One personal request - hot or not, please do keep an eye out for the requested attire at religious sites...  So many people in shorts and tank tops walked right by the signs requesting covered shoulders and knees.  Maybe we're nuts (one of our daughters actually brought leggings to put on under her dress when we got to churches), but I feel like it is important to do this to ensure that these sites stay open to tourists.

 

We did have to change plans.  After a full day in 95F+ heat at the Coliseum, Forum and Palatine Hill, we agreed that our original plan to go to Ostia Antica the next day was folly.  Instead, we went to the Jewish Quarter, visited the museum and synagogue there, and ate "Jewish Pizza" on the go along the Tiber.  One of our favorite days!

 

[George C]

Would not want to visit Vatican in this weather, loads of people packed like sardines, no air movement and no shorts allowed.

[Jesseslola]

Thank you MrsEmmaPeel, we will heed your suggestions.

 

We booked for a private night colosseum tour for our group, next day, a hop in and off , full day with some tour , then finally a very early, before opening tour, of Vatican. Hopefully there is not a lot of people. From there we go directly to the port.

 

We booked Navona Hotel, close to everything, so we can easily go back for a snooze, when it gets too hot.

 

That  legging idea from your daughter sounds good, think we will copy👍

[bbstx]

 

We booked Navona Hotel, close to everything, so we can easily go back for a snooze, when it gets too hot

@Jesseslola  inside the Museum of Rome, there is a small bistro.  A few tables overlook the Piazza Navona.  It is a good way to people watch while having lunch or dinner. 

[Jesseslola]

Thanks bbstx, wow, that is where we are booked. We will check it out!

[cangelmd]

15 hours ago, MrsEmmaPeel said:

 

 

We did have to change plans.  After a full day in 95F+ heat at the Coliseum, Forum and Palatine Hill, we agreed that our original plan to go to Ostia Antica the next day was folly.  Instead, we went to the Jewish Quarter, visited the museum and synagogue there, and ate "Jewish Pizza" on the go along the Tiber.  One of our favorite days!

 

Great call!

We did Ostia many years ago with six 11-15 year olds in July, not during a heatwave and it was the on,y truly hot day during that trip. It is a great stop for kids, though, back then it was quiet, not overly touristy at all, they could wander around on their own, really get the imagination going.

[opa&oma]

On 7/8/2019 at 12:19 PM, megfla said:

We had a heat wave on our Rhine river cruise last July, it is tough as many locations do not have a/c!

 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we have some cool temps in Vancouver and Alaska on our Eclipse sailing in a few weeks!

Did you see Alaska has had 90 degree temps?  WTH???

[MrsEmmaPeel]

 

23 hours ago, George C said:

Would not want to visit Vatican in this weather, loads of people packed like sardines, no air movement and no shorts allowed.

Funny you mention that...  When we realized ~4 days before that we were likely to cancel Ostia (the day at the Coliseum sealed it), we considered a last-minute Vatican tour to replace it.  Then I came upon this gem of a Rick Steves video clip:

 

Imagining that in the Roman heat and keeping in mind that two of our crew do not like extreme crowding (i.e. can't move), we crossed that one off and decided to keep the Ostia day as a wildcard.  In the end, our walk through the Campo del Fiore to the Jewish Museum and Synagogue, then Jewish Pizza along the main street of the old Ghetto, followed by Piazza Navona and the church there was a perfect day.  BTW - bring cash, but the Rick Steves-recommended Jewish bakery in the old Ghetto area was really as good as we had hoped.

 

 

[megfla]

13 hours ago, opa&oma said:

Did you see Alaska has had 90 degree temps?  WTH???

Yes!  Highs only in the 60's and 70's over the next couple of weeks....hoping that continues through early August!

[Lastdance]

All of this makes me feel so fortunate to be able to cruise in early May and September - October; however, with family obligations, one of us has to stay home...but thankfully, we have done so many wonderful cruises, along with many more likely together in the future!  It is great to have flexibility and the money to enjoy the cruising experience.

 

Lots of good ideas above for staying cool and making the best of a hot summer!

Edited July 10, 2019 by Lastdance