Staying Cool, European Style

All this hot weather around the country got me thinking….what if we were in Italy, or France….what would we do?

For starters, we would get around in some cool and green mode of transport; maybe this?~

Second, we would hit Berthillon or our favorite gelateria for a cool cone.  And when I say cones, I mean cones.  Try to find anything like this in the States….well at least in SoCal I can’t find anything remotely similar, but in this heat, any cone will do, thank you~

The towers of cones call you from the street, no matter what the temperature, don’t they?

What will you have…..lemon sorbet, or cocoa nib~

Coconut?

Or something more fun~?

Window shopping while strolling with our gelato in the evening is a fine idea….  I love this white handbag in woven lambskin, satin ribbons and silk~

But the champagne version might be even better….this will surely take our minds off the heat~

A cool little embellished t will be perfect in the heat with this little trench-style topper~

Especially if we go out to dinner….the big difference between Europe in the heat and America in the heat is that people go home in the afternoons; I mean like most of the afternoon.  They go out again around 8 or 9pm when it starts to cool down.  I remember driving into Nice last year at 11pm to find absolute masses of people out strolling every street near the Promenade.  Yes, that’s it, stay in during the hottest time of the day.  The next evening, I was up past 1am at the little Moroccan-style bar in seaside Villefranche sur Mer next to Nice.  It was probably 85 degrees and I had rosé wine and water and the place was hopping and the fans blowing and we were all chatting up a storm. It was probably the coolest time of the 24 hour day. 

In Florence, one of my favorite spots is the Wild White Boar or Cinghiale Bianco, here my niece Erin and her friend Paige~

Oh I forget the name of the maitre’d but he will welcome you heartily with a glass…I imagine now if it is hot in Florence the place will be packed and open late; I wish I could be there; I can’t recommend this place enough~

I am toujours nostalgique for Europe….but even if we are here and even if it is hot, we can pretend….and we can deal with the heat as best we can, non?