A coldspell has taken over, and it's hardly justified to complain about sub-zero temperatures in Provence when other regions of Europe have been hit much harder. But I'll complain nonetheless. This sucks. We've been without water now for 5 days, Provençal plumbing insufficient for this type of cold. It's amazing how easy it is to take water for granted, and how stuck you are without it. Pipes in the region have frozen, others have burst. In 1956 and in 1986 the region suffered a similarly cold winter, so this happens every 30 years or so.
You may (if the you in question is Canadian) scoff at complaints of -5°C or -10°C. And so would I. But the Mistral! The northern Mistral winds have been howling at 100km/h, piercing any number of layers of clothing you may be wearing, sending the "feels like" temperature to levels that are keeping even a hardened and hearty Canadian such as myself indoors.
Below and above a waterwheel in the centre of Avignon, glazed with an icy coat.
In the centre of Avignon...
