Snow Day

This past week I have taken a few days off, sort of like snow days but the opposite. The temperatures have been hovering around 40˚ almost every day—quite common for other parts of Spain but not here in Valencia.  As I write this it is 44˚ or 111.2˚F.  There are also beastly gusts of dry, westerly winds that scorch the lungs of cyclists stupid enough to be out in the middle of the afternoon. I learned a new word because of this weather pattern. “El Poniente” refers to these winds that come across the western part of the peninsula. Actually “poniente” is a term meaning “westerly” being the opposite of “oriente.” Any way you translate this it means that it’s been pretty darn hot.

So instead of being snowed in I’ve been sunned in, so to speak—at least between the hours of 12:00-15:00 or so. My skin really doesn’t need another day of sun and even with 50spf I have been getting grilled this summer.  Going to the beach at this time is not a good idea; that can wait for later in the day. Even cruising around town on my bike I zigzag from one shaded spot to the next, kind of like getting in out of the rain. The kids aren’t in school now but if they were I’m sure they’d have these days off because of the weather.  With or without school I’m sure most kids are at home trying to stay out of the heat doing whatever the hell kids do these days when there is a snow day. It’s too hot to cook during the day. Hell, it’s too hot to even eat before dusk.


It's only for a couple of days; it's not like I'm living in Saudi Arabia. It's just been a little Saudi Arabia-ish lately. It gives people who like to talk about the weather something to talk about, that`s for sure which is reason enough to stay home.