It is not a mirage and it is not necessarily in Brittany. All over France, there are currently tourist sites where, during the day, little wool is not too much! At a time when a large part of France is sweating profusely during a scorching episode whose end is scheduled for Thursday, August 13, forts, churches, caves or cellars offer invigorating breaks to masked visitors in search of freshness . The temperature differences with the outside air sometimes reach more than 20 ° C!
13 ° C in the Padirac pit. In the bowels of this cavity located in the Lot, in the Dordogne valley, the mercury displays 13 ° C all year round, while the underground river is at 12 ° C. Spring weather, therefore, at the bottom of the chasm, 103 m deep. Before enjoying this "freezing effect", you have to take some stairs. “When, outside, it's 35 ° C, it's good to go down. It's the ascent that is a little warmer, you have to take your time, ”advises Magdaléna Mauguéret, communications and marketing manager for this natural gem. In recent days, some 4000 visitors daily regained their strength as they approached "the center of the Earth".
20 ° C at Fort Douaumont. An emblematic site of the Battle of Verdun during the First World War, protected by a concrete and sand shell, the fort of Douaumont (Meuse) benefits, inside the galleries, from natural air conditioning at 20 ° C. "The humidity adds freshness," says one at the historic site taken in 1916 by German troops before being taken over by the French.
Between 9 and 13 ° C in the Roquefort cellars. The heat wave, the manufacturers of Roquefort do not make a whole cheese (of sheep)! In Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (Aveyron), the Papillon company offers free guided tours of its underground cellars in the rock, in which the thermometer reads between 9 and 13 ° C. "We descend to about fifteen meters," says Thaïs Ruellan, responsible for visits. To avoid the thermal shock of returning to the open air, there is a very tasty airlock during the ascent: tasting in the air-conditioned shop. Only bipeds are allowed to refresh their minds. "For obvious reasons of hygiene", "our four-legged friends are not admitted".
18-20 ° C in the cave hotel room. At the Rocaminori Troglo Hotel in Louresse-Rochemenier (Maine-et-Loire), a good twenty kilometers from Saumur, customers have managed to fall asleep in recent days. "The duvet with us is topical," describes one within the establishment. Because in the rooms with natural rock walls, the temperature fluctuates between 18 and 20 ° C, even when the outside air flirts with 40 ° C! To pay for a night in this anti-heat wave haven, you have to pay 110 euros. The same town is home to a troglodyte village with a museum. “When I'm hot, I go down to the underground chapel, it's 15 ° C”, breathes Patrick Plou, co-manager of this curiosity.
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24 ° C in Reims Cathedral. The places of worship whose stones have survived the centuries are a bulwark against the excesses of the sun. However, they cannot work miracles, simply transform very hot into lukewarm: inside Notre-Dame de Reims (Marne) cathedral, we pray or admire the stained glass windows at the start of the week in an atmosphere at 24 ° C, 12 ° C lower than on the forecourt. “I met people in the nave who were looking at the site and taking the fresh air at the same time. They are right, the cathedral is available to everyone ”, approves Father Hubert, one of the priests of the parish.
12 ° C in the old slate quarry. At the ardoisières souterroscope in Caumont-l'Eventé (Calvados), which offers a trip to the old quarry operated in the 19th century, it is advisable to cover yourself up. And for good reason: the mercury drops to 12 ° C. This Tuesday, a continuous stream of tourists immersed themselves in this island of freshness and humidity. "They are happy when they go down, a little less when they go up", we smile at the reception of the site.
9.5 ° C in the underground city of Naours. It served, among other things, as a hideout for salt smugglers to escape the salt tax under the reign of Louis XVI. The underground city of Naours (Somme), north of Amiens, was dug in the limestone of the Picardy plateau. 33 m below the floor of the cows, there is no risk of catching sunstroke, but rather a series of shivers caused by the house's 9.5 ° C. “But it cools down in stages, taking the stairs,” says Juliette, a receptionist. The site adapts to all outdoor weather conditions. “When it rains, we also have people, because people come to take shelter,” she appreciates.
14-15 ° C in the Sancerre wine cellars. At the Domaine de la Perrière, in the middle of the Sancerre (Cher) vines, you can savor the local wines without breaking a sweat. The cellars take up their neighborhood in the cool, in a cave. Covid-19 requires, we do not taste at the table, but standing around a bar, for a session faster than usual. Epicureans still have time to quench their thirst without suffocating. Before finding the furnace. And risk the heat stroke? "Oh no, it's just a tasting, just a glass bottom", we reassure the estate, highlighting "common sense" of visitors.