[HG] St Chartier and European weather

[VonHorne]

First of all, as an American who was raised in the climate of Southern California this may seem like I am being a whiney American tourist but it must be understood that I do not deal well with the heat even at home and I suffer from an inability to cool down once I get overheated.     Europe sucks......at least in July, and probably August. I have never been to an area that continually denies that the series of consecutive heat waves is a fluke, and the deaths of people do to the inability to accept this is mind numbing. BUY AN ICE MACHINE! Why is it that the in room air conditioning produces more heat than it can actually cool? I am surprised that the summer in Europe doesn't cause more anger related killings from lack of sleep and over heating. If you live there you can cope with the issue just the way I can at home, but if you are traveling you rely on others to help and more than once I was told to just deal with it. And I paid these people to tell me this? My suggestion is to see Europe in the Fall or Spring unless you like the Winter cold (the in room heaters work great).     That is the worst of it now unto the actual festival.       I don't suggest that you go if you are a beginner like me (unless you are like Tobie and are just good from the start, then please go and play your heart out). The reason I say this is fairly simple, no matter who your are and how outgoing you can be it is all rather humbling and you tend to feel pretty left out. It is like joining a philharmonic orchestra with a beginners violin and a years worth of practice under your belt.     That being said, you should go at least once. It is not at all what I expected. It surprised me in how the people could all play and dance all night and they all seemed to know the dances. There were people that were dancing traditional dances from all ages and all backgrounds. It seemed as though they had all learned the dances when they were young and were all still happy to dance them into their old age. My wife commented that it was odd to see traditional dances being performed by kids with dreadlocks next to a couple in their 70s and everyone was happy. The best dancers were still there dancing at 4 AM and that 70 year old couple was out there with them. Not one fight or disturbance during the whole time I was there. Not something that would ever have happen here.     The music was great. I can't tell you how many times I heard the songs that I know and felt comfortable with during the day and night. The players were amazing and the music never stopped. I don't know that I want to hear a bagpipe for a while. No offence to bagpipers but after four days of the same songs at the volumes that can break ear drums it tends to wear on you.      I tried to see all the music that I could but sadly I missed the show with Patrick and Gille, accompanied but our now famous Tobie. It was rather hard on occasion to get things together during the day and still have time to eat and sleep.      It is truly a trip to take but the weather (from what I hear) is variable and it can hail during the hottest part of the day, rain until the mud is thick enough to stick your shoes to the ground, roast you all day without let up, or it can be perfect weather that everyone is happy in. So bring clothes for all occasions.        I am aware that most people don't want a weather report so I will stop here and continue in a new vain in my next report.       Scott