Greece bakes in third heatwave in a month

Record ID: 1627068

  • Title: Greece bakes in third heatwave in a month
  • Date: 16th July 2021
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 16, 2021) (REUTERS) WOMAN WALKING ON SYNTAGMA SQUARE HOLDING AN UMBRELLA FOR SHADE ANOTHER WOMAN WALKING WITH AN UMBRELLA IN SQUARE WOMAN WALKING AND FANNING HERSELF WITH FAN WOMAN SITTING UNDER A TREE AND FANNING HERSELF WITH A FAN PEOPLE SITTING UNDER THE SHADE OF TREES ON SQUARE BOY DRINKING WATER WOMAN WALKING AND DRINKING WATER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CYRIELLE JARDIN, TOURIST FROM FRANCE, SAYING: "For me, it is too much. I come from France and there it is 15 degrees (Celsius), so I had a real shock when I arrived here." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALEXANDER, TOURIST FROM RUSSIA, SAYING: "I like it. I like it, we are from St. Petersburg and it's not that hot as here. I like it here, I'm okay with it, just a bit water, I'm fine, beer maybe." VARIOUS OF HAZE FROM HUMIDITY FROM THE HEAT RISING OVER CARS DRIVING THROUGH CITY ELECTRONIC THERMOMETER INDICATING 41 DEGREES CELSIUS THERMOMETER SHOWING TEMPERATURE DROPPING FROM 41 TO 40 DEGREES ATHENS SKYLINE WITH ACROPOLIS AND PARTHENON TEMPLE ON ACROPOLIS HILL WITH A HAZE FROM THE HUMIDITY IN THE AIR DUE TO THE HEAT EMPTY PARTHENON TEMPLE, ACROPOLIS HILL WITHOUT VISITORS TWO TOURISTS STANDING OUTSIDE SHUTTERED ACROPOLIS GATES TOURISTS LEAVING GUARD BEHIND CLOSED GATES VLAGOS FAMILY FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S. SITTING UNDER SHADE OF OLIVE TREE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELAINA VLAGOS, TOURIST FROM THE U.S., SAYING: "I'm a little frustrated, there wasn't any, like, notification until we got all the way up here, because we got our tickets earlier, and went to the museum first thinking that we would be cool during the hot time. I didn't know why it was closed, or anything like that, so I was surprised, no signs or anything." VARIOUS OF TOURIST GROUP, INCLUDING ONE PERSON WITH AN UMBRELLA WALKING DOWN THE ACROPOLIS PATH (SOUNDBITE) (English) KEVIN, TOURIST FROM GERMANY, SAYING: "Oh it's very difficult for me, I need to drink much and to stay not in the sun, it's very, very hot here, this is a very big problem, it's not very good for me and my health." PEOPLE SITTING AT OUTDOOR CAFE WITH COOLING FANS SPRAYING A COOL MIST OVER THEM COOLING FAN SPRAYING MIST OVER TABLES VARIOUS OF COOL MIST SPRAYING OVER TABLES BEACH NEAR ATHENS FILLED WITH PEOPLE IN THE WATER PEOPLE IN THE WATER SWIMMING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN THE WATER AND ON THE BEACH
  • Embargoed: 30th July 2021 17:56
  • Keywords: Acropolis Parthenon beach climate change heatwave thermometer
  • Location: ATHENS, GREECE
  • City: ATHENS, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Environment,Europe,Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EM3C213
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Greek capital sweltered on Friday (July 16) as the third heatwave in a month sent Athenians to nearby beaches and caused the Acropolis to briefly close its gates to visitors during the hottest hours of the day.
    A hot breeze wafted through the city as thermometers showed 41 degrees Celsius downtown.
    Pedestrians ran for shade or fanned themselves to cool down, while fans blew cold steam on restaurant and cafe tables.
    The high temperatures are forecast to linger for another day, with some areas of Greece expected to reach even higher temperatures, according to Greece's national weather service.
    For some tourists, the heat came as a shock.
    "For me, it is too much. I come from France and there it is 15 degrees (Celsius), so I had a real shock when I arrived here," said French tourist Cyrielle Jardin.
    But others welcomed it.
    "I like it, we are from St. Petersburg and it's not that hot as here. I like it here, I'm okay with it, just a bit water, I'm fine, beer maybe," said Russian tourist Alexander.
    The heat caused the Acropolis, which attracts thousands of visitors a day in peak periods, to close for four hours.
    "I'm a little frustrated, there wasn't any, like, notification until we got all the way up here," said Elaina Vlagos, who was visiting with her family from Chicago.
    As Greece braces for another day of searing heat, in northern Europe over 1,000 people were missing across flood-stricken regions in western Germany and Belgium on Friday, where the death toll has surpassed 110.
    (Production: Vassilis Triandafyllou, Phoebe Fronista)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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