It is too Cold to be Outside in Strasbourg

It has been bitterly cold in Strasbourg for at least two weeks.  Not only has it been this way in our area of France but all across Europe.  Thankfully Alsace hasn't been hit with snow as well as the frigid temperatures.  Yesterday it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit with the lows dipping down into the single digits.  Today is a balmy 22 degrees Fahrenheit.  That may not seem very cold to some of you but for Strasbourg it is extreme.  Winter temperatures normally hover right above freezing.

The news has been reporting that a couple hundred Europeans have died of exposure during this cold spell.  Most of the victims have been homeless people.  It makes me very sad to think that in such a modern world there are people who don't have anywhere to go when temperatures become dangerous.

There is a small population of "street dwellers" in Strasbourg.  I am making up the term "street dwellers" because I don't know how else to refer to them.  I don't know if they are homeless or not.  They might have places to stay but they enjoy spending a lot of time outside.  I do know that there is a group of people who I see on a regular basis sitting around in public areas of Strasbourg.  They are almost always in the same places when I walk through.  They are a community amongst themselves, hanging out together, talking, laughing, reading, or just being.  There are several dogs that belong to this community as well.  They are the most well behaved canines I have ever encountered.  They placidly watch the goings on around them, never barking, never fighting, always seemingly pleasant.

One of the men that I would consider as a "street dweller" is an older gentleman who plays a piano in various public places.  Sometimes he is by the cathedral but most of the time he rolls his piano to the popular street lined with stores, the Rue des Grandes Arcades.  Here he adds a beautiful soundtrack to the shopping experience.  I recently saw his piano being stored out of the way, under some overhanging eaves.  The stool was upside down on top of the instrument.  I hope that the musician was inside somewhere, staying out of the cold.  I also hope he has a warm place to sleep.