Here in France, residents finally saw a break from baking temperatures and the tropical nights with the cooler Atlantic air coming in from the west.
And a momentous moment: a barrage of lightning flashes and storms for more than an hour on Saturday night. Tables were sent flying from the terraces of restaurants, plates and food with it, crashing to the floor with people running inside to take cover and watch.
In a viral moment, the Eiffel Tower was struck by lightning.
The episode left some wondering why lightning doesn't damage the Eiffel Tower, if it is safe for people to be within the tower, on the observation deck, or even in the restaurants with the ongoing tempest. It turns out the Eiffel Tower is struck several times a year by lightning. Completed in 1889, as the centre piece of the World Fair in Paris, Gustave Eiffel designed the tower not only as a spectacle and to withstand lightning, but to act as a scientific data station.
Michael Troubat is the President of France Paratonnerres, the company that handles lightning protection for the Eiffel Tower, and tells us more in this edition.
We’re also joined by Marie Segura, the co-founder of My Private Paris, who does curated luxury tours of the capital.
