From shade to high-tech solutions, Spain’s Seville is rolling out measures to mitigate scorching heat.

 Many Spanish kids’ childhood memories of summer are peppered with sweat, long siestas and street games around our grandmothers, who would take their foldable chairs outside as soon as the sun set, spending the coolest hours of the day chatting with neighbors and friends. 

The tradition, known in Spanish as charla al fresco or “cool chat,” is so entrenched that last year a village in the southern region of Andalucia sought UNESCO World Heritage status for it. The village’s mayor argued the old habit is in danger because of the widespread use of social media, which encourages people to stare at their phones or computers rather than engage in real life conversations.

This summer’s record-high temperatures show it’s not just social media threatening Europe’s ancient traditions. Scorching heat — even at night— has kept Spanish grandmas indoors in many villages. As the worst heat wave on record advanced through the continent’s west this summer, villages in France and the UK rushed to cancel public gatherings, street markets and festivals to protect citizens from deadly temperatures.