Tourists and Parisians cooling off in the water of the Trocadero fountain at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on Monday. Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A dangerous heat wave has Europe on high alert this week.

Tourists and locals in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy are doing their best to deal with temperatures as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

To cope with the heat, people are swimming, keeping hydrated, eating gelato, taking siestas, and staying out of the sun.

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Tourists and locals are sweating this week as a heat wave compared to "hell" hits Europe.

During the most recent major European heat wave, in 2003, an estimated 15,000 people died in France.

This time, temperatures were forecast to climb above 104 degrees Fahrenheit in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy with hot winds from the Sahara blowing in across the continent.

The French city of Carpentras has already recorded a temperature of 111.74 degrees Fahrenheit, a national record for France.

Here are photos of people doing their best — by swimming, drinking, eating gelato, and resting in the shade — to stay cool.