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True, but there are many factors for that outside of climate. The UK has a cloudy climate. There is no spinning away from that.
Why do people only focus on London then, when all of those other places I listed (northern France, rather than France as a whole) get even less sun than southern England?
Why do people only focus on London then, when all of those other places I listed (northern France, rather than France as a whole) get even less sun than southern England?
More familiar with London, it's English speaking so it'll get more attention. A lot more posters live in or near London, anyway so it's liable to be brought up.
Maybe, but when a person moves he/she asks if it's safe, are there jobs, affordable housing, does the society work, is it a good place to raise a family, how's the healthcare... and then MAYBE looks up the sunshine stats after everything else. That is my point.
Chisinau, Moldova has maybe IMO the best climate in Europe. You couldn't pay me enough to move there, because of all those previous factors.
Or how about you? You'd find a great job and a nice OH in a nice area of London. You have friends, steady income, you're healthy, life's good. But you would be only unhappy because of the 1600 sunshine hours? I don't think so.
You and I think exactly the same way. This is the reason why I didn't move back to Puerto Rico. What good is the ~3000 hours of sunshine and 28°C temps in winter when the poverty is astounding, the jobs scarce, the schools the worst in the US on average, and the crime rate competes with Mexico's? I get that question a lot from Americans, and my answer is always the same. Hot temperatures and sunshine aren't the only things to worry about in life
More familiar with London, it's English speaking so it'll get more attention. A lot more posters live in or near London, anyway so it's liable to be brought up.
Might I add that it's also a rather populated global city. It will always be in the "spotlight", unlike Northern France.
You and I think exactly the same way. This is the reason why I didn't move back to Puerto Rico. What good is the ~3000 hours of sunshine and 28°C temps in winter when the poverty is astounding, the jobs scarce, the schools the worst in the US on average, and the crime rate competes with Mexico's? I get that question a lot from Americans, and my answer is always the same. Hot temperatures and sunshine aren't the only things to worry about in life
As Kaul would say...Tropical Climates cause poverty.
But what London (or Paris, or Amsterdam) lacks in winter sunshine, winter temps make up for it. Come January and you'll have a -20C/-30C day in Winnipeg, you don't even want to get up from your bed regardless of the sun. Or a May in Delhi. Terrible pollution, soaring sunshine and it's 45C for a week. After all, I don't think there's a day during a year in London when it's actually dangerous to go out.
These are extremes, but being from Southern Finland where the days are short in winter, it's overcast all the time (22 overcast days last December), biting wind, rain, sleet, snow that comes and goes, you just try to ignore it. It is what it is and you can't do anything about it. If you're feeling blue, order a pizza or go shopping.
But what London (or Paris, or Amsterdam) lacks in winter sunshine, winter temps make up for it. Come January and you'll have a -20C/-30C day in Winnipeg, you don't even want to get up from your bed regardless of the sun. Or a May in Delhi. Terrible pollution, soaring sunshine and it's 45C for a week. After all, I don't think there's a day during a year in London when it's actually dangerous to go out. h
True, there are definitely benefits to oceanic climate winters, but having the sun out a minority of the time; barely 35% of the time [didn't bother convert London, just estimating; I hate that official numbers are in hours] is dreary and some northern European posters don't seem to realize than people other climates would find that dismal —*normal to me is the sun being out about the half the time maybe a bit more.
Most populated climates aren't as cold as Winnipeg. Compared to New York City, and the benefits aren't as clear, though London still wins out in comfort.
Might I add that it's also a rather populated global city. It will always be in the "spotlight", unlike Northern France.
Paris for instance, it gets the equivalent of about 2 extra sunny days per year than London, yet people would have you believe it's far sunnier all year round. It has warmer summers, but it also has colder winters, and more wet days. Nobody ever mentions the weather when they talk about Paris.
But what London (or Paris, or Amsterdam) lacks in winter sunshine, winter temps make up for it. Come January and you'll have a -20C/-30C day in Winnipeg, you don't even want to get up from your bed regardless of the sun. Or a May in Delhi. Terrible pollution, soaring sunshine and it's 45C for a week. After all, I don't think there's a day during a year in London when it's actually dangerous to go out.
These are extremes, but being from Southern Finland where the days are short in winter, it's overcast all the time (22 overcast days last December), biting wind, rain, sleet, snow that comes and goes, you just try to ignore it. It is what it is and you can't do anything about it. If you're feeling blue, order a pizza or go shopping.
As to the first bolded part, yes you are right that Northern Europe does far better than many places at the same latitude in winter. I guess it all depends on what you are used to.
For me though, used to latitude 40N, the winter days of southern Finland you describe would be hellish, and I would certainly not want to get out of bed. Where I live in the dead of 21 December the sun is bright and much higher in the sky than Finland. On a winter day here with 30F and bright sunshine I have no trouble getting out of bed (at least with little wind). And this is coming from a person that strongly dislikes freezing days.
Maybe, but when a person moves he/she asks if it's safe, are there jobs, affordable housing, does the society work, is it a good place to raise a family, how's the healthcare... and then MAYBE looks up the sunshine stats after everything else. That is my point.
Chisinau, Moldova has maybe IMO the best climate in Europe. You couldn't pay me enough to move there, because of all those previous factors.
Or how about you? You'd find a great job and a nice OH in a nice area of London. You have friends, steady income, you're healthy, life's good. But you would be only unhappy because of the 1600 sunshine hours? I don't think so.
It depends on the circumstances...the competition for (good) jobs and housing in London is fierce. So if you manage to go through that, I guess life can be very good! But a lot of people can't, so just because you live in a city that does have a lot of oppurtunities doesn't mean you will automatically have a better life.
About the criteria you mentioned.. most countries have them, unless they have been torn by war or live in extreme poverty.
I don't know if the weather is so important, but I've never been to a country where it was such a hot topic. If they talk about it so much then it surely must affect their life
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