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LOL my daughter lived in Northern England (north Yorkshire, up near the Northumberland border) and the winters were very snowy and the wind blew across the barren moors with a vengeance - it rained and blew and gusted for much of every week she was there (three years). So you really can't even generalize about the weather in a country as compact as England.
As for Germany's climate - hey, I loved living there overall, but I found it to be too rainy for my personal taste - and the springs were too cold for my personal taste (not to mention the winters, full of very short, dark, wet, cold days). Still - you can't have everything, and what it lacked to me weather wise, was made up for by the beautiful scenery and architecture - not to mention the interesting history...and the bread.
I know Yorkshire myself, the weather is pleasant there.
While there is regular snowfall in high altitudes, most people are not affected as they live along the coast and in river valleys, just like most anywhere in the world.
When I lived in Milan and other parts of Lombardia, I recall how increasingly difficult it was to find a family-owned panificio that actually still made its own bread, but instead had these disgusting plain white hard rolls trucked in from some rinky-dink factory, well at least it was everyday and they called it fresh, but you could also buy the ones from last Wednesday at a discount (I had a similar experience even in Reggio, Calabria where some young people - among the few who are still there - had no clue how to make a calzone, they heated up pre-made ones in some machine).
And my effective tax rate was 43% (and now I hear it has increased to upwards of 50%). Nonetheless, I do still cry now and then over the museums and proper arches, and stuff from 500 and 2000 years ago.
I still have no problems finding a family-owned bakery, but i live in what can be considered a town, up North (at least in Turin and Milan) there has been a slight resurgence of family-owned bakeries, many of those are owned by North Africans and Middle Easterns. The tax rate hasn't increased and it's 43% only for those earn more than 75000 euros which is a minority that can afford to pay that much.
Honestly i don't understand why we are giving up and not focusing more on handicraft and on preserving family businesses which have done their respective works for centuries. That's basically on of the columns of our economy on which we are slowly giving up
I lived in Germany for three years (central, near Frankfurt - in one of the regions with mild weather as far as Germany goes). I am from the American south. Though I loved many things about living in Germany, the weather was NOT what I'd call a positive for about six months out of the year. It was not uncommon for it to snow in May, for example - and the country itself is so far north that the winter days begin about 9 am and come to a dark, wet, cold end about 4:30 pm.
We went back for a visit a couple of years ago - in June. It was so cold and rainy for part of our vacation that I had to go buy some thicker socks and a heavier jacket! With these warmer clothes on, I had a fine time but I prefer not to have to bundle up in June to enjoy myself.
Also - when I lived there, air conditioning wasn't a widespread convenience - because it usually wasn't needed during the mild summers - not for long anyway. But there was nearly always a hot spell (hot for Germany) during the summer, with temps in the 80s - and no AC. No, it won't kill a person - not me, anyway (though they ALWAYS had "heat related deaths" during those "hot spells") but it was uncomfortable, with no relief till the evening.
So weather is a very relative, subjective measure when it comes to quality of life. Each person's idea of "great weather" can be very different, and there's really no right or wrong answer. It depends entirely on what YOU like best.
Agreed that the weather isn't a positive about North-Western Europe, it's overcast more often than not, it can get very boring weather wise, although it is quite comfortable. Probably, the mediterranean coast of Spain and France and the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy are a compromise between a weather that can be both exciting at times and quite comfortable.
I still don't think air-con is needed north of the Alps, it's just not convenient, especially considering it could be used for about 10-15 days a year. Yeah, i agree that weather is a subjective measure although most people i have met tend to have a preference for either mediterranean or tropical weather.
Probably not
But it's also interesting how such rankings make people focus on those big cities, while the standard of living is usually even better in smaller cities in those countries, especially for locals.
This is true, in all the national indexes regarding quality of life here in Italy (generally conducted by Sole 24 Ore). Ravenna and Trento which are barely midsized cities top the list, while Milan is 8th and Rome is 12th.
While there is regular snowfall in high altitudes, most people are not affected as they live along the coast and in river valleys, just like most anywhere in the world.
The weather is pleasant to YOU. The weather may not be as pleasant to other people as it is to you - for instance, people who prefer more sunlight, warmer temperatures, etc.
Here's a comparison between what my daughter prefers (northeast Texas) and what she experienced in Yorkshire (near Harrogate):
Average June temps:
Harrogate, UK: 62
Tyler, TX: 89
Average number of days with precipitation:
Harrogate, UK: 225
Tyler, TX: 100
Average number of days with snow:
Harrogate: 23
Tyler: 1
I'm not saying one is superior to the other - just showing the differences. For someone who prefers warm, sunny weather with little or no snow, NE Texas is definitely going to have weather that's more pleasant to them than northern England.
I still don't think air-con is needed north of the Alps, it's just not convenient, especially considering it could be used for about 10-15 days a year. Yeah, i agree that weather is a subjective measure although most people i have met tend to have a preference for either mediterranean or tropical weather.
It's natural to think so, but it's not really true. Our insulation of the buildings are simply just so thick that it prevents heat from escaping, and we have double-glazed windows on top. And remember that our nights are around 6 or 7 hours short, so when the sun shines for 16 hours a day, it really gets uncomfortable. My flat averages around 26-27C inside temps, and there's just no way to escape it. And it can last for 2 or 3 months. It's quite normal to be hotter inside than outside.
Public transport again is hell. Figure a bus full with people on a summer day. It can get to 45C there.
My preference again is rather cold snowy winters than 6C rainy winters.
The weather is pleasant to YOU. The weather may not be as pleasant to other people as it is to you - for instance, people who prefer more sunlight, warmer temperatures, etc.
Here's a comparison between what my daughter prefers (northeast Texas) and what she experienced in Yorkshire (near Harrogate):
Average June temps:
Harrogate, UK: 62
Tyler, TX: 89
Average number of days with precipitation:
Harrogate, UK: 225
Tyler, TX: 100
Average number of days with snow:
Harrogate: 23
Tyler: 1
I'm not saying one is superior to the other - just showing the differences. For someone who prefers warm, sunny weather with little or no snow, NE Texas is definitely going to have weather that's more pleasant to them than northern England.
I doubt 89 in June is much more pleasant than 62. It may seem more pleasant, but only as long as you have air conditioning. In the summer many parts of the southern half of the US are only tolerable with air conditioning. At 62 I can work outside without sweating like a pig
By the way, it is 78 today here in Portugal ^^ Just checked again, 80 actually.
It's natural to think so, but it's not really true. Our insulation of the buildings are simply just so thick that it prevents heat from escaping, and we have double-glazed windows on top. And remember that our nights are around 6 or 7 hours short, so when the sun shines for 16 hours a day, it really gets uncomfortable. My flat averages around 26-27C inside temps, and there's just no way to escape it. And it can last for 2 or 3 months. It's quite normal to be hotter inside than outside.
Public transport again is hell. Figure a bus full with people on a summer day. It can get to 45C there.
My preference again is rather cold snowy winters than 6C rainy winters.
Ah ok, so it's the exact opposite of here where our buildings are/were constructed in a way to protect us from the excessive heats of the summer, that makes winter less comfortable than it seems. I tend to avoid using public transport in the summer, if it's a nightmare in the Nordic countries, imagine what it is here, i prefer walking and using more of my time to do that rather than go on an overcrowded bus in the heat of the summer. Honestly i'm not a fan of excessive hot weather too, especially when it's humid, anytime it gets above 32-33 C° it gets uncomfortable for me, imagine how i felt during this month (http://http://www.ilmeteo.it/portale...ia/2007/Luglio), that heatwave was terrible, at the end of the month before we actually hit 47C° which is the Italian and if i'm not wrong joint European record.
I've talked about those places because unlike here the weather hardly gets excessive, in fact it's quite a bit milder, as the Tyrrhenian and the Mediterranean influence the climate much more than a shallow sea such as the Adriatic
Ah ok, so it's the exact opposite of here where our buildings are/were constructed in a way to protect us from the excessive heats of the summer, that makes winter less comfortable than it seems.
Yes. Here the buildings are designed to keep the cold out. And then when we have a good summer like last year, our homes get really hot. Especially if you're not living in a detached home.
July last year: Synop report summary
And figure that with a winter jacket on. Takes a week at least for the building to cool down.
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Takes a week at least for the building to cool down.
