As with many things, I didn't realize this when we moved here. Based on conversations with family and friends, most people who live in the US don't realize this. But here it is... there is a HUGE difference in the length of a Parisian day in the summer versus the winter.
I know, I know. Most people react with a "yeah sure, the days in the summer are longer here, too." But no... REALLY. For example: The shortest day of the year here in Paris has 8 hours, 14 minutes of daylight. I have to be to work every morning at promptly 8:00. For all of December, my walk to work is like walking at night. The sun doesn't even rise until 8:15.
Now, to show you the other side of the spectrum, the longest day of the year in Paris has 16 hours, 10 minutes of daylight. That's almost twice as long as a December day! And I can tell you, it is glorious! No matter how early you have to wake up, the sun is already there to greet you. (Well at least for me, it rises at 5:45. Some people might still beat it). Here is the real interesting fact is that sunset is at 9:58!
I'm told this drastic difference between the summer and winter is because of how far North of the equator Paris is located. Most people don't realize that New York City is on roughly the same latitude as Rome. Europe is really quite a bit farther North than the US. Someone also told me that the late sunset has to do with how far West Paris is located in the time zone. If we were located further East, in Italy or Macedonia, we would have earlier sunrises and sunsets.
It's interesting to see how such a simple thing changes certain cultural elements in Paris. My guess is that this has something to do with how late people here have dinner. (Typical dinner time is around 8:30. Many restaurants won't even open until 7:30). It's also interesting to note that almost all French people have heavy wooden or metal shutters on their windows to completely close out the light. It's tough to put kids to bed in broad daylight or sleep in on a Saturday if the sun is up at 5:45. This kind of shutter is necessary here where they're mostly for decoration in the U.S. (I suppose they could use thick curtains as well, but they seem to stick with the shutters).
So there is a little bit of worldly knowledge to "brighten" your day. Really, all of this is a very long way of saying how happy I am that spring is finally arriving! The temperatures may still be a bit on the chilly side, but there is daylight! Before work and after work! It is glorious!
Bring on more sunshine and 10:00pm picnics, Mother Nature! We are all ready!
