In Moscow, my friend and I went to the Moscow Circus. At 10:00 pm when we exited the Circus, we were over joyed to realize that we still had enough daylight to leisurely get back to our hotel. After a few days in Moscow, I boarded a train with my then boyfriend for Estonia which is closer to the Artic Circle and has White Nights.
In the evenings, Urmas would come around, pick Arvi and me up, and take me on tours. The first time, he came around at about 10:00 pm and suggested we head out. He laughed when I said that we wouldn't be able to see much. We ended up coming back after sunset which was well after 2:00 am. I stayed in Estonia for about a month and then took the ferry to see some friends in Sweden. After Sweden, I spent another 8 weeks in Europe traveling where my whims took winding my way back to Estonia.
As much as I loved the summer in Europe, I don't think I would have been able to last a winter where daylight only debuts for a brief period each day. I had a hard time my first year in Japan living up north. In the winter, the sun sets at about 3:30 pm and is full on night by 4:00. Japan at that time did not have Day Light Savings Time and there are no time zones in the country either because is longer than it is wider. However, I did notice a difference in Western Japan where we had longer days. Also conspicious was the rising sun at about 4:00 in the morning. Many a summer night, I would bike home in daylight after finishing an evening out at Mac Bar.
After leaving Japan, I spent time in Hawaii which also does not have Daylight Savings Time. The days are longer in the winter than on the mainland, but the summer days are shorter. Of course, I loved Hawaii and would love to go back, DST or not. But one of the highlights of moving to Southern California was that once again I would get long summer days. Today, I joyously gave up my extra hour. I changed my clocks over as soon as I got home yesterday to mentally get myself ready for change. I woke up this morning, ready to enjoy the day. Today just happened to the be the first springlike day after the latest winter storm that brought chilly temps. I am so looking forward to this summer, where I won't have to spend 40 minutes in the car after work.
