It’s official. The French weather authorities crunched the numbers and determined that Marseille was the sunniest city in France in 2017. Our 3,110 hours of sunlight beat out Nice (3,047) and Corsica (3,036 in Solenzara).
So a weird thing about living in Marseille is that I am constantly complaining about how much sun there is, especially in the winter. I am 100% here for sunny, warm days you can spend lounging on the beach or drinking rosé on a sunny terrasse. But when it’s cold and sunny, you sit inside all day wishing you could be outside, but knowing you won’t last more than a half hour at most before giving up in favor of warm toes. And when that freezing Mistral blows, no amount of sunlight can make me go outside.
This is where I really see the value of lousy weather. Isn’t it sublime to curl up on the couch while rain lashes the windows and you take a sip of warm tea? Is there any excuse better than a massive thunderstorm to cuddle under your covers until 2pm, thinking about the soup and cookies you’re going to make later? After all, how could you possibly go out in weather like this?!
On the other hand, is there anything more embarrassing and low-key demoralizing than spending that same afternoon in your pajamas, wistfully staring out the windows at the beautiful blue sky every 20 minutes and wishing you had the motivation to get dressed and venture out? What’s worse than having the motivation but finding upon finally leaving the house that the wind has picked up to speeds so fast you can barely walk two blocks without being pushed off the sidewalk?
I realize arguing for worse weather is a pretty hard sell. But sometimes I just wish the weather would go all out: please either be stunningly gorgeous, or disgustingly unpleasant. Choose one. It’ll make it easier on the rest of us ! ❂
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presentperfectblog.com 
I’m sitting in my house watching other people’s recycling cans blow across our lawn since we’re having 60 MPH wind gusts. PLEASE SEND ME SOME OF THAT MARVELOUS WEATHER!
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oh, those Mistral winds, sandwiched between 2 mountain ranges, running N=S, makes today’s wind look like child’s play. we are in the middle of a nor’easter, but in the mid-Atlantic will supposedly see only 5 or 6 inches of snow. So very much easier to stay inside on a day like today than on a sunny Marseille day.
Thanks for the stats. As many times as we go to France to see family and friends, we’ve not been to Marseille. A day like today, for both of us, sounds like a day sipping rose from the terrasse in your mind.
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I’ve never heard anyone wish for non-sunny weather! I see your point, however when you live in the tropics and have to deal with the rainy season half the year, and you’re one of those people who hates the rain, I think I’d take the sun! 😝
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I had the same dilemna with weather being perfect when we lived for three years in Hawaii!
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The mistral wind would bother me, but as long as I can see sunlight from the comforts of my home, it makes things a lot cheerier. Here in the Rhône-Alpes, it’s more grey with the occasional blue-sky day. I’d love some more sunshine, though!
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Interesting perspective that I never really thought of. But how cold does it actually get in Marseille? I hate the cold, and it can get pretty cold in the alps! I would not mind trading the coldness of the alps for Marseilles’ coldness
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Fair enough, we rarely get snow, but temperatures will dip to the 30s and 40s on particularly cold days. The worst is the freezing cold winds that blow from the alps at 70+ mph!!!
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It is a chilly, sunny day in Alexandria, Va today. I just took our two dogs for a walk. I was bundled against the cold and enjoyed the brisk walk. However, the steaming cup of coffee upon my return is the true gift. I suggest SHORT excursions so you can head back inside and crawl under the covers with a good book or cook away without any residual guilt.
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