Today, April 30th, is the official last day of winter in Sweden, celebrated as Walpurgis night with special songs for the occasion and a traditional bonfire. Even so, the nights here in Stockholm, are still below freezing and I still need to wear my winter jacket. This, besides the culture and the suppression by authorities here, is the biggest reason for me to want to move from Sweden. Imagine having to be cold for some 8 months out of 12! I would never cold plunge.

In comparison, San Francisco is at the same latitude as Lisbon in Portugal, where it basically never freezes and where winter is only a couple of months, besides having more daylight. This is also where the UN was founded, where the Women Liberation movement started, and where living Eco-friendly first became an everyday alternative also for city people. Then add more liberal views thanks to the large LBQT community, and some lovely architecture and design, that I sincerely appreciate. And, this is where Isadora Duncan was born. It’s also a good place to do business with some moderate efficiency and tempo of life, less stressed and smaller than the regular large American cities. I’ve been to San Francisco twice in the mid 90’s, but the question is – is it still the same?

Honolulu, on the other hand, is always going to be a warm home.