Curtains and the real time difference between Scotland and Denmark

On paper, the time difference between Scotland and Denmark is one hour, but that’s not what it feels like.

A 9–5 job is called an 8–4 job in Denmark, and schools tend to start a some point between 7.30 and 8.15 depending on the council area, rather than Scotland’s typical 9am.

So I’d say the real time difference is about 2½ hours.

I’ve also noticed that Danes use fewer and thinner curtains than most Scots. Is there a connexion here? Do Danes start the day earlier because the sun wakes them up most of the year? Do Scots sleep in because their thick curtains protect them from the sun? Or is the causality the other way round?

I have plenty of Danish childhood memories of getting up in the middle of the night and walking to school in the dark, and in Scotland you leave work after sunset for many months every year.

I’m not sure what’s best. It feels like Danes love the morning sun, and Scots hate getting up in the dark.

Perhaps we should just start the day when the sun rises throughout the year instead of using midnight as the basis.