Dancing Around the Four Sides

In Europe the Cold North has a lot of sea as well. I've never been to Scotland or Ireland, but I've seen Oslo, Bergen and about 200kms of coast north of it, and the Stockholm area (and landed in Rejkajvik once, plus spent a day in Helsinki). Maybe you would like Scandinavia, although it's a small fierce North instead of a wide one as in Canada and Alaska. possibly the best place for you may be Winter from The Left Hand of Darkness (the way people live there kind if fits with my mental image of you).

As for me, I like warmth and the coziness of the mediterranean sea. There is no shore of it without wine, and olive trees, and people that look like me :).