Day 1
The red warning flag at Fort Lauderdale Beach beats wildly and relentlessly against the angry winds, a battle against the fury of the storm. The palm trees and their leaves bend in submission to the land and a coconut falls heavily from a palm tree not too far from my feet. The winds are so strong that I almost have difficulty walking upright and my nose stings from the sand whipping through the air.
Florida's slogan is "the Sunshine State," but that feels like a distant dream on this stormy November day. A hurricane dances past Florida's west coast, but a hurricane never leaves its chaos isolated. The air masses in the surrounding areas are drawn into the whirling carousel of the wind, causing bad weather here on the east coast as well.
The lifeguard towers are locked and silent. The windows are dark, and it is impossible to know whether someone is sitting inside, keeping watch over the beach, or whether the storm is allowed to rage undisturbed. Out at sea, the ships pass by like heavy silhouettes struggling against the waves. The journey does not seem to be entirely pleasant.
But despite the storm, the beach is not deserted. A couple has settled down on a towel in the sand. Their hair is flying wildly around their faces and despite the currents and wind, they look wet, as if they have just been swimming. The woman pulls on a t-shirt and holds her arms around her knees. Because if you are on vacation in Florida, you should be on the beach. Regardless of whether the sun is warm or the storm is raging.
A man my age walks briskly and purposefully towards the waves with a surfboard balanced under his arm. One man's sorrow over lost tan is another man's surfing bliss. It's not every day you can surf in Fort Lauderdale, but today the ocean rewards those who dare to face it with perfect breaks.
On the horizon, the huge cruise ships glide majestically out of the harbor, as if barely noticing the storm. Their journey takes them to the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. For many, Fort Lauderdale is not the final destination of their vacation, but the beginning of their journey. A stopover before they embark on a cruise. The beginning of their dream of the Caribbean.
Day 2
The next morning it is still windy, but now the sun is gently breaking through the cloud cover and giving hope for better weather. A couple meets a woman for a yoga session on the soft sand. A couple meets a woman on the beach, and together they roll out their mats for a morning yoga session on the soft sand.
โI didnโt think anyone would come today,โ the yoga instructor says in a surprised voice. Itโs hard to tell if there was gratitude in her tone, or if she would rather have returned home.
Today, life in Fort Lauderdale is starting to return to its usual Florida balm. People are running along the undulating boardwalk and barefoot couples stroll on the beach with paper cups of coffee. A few of the joggers also have a coffee in their hands, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Anything goes.
In the afternoon, the sun really comes out. Sun loungers unfold one by one, like butterflies spreading their wings after the storm. The smell of salty sea mingles with the sweet scent of sunscreen, and the lifeguards leave their hidden lookouts and resume their places on the towers.
Behind me, a man is lying relaxed on the seawall, sunbathing with a suitcase at his side. Itโs impossible to tell who he is โ perhaps a tourist looking to soak up the last rays of Florida sunshine before heading home? Or perhaps a dreamer who has made the beach his home and put life on indefinite pause? With a calm hand, he lights a cigarette and blows out the smoke as if he has all the time in the world. If itโs the bus to the airport heโs waiting for, itโs clear heโs in no hurry.
The party has already started down at Elbo Room and the music is pumping out through the speakers. Slightly drunk men shout flattering words at women who pass by. The atmosphere is good, even though the volume is high for both visitors and speakers. Along the promenade's bars and restaurants, tables are filled with giant glasses of Frozen Margarita. Happy hour! Buy a drink, get a drink free. Take advantage!
Day 3
The wind has died down. The sun is shining from the sky, highlighting the sparkling turquoise blue hues of the sea, as if the water wants to show its most beautiful side before I go home.
On the beach, a school class walks in an informal formation and collects trash. An activity that is repeated every other Sunday to keep nature and the beach clean. Some of the students take the task more seriously than others and take decisive steps, while others seem to just enjoy a day at the sea.
โCan I see your pictures?โ asks a young girl who has stopped picking up trash for a while. She has that curiosity in her eyes that only children can have. I turn the camera towards her and scroll through some of the pictures I have just taken โ the sea, the beach, the boats on the horizon. She scrolls with great interest.
โWhere are you from?โ she asks, her eyes still fixed on the camera screen.
โSweden,โ I answer with a smile.
She nods, but I can see it in her eyes โ the place I mention is just a word to her. No follow-up question comes. But that doesnโt matter. She smiles a quick and honest smile and says: โI like your pictures.โ
On the beach lie several transparent lumps of jelly that look like inflated, thin plastic bags. They are pufferfish that have been washed ashore in the storm. Despite their name, pufferfish are not jellyfish, but a collaboration between four different organisms that together create one of nature's scariest creatures. Their tentacles, almost invisible in the water, can grow up to 50 meters long and carry a neurotoxin so strong that it can cause cardiac arrest. And the poison remains, even when the dead lie here on the beach. It's important to watch where you put your feet.
I walk around the jellyfish at a safe distance and carefully take off my sandals and dip my feet in the waves at the shore. The sea is warmer than I expected, almost so warm that I could imagine jumping in. Almost, anyway.
On my walk I pass several lifeguard towers in all colors and shapes, scattered along the undulating coast. Today, tower number 8 has come to life and the windows are open and the roof is folded down. With the return of the sun, the sun worshippers and bathers also come. They fill the beach with life and movement and life returns to the beach.
I retrace my steps back towards the hotel. The time for departure is approaching and the airport awaits. It is hard to tear myself away from the beach, from the warming rays of the sun and the sound of waves rolling in. Three days in Fort Lauderdale โ three days that have offered just as many different seas.
The first day the beach was wild and stormy. The second day the storm calmed down a bit, but the clouds still hung heavy. And now on the third day, the beach is filled with sun, life and movement and people enjoying the Florida winter warmth.
Three days. Three weather conditions. Three completely different beaches, but the same beach.
