Tord is the man for the beach chairs on the coastline at Rantum’s dog beach. In December he is sitting there alone reading old Simmel novels. Before closing his office in the dunes, he sold me one of his special beach chairs (one of three only between December 1st and December 15th). Here on Sylt they have high-tech beach chairs in winter time calling them „Winterglut“ similar to this crazy tea promotion selling „wellness teas“ with smooth names like „Abendglühen“, „Zimttraum“ or „Waldlust“. Names for future Till Brönner theme records!
These new beach chairs guarantee summer temperatures (inside) with built-in electricity making no noise at all. I went down to the sea looking for „Winterglut No. 3“. The other two ones were already deserted. No, there was one person sitting in another one („Number 2“) waving a hand. I waved back. Strangers in the evening. Darkness came slowly. I sat down, followed the simple instructions, and warmth surrounded me within minutes. The water was near, small waves, ice-cold temperatures outside. I remembered my bathing accident at the Algarve and decided to make this evening a purely meditative experience. No suicidal impulses for ice bathing.
When I started sweating I took out my clothes, only wearing underwear in the end. A mellow red light inside the chair. After enjoying the sounds of the sea for a while, and after drinking two glasses of a fine Cabernet Sauvignon, I put on my headphones and listened to Thomas Köner’s new album (on Denovali Records). One hour passed with grace – a strange light show of red light, black sky and white waves was the perfect ambience, like a psychedelic dream. Finally the person from „Winterglut No. 2“ approached me, a middle-aged woman with blue eyes (a kind of blue that cuts through darkness), and she said: „A bit weird, all this, isn’t it? May I join your red light district, Mister?“