Travel Series: Key West, Dawn and Dusk.
Dawn and Dusk
Key West is famous for its sunsets, but the sunrises are equally spectacular. It is rare to see the sun rise directly over the ocean since there are usually clouds on the horizon that reflect and refract light to create a multicolor sky. The ocean takes a blue-gray-teal color as the sky lightens. The clouds are outlined by a pink or pale yellow color with gray centers. The horizon takes a warm pink and pale yellow glow, and the sky begins to turn a powder blue near the horizon and a sky blue above. As the sun rises through clouds, there can be a brief moment, a gloaming, when the entire sky is pink and yellow quickly changing to the familiar blue as the sun continues its rise. The deeper water takes a cobalt or teal hue and lighter shades become aquamarine or pistachio. Pelicans occupy their piers and the sea gulls commence flight. Great Blue Herons perch motionless at the shoreline and the ibis stalk insects in the grass.
Key Westers and the tourists celebrate the sunset. Mallory Square takes on a carnival atmosphere at Sunset; Fort Zachary also offers beautiful sunrises and sunsets, as well as sunrise Yoga on the beach.
If you want to see the sunset without the carnival, you can go to the White Street Pier. The White Street Pier provides both the sunrise and sunset as the sunrise appears over the Atlantic and sets over the Gulf…but you will not be alone, the Key Westers love their sunrises and sunsets.
See you next time for The Tastes of Key West.
Learn more about Key West in these posts from Angela:
Dawn and Dusk (this post)
Coming up!
The Tastes
The People of Key West
My Favorite Inhabitants
My Second Favorite Inhabitants -- Flora
Shrimp Boats
Paradise
The Houses
Fishing
Key West Quirkiness
Key West's Spirituality
