First of all a little addendum about Christmas Eve is in order. After the day had started with very agitated weather it ended with the exact opposite. By the time we all met for dinner the sky was crystal clear and the sea was moving very gently. Summer and winter came together in one day that ended with a stunning sunset.

Yesterday on Christmas Day we had a shore leave in Puerto Madryn in Argentina and had yet another day of full on sunshine and 25 degrees. The plan was to drive to the peninsula of Valdés and watch penguins and sea lions but after an exhausting hour at the pier trying to arrange transportation we just accepted the fact that it was just too complicated, too expensive and too far.

Instead we just walked around, did some day drinking, swam in the ice cold Atlantic, played cards, had lunch and enjoyed the free public Wi-Fi at the beach. In the afternoon, at low tide, the beach became an ocean of sand filled with families celebrating Christmas with picknicks, swimming and soccer.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, human interactions, both good and bad, are being very intense at the moment. Kashka, a hilarious and talented little lady from the show crew, has the most contagious laughter and makes me laugh tears all day long. I’m crushing like crazy on a dancer who’s 12 years younger than me and I just can’t stop thinking about it. Some people of the show crew will categorically not spend time with the group which fills me with negative feelings even though I know it shouldn’t. And last but not least quite a few crew members of the ship give us the shittiest fuck-off-you’re-just-a-guests-artist kind of vibes which yesterday night was extreme (And didn’t happen at all on EUROPA 2).

So yeah… that’s quite a lot to handle. But isn’t love, forgiveness, acceptance and learning how to be in peace with your peers the true meaning of Christmas?

When I return to my cabin after dinner a little Christmas present awaits on my bed and makes me smile. A little Sternstunde soothing like a lullaby.