01.01. - Guadeloupe 🇬🇵

We got up at 9 a.m. a bit tired and still slightly alcoholic. Unfortunately the service restaurant was closed and we had to go to the buffet. It was worse there than at the station. We quickly filled our plates and this time chose a table outside by the pool, where another couple was already sitting. As it turned out, there were also Germans who only arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, you didn't have as pleasant a journey as we did. At -7 degrees, the machine could not start on time and the ICE had also broken down. Interested, they asked us about the cruise so far, as they will also be on the ship for 2 weeks. The time passed too quickly and since we still wanted to do something, we left. Today we hadn't planned anything and left the ship with our beach bag packed to ask the local providers who were standing in front of the ship what they could recommend to us. Since it was a public holiday again, most of them only drove to St. Anne. The beach is very nice, but we wanted to see something different. Finally we found a lady who could recommend another beach that is not too touristy. A little unsure whether she had really understood us, we got into the large-capacity taxi. But we were lucky she drove us to Le Gosier, made a photo stop for everyone and drove us to the ferry. A family with a 14 year old son also asked for another beach and joined us. Together we wanted to translate to the small idyllic island that bears the name "Island of the Pelicans". Rightly so, as we quickly found out, since a lot of pelicans could be seen from the jetty. They let themselves slide in the air and synchronously as a couple they fell into the water to catch a fish. Together with Gabi, Marcus and their son Lukas we explored the small island. We spotted a small salamander and a hermit crab. As we followed the small path through the green thicket, we erected an old lighthouse. From there one could see both wings of Butterfly Island and had the rough rocky coast in front of oneself. Like almost all islands in the Caribbean, the east coast has cliffs and the west has beautiful sandy beaches. So "West is the Best" is easy for me to remember. When we finished exploring, we chose a quiet spot on the other side. Like little kids we ran into the clear water and snorkeled along the shore. However, there wasn't much to discover as it was relatively flat around the island. We let our souls dangle for the day. I could read my book and get some sleep. Around half past three we went to the ferry with the Swabians, chattering happily. Lukas spotted our taxi driver as soon as we docked. She got us a driver who drove us back to the ship. Overhungry again, we went straight to the buffet restaurant for sandwiches and cake. Guilty like people with bad New Year's resolutions, we made our way to the gym, which luckily was still pretty empty. We worked ourselves out for an hour and did something for our guilty conscience. After that we rested in the cabin and waited for the two explorers. Just before the theater started, Danny called and wanted to go there. Today's show sounded really interesting. Three ladies who call themselves Queens of Rhythms have dedicated themselves to soul. The voices of the three girls were very distinctive and very beautiful. They entertained the audience really well unlike the other shows. Unfortunately they are only on board today as special guests. Then it was almost time to eat again. Schwägi came down briefly, but said goodbye immediately because she was very tired. People were already queuing and rushing in as soon as the restaurant opened. Today there was also the New Year's Eve menu and champagne to toast. Better late than never. Danny also became more and more calm at the table and you could tell that he was done too. So we all went to bed quite "early" (11 p.m.).