This is how Touché star Alexander Geist deals with his wanderlust
He helped turtles hatch from eggs, visited exotic markets, went swimming with dolphins, met Eskimos, seen whales, visited natural history museums, tasted rum in distilleries, and got an insight into the life of indigenous peoples. In numbers: Alexander Geist (48) has covered around 90,000 nautical miles as a crew member on ten cruise ships in five years and a half, docked at more than 100 ports, and seen at least 55 countries on five continents. “Then Corona came.”
When he started his journey home in March 2020, he ended up in the Turkish city of Istanbul between, “Everyone was wearing masks, there was a kind of apocalyptic mood”. Back in Hanover, the 48-year-old never let in such a mood, “but it was really crazy going to the supermarket: no toilet paper, no pasta, no flour”. After a year and a half, the nun is no longer like that. What remains is the wanderlust. “And that’s really bad,” says the Hanoverian over an espresso in the Luisenhof, “but now I work in the field, and I’m often out and about on the coast in northern Germany. After all.”
He is currently active in sales for table water systems in hotels and restaurants, “also something with water”. He laughs – that has always been one of his trademarks. There is also this curiosity, this thirst for knowledge about everything that surrounds him – regardless of whether it is humans, animals or nature. That’s why the job with the table water system is also a good fit: “My travels have made me quite sensitive. With so many people in the world, no water comes out of the tap, the light does not come out at the push of a button. ”
The 48-year-old was also able to realize this: “The way we live here is not the ultimate. Unfortunately, many people think that and act that way. ”He observed this now and then with passengers on the ships. “Some have a really limited view of the world and regret their trip to the Seychelles because it was too hot for them. Others were amazed or even outraged that in parts of the Arctic there were Eskimos with seal meat and no cafés with latte macchiato. ”Some of the experiences left him speechless.
On his travels – sometimes he stood on board in the shop, sometimes sold jewelry, was an entertainer and presenter – he managed to dispel prejudices. “There is a lot in the world that you just don’t notice if you haven’t been there.” When people think in boxes, Geist doesn’t judge that. “It happens to everyone. My drawer is now pretty big. ”He and his crew once went to Madagascar to collect rubbish on the beach and also got local children excited about it. “In the end we stand there with our sacks full of rubbish and we didn’t know what to do with it. There are simply no recycling options like we have here. ”They also took the sacks on board and sent them to the ship’s own waste incineration plant.
What he saw and experienced during his time as a seafarer had a lasting and original influence on him. “The trips have taught me humility and gratitude. I have a different view of life, a different approach to many things. The talk of success and money is not important to me. ”He knows this side too well: In the 1990s he was a member of Touché, the boy band jetted around the world, teenagers screeched themselves swoon during concerts, Dieter’s The group produced by Bohlen (67) was featured on the covers of many youth magazines.
Geist has long since had a different view of his life: “I want to have a good time in the here and now.” This includes backpacking Bhutan and Nepal, as well as hiking trails such as the Way of St. James or the dream path from Munich to Venice wants to tread.
It will be a while before Corona allows such tours again without hesitation. “The pandemic is not only a brake, but also a brake on fun.” Alexander Geist will continue to work here in Germany, expanding his portfolio in terms of Netflix series, reading even more specialist literature on architecture and culture, watching more nature documentaries and admiring his stone collection : “I took one with me as a souvenir from the places where it is allowed to take one away.”
By Mirjana Cvjetkovic
