My response to dVerse Poets Pub Haibun Monday #8 – journey/travel
At sixteen, I had been on just two holidays: one with the school when I was ten, and one with a friend and her family when I was twelve, both to the Isle of Wight. So my first visit to Cologne before moving there in 1972 was daunting. It isn’t the long train journey or the ferry crossing that stick in my mind after all these years but the two trips out of Cologne.
I went on a road trip to Holland with two older boys from France, one of whom was originally from Vietnam, the other a racing driver, and a somewhat older German girl I had never met before. The most memorable trip was to Berlin to visit a friend’s father. Having never been on the Autobahn, the speed surprised and invigorated me. I loved the smoothness of the roads and the different scenery as we passed through towns and villages I had never heard of.
The scary parts were going through Checkpoint Charlie, where I had to get out of the car and present my brand new passport to a guard, and walking along the wall. I will never forget the feeling of the guards in the turrets tracking our every move with their guns or the overwhelming sadness at reading the names of people who died trying to get from east to west.
In contrast, the most stunning memory is of visiting Pfaueninsel on the River Havel. Having only ever seen pictures of peacocks in books meant I was entranced by the strange yet beautiful birds that flocked the island. When I saw the castle, I thought I had landed in a fairy tale.
Unfortunately, none of the photographs I took have survived.
steel eyes of the wall
held in thrall – peacocks’
eyes held in wonder
© Kim M. Russell, 2016
Image found on www.berlin.de
writing in north norfolk 
That’s quite an experience..Checkpoint Charlie and peacocks. the peacock is the national bird of India, so you know where you can come see them anytime! 🙂
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Yes, I would have loved to have visited India when I was younger.
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I have seen a peacock and instead the sight is enthralling ~ I enjoyed the journey with you & felt your fear in the crossing and elation in seeing the castle in a fairy tale ~ Lovely haibun Kim ~
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Thank you, Grace. It was an experience going from a council flat in South London to the relative wealth of Germany and Holland, with the undertones of East Germany in the background of the fairy tale world. 😊
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I’m thrilled with the voyages we all made when young… things that sounds so much more dangerous thank you would ever allow a teen to do these days… Yet it’s probably safer these days… We had interail sleeping on beaches and railwaystations…
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In the square in Amsterdam and in tents in dunes or near lakes. 😊
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Your paragraph about Checkpoint Charlie is definitely my favourite.
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Your haiku is lovely. I like the contrast of “eyes in thrall” to “eyes in wonder”
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Thank you, Bryan 🙂
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Thanks for sharing this daring and dazzling trip with us…my neighbor had a pair of peacocks that would visit our farm every morning, but it is a rare treat to see the tails spread full!
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Incredible experiences – so different and beautifully merged together in the haiku!
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Thank you, Margaret
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Memories.. paint
mind of poetry..
peacock featheRing
way.. colors LiFe…
Words
feather
colored way..:)
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