Early travels
were a few streets
abroad, playmate
in the next street
baptismal church
next one over
holidays added
Swanage, Scotland
the Lakes, the Scillies
but sailing to
Australia
(flying was too
expensive then)
added a swathe
London – Tilbury
Rotterdam and
Lisbon, Dakar
Cape Town, Durban
destination
Perth – W. A.
Epic train rides
Kalgoorlie to
Port Pirie on to
Adelaide and
Melbourne, Sydney
driving up to
Brisbane, Gladstone
back to Melbourne
and sailing home
Wellington and
Rarotonga
Tahiti and
two weeks empty
Pacific – as
long as many
holidays now
Acapulco
on Christmas Day
then Panama
Caracas fuel
then Port-of-Spain
Southampton and
back home again.
School trip – Vichy
Uni field trips
Aix-en-Provence
Isle of Arran
illicit love
to Paris and
Malta via
France, Italy
and Sicily,
Tenerife
standing above
the clouds atop
smould’ring Teide
holidays to
Santorini
Naxos and Crete
almost living
for six months
Covid lockdown
new home Ireland
then relocate
to West Yorkshire
– songs in Iceland,
drive Morocco,
the Green Heart of
the Netherlands…
Now a few streets
are become an
expedition
I vacation
still, the very world
in my mind’s eye…
© Andrew Wilson, 2026
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Grace in OpenLinkNight, invites us to ost a poem of our choice, and since I missed the deadline for Unlock with Lists, prompted by Björn Rudberg (brudberg) in Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft, I am posting my list poem here. I drew inspiration from Rambling Man by Lemon Jelly…
Wow–you have really traveled, Andrew! A wonderful list!
I certainly can’t say I haven’t had my share of travel, thanks, Merril! Going round the world at 14 definitely opened something in me…
I love the travel list. Definitely some of these cities will be on my bucket list. Have a good weekend !
Where would you like to go, Grace? Japan is still on my bucket list…
So many of your travels paralleled mine. Thanks for the reminders…
Bring forth your list, Judy…
You are a travelled man… lots of great places, a few that I have visisted.
I think the most valuable visits are the longest ones rather than the whirlwind of travel itself, Björn, such as the six months in Crete when people were hiding away for the most part and my focus was mostly on the landscape, even so, those interactions we did have were incomparable…
I actually got some reason prefer travelling by the sea, train, bus or cars to planes….
But I would not have driven to Egypt or would to Japan right? Not from here.
Thanks, Reelika, I am with you there, though I have enjoyed the perspective which say, overflying the Alps gave me – such a wilderness of rock and snow and the signs of human beings impact completely invisible from 35,000 feet. But I really love the process of travelling by ship…
Oh you have been around What a great list. I am looking forwards to go to my hometown in the Netherlands soon. Also nice to see you have been to Raratonga One of my favoutite Pacific Islands
Yes, our last holiday was in the Green Heart of the Netherlands which meant that all the major cities as well as the flower growing area were all within easy reach – we stayed on a houseboat. Have you been to Raratonga? We didn’t go ashore – our ship stopped to pick up a family and dancers came on board and put on a show – it was a curious time – passenger ships as pure transport were on the way out and pure cruise ships were not quite viable (until computer control made fuel efficiency possible) but with a six week voyage from Australia to England, some passengers were on world cruises and entertainments had to be arranged wherever possible… Where is your hometown Marja?
Great list of travels to recall. So interesting to read.
Thanks, Cai…