Again, we will take a few moments to escape daily reality and read.


This month, we begin pictures of a river cruise along the Danube that we took awhile back.
There are a few from our Rhine and Mosel rivers cruise..

Be safe, - Bob

Pandemic Series 5 - October, 2020

  • Opening Comments from Bob
  • Two Poems: Infinity and Haiku 3
  • Vignette: A Special Poem
  • Recommendation

 

Downtown Luxemburg City-mid Fall (Trip 1)

Opening Comments from Bob

This Page: Due to the COVID, I have not been going out and taking a lot of pics. Hence, I am using some from the past. All were taken while on river cruises on the Rhine and Mosel (Trip 1) and the Danube (Trip 2) in Europe. This issue includes two poems, Infinity, look at the indefinable, and Haiku 3. The vignette contains a poem I wrote about the Battle of the Bulge.

My Facebook account is again open.

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Prague: This pic was taken during a river cruise several years ago. Pictured are the famous red roofs of Prague,
The Czech Republic. It is a city that is easy to navigate via walking or public transport such as the subway..
(Trip 2)

           The long stairway from the Tower into downtown Prague. (Trip 2)

Two Poems this Month

Infinity

Can you peer
......into infinity?
Sense much
......beyond self.
Glance into the sky
......see journeys completed.
Light centuries years old
......greets one.
Some departed
......before the birth of humankind.

Peer in the darkness
......between the stars,
......transporting
......beyond the definable.
Travel light years
......into the blackness
......between the specks,
......stars revealed.
Travel onward
......galaxies after galaxies
......become unveiled.
Planet after planet
......life after life awaits.

One may ask,
......Does infinity
......truly exist?

Comments: Food for thought.

 

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Haiku 2

A water droplet
......becomes a rushing river
Conquers a mountain

 

 

 

Mimes are very popular. Note the person on the right (Trip 2)

Bakeries and cheese shops second to none. (Trip 2)

 

Prague Castle - Cathedral of St Vitus: This Gothic cathedral was founded in 1344. The construction took nearly
600 years and was finally completed in 1929.
(Trip 2)

The Antwerp Cathedral has one of the largest number of Rubens in the world. (Trip 1)

Cesky Krumlov is a city in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.
It is one of the few UNESCO Heritage sites.
(Trip 2)

Vignette this Month

This month's vignette is a poem that was inspired by my visit to the graves of the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge.

Battle of the Bulge Remembered

A general and the troops
......rest at peace,
......having made the ultimate sacrifice.
The mechanic and the professor
......rest side by side,
......bullets being no respecter
......of status or profession.
One hundred and one crosses
......bear no names.
Those, who are
......known only to the Creator.
Alone nurse sleeps beneath the soil,
......she among those 5,076
......who were once lived.
One mile away rest 10,950 German soldiers
......having made the ultimate sacrifice.
Over 4,800 in a common grave
......where bones commingle
......gradually returning to the dust
......from which they came.
Wild roses bloom above their grave.
A Hitler Youth, merely fourteen,
......and a teacher rest forever,
......bullets being no respecter
......of age or beliefs.
All these soldiers–enemies no longer.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

               A view along the Danube River (Trip 2)

Recommendations

Stay safe and healthy!

.........Please take a look at the gift page.

The Nijmegen Weighing House, built in 1612, where citizens brought their purchase to make sure they weren't
being cheated. Located in Nijmegen (the oldest city - 5 A.D.), the Netherlands
. (Trip 1)

Not my best picture. The entire country of the Netherlands was cold, rainy, and cloudy. (Trip 1)

Czech countryside (Trip 2)

Belgium-Battle of the Bulge Memorial: These crosses mark the grave sites of American and German dead. My stepfather fought with General Patton in this battle that helped bring an end to this horrific war.

Although General Patton died following the war, he is buried at the head of the grave sites of his troops. (Trip 1)

I am pleased, we are seeing more open air markets in the U.S. The European markets are wonderful. (Trip 2).

Street musicians are enjoyed in almost every city of any size along the Danube. (Trip 2)


Bob Casey
Poetical Journeys
P.O. Box 319
Midway, UT 84049

bob@poeticaljourneys.com

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