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How I Spent My Spring Vacation:
Poetry and Photography

by James A. Tweedie

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It Begins

45 Days

Surrounded by the circle of the sea
I cruise Atlantic waters, eastward bound,
As knot by knot each longitude degree
Leads onward towards a world as yet unfound.

To Portugal’s fair island, Madeira!
A fantasy of sea-cliffs, sun, and wines;
Cádiz, the Alcázar in old Seville,
Through Málaga, to where Granada shines.

And next come Barcelona and Toledo,
Madrid, then on to India, Nepal,
And Tokyo, Japan, once known as Edo,
I’ll travel round the world to see them all!

Then in the end I’ll cross the vast Pacific,
To home and new adventures less magnific.

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Seville: in Spanish pronounced “Seh-vee-yah.”

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Portugal

Madeira

Madeira is a slice of Portugal.
Its central peaks are beautiful and tall.
I climbed its highest mountain in the rain.
Success! But was the effort worth the pain?

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Spain

Sagrada Familia

In Barcelona, buy a ticket
And see Sagrada Familia.
My promise is that if you pick it,
You’ll say both “Wow!” and, “Mamma Mia!”

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India

Taj Mahal (Agra)

A monkey at the Taj Mahal
Claims ownership of a small wall.
A mischief-making animal
Who seems to mind me not at all.

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Nepal

The Himalayas

Each morning when it’s time to wake
The Himalayas rise and shine;
As with a stretch and yawn they shake
Their snowy peaks and fall in line.

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Japan

Mt. Fuji

No view of Mt. Fuji can ever exceed a
Short walk up the hill above Shimoyoshida.
Its majesty soaring, its glory declaring
A beauty unequaled, beyond all comparing.

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James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and four collections of poetry including Sidekicks, Mostly Sonnets, and Laughing Matters, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in both print and online media. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.

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17 Responses

  1. Paul A. Freeman

    A lovely tour with Tweedie. ‘Magnific’, one might say.

    Thanks for the bite-size reads.

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Fabulous vacation as told in net vignettes of poetry and photos. Thank you for my vicarious trip which spurred my imagination at each stop.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Roy, On this trip, because my wife chose to stay home and I travelled solo (except for my 2-week Gate 1 tour of India and Nepal), I am very glad to have vicarious companions to share the experience! Thanks for joining me on my adventure.

      Reply
  3. Margaret Coats

    A fine summary sonnet, James, beautifully packing exotic names into the lines. But what I like best about it is the American perspective of sailing east to a new “world as yet unfound.” Your pictures are choice. I haven’t been to Barcelona, and have always found exterior photos of Sagrada Familia rather forbidding, but your interior view seems more open and exalted as well as more colorful. That monkey in Agra is the cutest, as is your monorhymed poem about him. The poem on Fuji, though, lives up to the reputation of the site in Japan. Glad you give a hint about how to get the best view. I have seen Fuji-san, but not from the right spot or in the right weather to be so inspired!

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      The clouds came and went (mostly came) so I was glad to see as much of the mountain as I did. In the town below the mountain there was still snow from when it had fallen the previous week, so I do count myself fortunate.

      And the exterior iconography of Sagrada Familia is at the same time graphic, subtle, devotional, beautiful and inspiring while the interior is more beautiful and worshipful but perhaps lacking the iconography of Christ and our biblical heritage. Definitely a must see. The cathedral (and surrounding Gothic Quarter) is also worth a visit. For a small fee you can access the expansive roof with sweeping views of the city.

      Reply
  4. Joseph S. Salemi

    Small typo — the correct spelling of the Portuguese place is Madeira, like the wine.

    Reply
  5. Cynthia L Erlandson

    Great description, both in poems and in photos. Some really fun rhymes, too.

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    • James A. Tweedie

      Correct. Multiple versions of this set were created and the one published had, of course, the misspelling.

      Reply
  6. C.B. Anderson

    As someone who has never left the U.S. except for a few excursions into Mexico, I greatly appreciate the poetic tour and the photography. You have given me memories I don’t really own.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      C.B., You’ve said something quite profound. It seems to me that other than procreation and securing shelter and sustenance, one of the most important tasks of being human is the creation of memories for one’s self and for others. The telling of tales and the sharing of knowledge are two examples in support of this idea. Travel, the making of maps, and the recording of historical events also serve as examples of how memories are created and passed on to others. Life would be impossible without our having memories we “don’t really own.”
      It would also be incredibly dull.

      Reply
      • C.B. Anderson

        I will remember, James, what you just wrote, and be careful about what I dismember.

  8. James A. Tweedie

    “Shining in the night-time sky,
    To your left is Sacré-Cœur.
    After lunch we’ll see Versailles.
    Hope that you’re enjoying the tour . . .”

    Hmmm. Maybe not.

    Reply
  9. Julian D. Woodruff

    I echo Adam: you could do great poetic thumbnails of any place you’ve been–even to distinguishing the ocean seen from bow and from stern.
    Great photographs, too. Your judgment of lighting is very astute. Your view of Fuji is totally new to me and truly magnificent. Was the shot of you at the Taj Mahal done with a selfie stick? The Taj rises behind you like the heavenly city.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      I did take hand-held selfies but this was taken by a fellow traveller. I am not an aficionado of selfie sticks.

      Reply
  10. Jeff Eardley

    Super travelogue Jim and can’t believe that a year has passed since you were over here. We found the vertiginous landscape of Madeira quite scary, so to climb the highest peak is quite an achievement. Best wishes to you.

    Reply

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