Travel Haikus

Preface

As our bus crept out of the exotic city of Granada, Spain early on a Sunday morning, spirits were low. Rain pounded on the windows of the lonely blue-gray airport shuttle, running down the windows and leaving tear-like stains in its path. Arms were tired and sore from the strain of carrying our oversized rolling luggage up and down the staircases of the metro system. Sweat rolled down my cheeks from the three jackets, heavy sweater, and two scarves I was wearing to avoid tipping my checked baggage over the unusually low 15-kilo weight limit militarily enforced by Ryan Air (most normal airlines allow up to 23 kilos--Ryan Air charges 20 euros for every kilo over 15). And worst of all, we were forced to leave Rick behind.

Perhaps you are familiar with Rick. His dignified graying hair and friendly smile were a comfort to us during our sometimes disorienting trip through Spain. His cheesy sense of humour raised our spirits in the face of desperation, despair, and looming foreign historical buildings that we knew absolutely nothing about. Yes, indeed--I am speaking of the one and only travel-guide book writer, Rick Steves. If you have ever experienced the joy of a trip with Rick, you will understand our utter devastation at having to leave him behind in order to consolidate our luggage and comply with Ryan Air weight limits. A trip with Rick is truly an unforgettable one, and our last night was commemorated with a small ceremony before leaving him at the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in Granada. R.I.P., Rick--and with that, we bid our adieus. 

As we left on the bus, the mood was solemn. None of us could quite get the thought of Rick out of our heads. But, as with most unfortunate events, out of this was born something good--inspiration. In honor of our luckless friend, we decided to compose a haiku. Upon which the first of a series of travel haikus was born.

I hope you will enjoy this collection of terribly cheesy and poorly written poetry. Much thought, effort, and love was invested in each and every haiku (average composition time of 2 minutes), and each contains a unique flair. They were created in airports, on buses, and...well, in airports and on buses. The poetry is written in both German and English, but an English translation has been included with each German haiku in order to facilitate the reading process for our non-German-speaking audience. We hope that our poetry will enrich and entertain you....and most importantly, inspire you to never, ever fly Ryan Air.

Sincerely,

Ann Marie Weber (editor-in-chief)

Rick Haiku

So viel zusammen, (Translation: Together so much,

Warum muss ich dich lassen? Why must I leave you?

Oh Rick, du fehlst mir. Oh Rick, I miss you.)

RyanAir Haiku

Ryan, we hate you.

Ann looks like an Eskimo.

Ry'n, never again.

Sainsbury's Haiku (Amazing grocery store in London)

Sainsbury's really rocks.

What a grocery store should be.

Its soup was the best.

Innsbruck Haiku

Innsbruck mein Heimat (Translation: Innsbruck my home

Sehnsucht auf deinen Bergen Longing for your mountains

ie hab di viel Lieb. I love you a lot.)