Poetry - July 2025

Epic Euskotren

Off along the Basque country
With a narrow gauge adventure to come
Leaving Amara station in Donostia - San Sebastián
With two and a half hours of fun
The epic journey winds its way
Out of the city and into countryside
With partial views of the coast and rivers
As the train weaves its way alongside
The small little havens of hills and coast
Really do make such a contrast
As the train reaches Deba by the sea
It's a view that is really meant to last
The climbing of more hills and valleys
Sees the train reach Eibar along the way
Then the long descent through country
Until it reaches the bays of Biscay
And a final run into the centre of Bilbao
Stopping off at the old town
Where the journey really feels different
But you leave smiling, without a frown
It's not the quickest journey ever made
But one that lasts in the memory
As you've had a narrow gauge adventure
With gorgeous scenery in Basque country.

(Yes, it is not the quickest way to get from Donostia - San Sebastián to Bilbao, but the journey is really lovely and feels like an epic adventure too.)

Small Airport to Small Airport

Leaving London City Airport felt a different experience
As the terminal was very small and compact
With a real sense of getting through quickly
And with time to chill out with coffee and relax
The flight is one of only two from overseas
That lands at our Spanish destination
The tiny airport of Donostia - San Sebastián
Which is the gateway to Basque's autonomous region
We feel comfortable in our smaller plane
With only two seats each side instead of three
And sure enough as we head over France
We can see the region of the Basque country
The landing strip is right on the border
You could head across the river strip and be in France
And as the plane arrives so we disembark
It's a queue to go through the customs stance
And that's really much it in the airport
Just one café and a duty free shop
Thankfully it didn't take us at all long
To locate the airport's bus stop
And off to the city we would go
On a regional bus with everyone on
But it certainly felt different to fly small
And was a more enjoyable experience for one.

(Definitely was worth doing a small airport to small airport trip meaning we could head to Donostia - San Sebastián Airport and be much nearer where we were staying and a shuttle bus that took you very very close to the hotel we stayed at, winning there.)

Basque Cheesecake

There are some local foods that always travel well
Whether that be the Cornish pasty or clotted cream
Or if like me you like your desserts
Then the Basque cheesecake is one come true dream
I've always wanted to try it properly
By having it in a bakery in the region
So now being here I simply could not resist
And it was an opportunity needed to seize on
So into a bar for some pintxos we went
And the place specialised in the cheesecake
So we had the savoury samplers first before
Then indulging into something these will make
They sell it so much as a takeaway
All with a fork and in a little box too
But having it on a plate with a coffee
Just felt the right thing to do here to do
So we sampled it here first of all
And it was very nice indeed to enjoy
Needless to say I tried it some more
And that just filled the face with joy
So during that week I managed some more
Takeaway in a box walking in the old town
And when I think of my trip over there
My cheesecake delights were one of renown.

(Oh yes, Basque cheesecake. Absolutely lovely, and needed to be done properly of course.)

Guggenheim Greatness

Heading into Bilbao on a Friday
I wanted to see some lovely art
We knew the place we wanted to go to
And the train journey was just the start
We alighted near the old town
And headed on the local tram too
Before we knew it, we had arrived
And the place looked so gorgeous in view
We headed down with tickets in tow
No queueing up for us to do
We started off on the ground floor
With lovely light displays in view
Heading up to the exhibitions
With Barbara Kruger's stunning modern art
Really made me feel like back at my old work
In the degree show's School of Art
It was so great to see the modernity
Making you think and be inspired
It certainly had you lost in those curves
Of the ground floor's walls of copper retired
I just enjoyed all the views of everywhere
And of course the Jeff Koons dog outside
It was a place we loved and enjoyed
So definitely glad we headed there inside.

(Certainly for me the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was well worth the trip to and it made the day very special, that was for sure.)

Holiday Cat Haiku

Brian has his friends
Who all came to feed him lots
With Mummy away.

(Brian the cat had plenty of The Love In My Heart's friends and family to come over and feed and fuss over him whilst his Mummy was away on holiday. He loved the attention but loved it even more when Mummy got home.)