Poems written by Peter Gibbs over 60 years, inspired by romance, travel, the beauty of nature, emotions and family and friends - peterspoetry.co.uk
Paris & The Eiger Tour
It started up in Aston
'Fore Maureen married Ken
When someone picked on Paris
And someone else said: When?
We thought that Spring would be the best
When sunshine bathes the rues
We'd travel there by Eurostar
And miss the traffic queues.
We got a coach to London
Right up to Waterloo
And sped on down to Dover
And through the Chunnel flew.
In no time we reached Gare du Nord
Some chose the Metro route
While others plumped for taxi cabs
With luggage in the boot.
We stayed quite near Gare Saint Lazare
In the Rue d'Amsterdam
The Flesche d'Or was an ideal base
For messieurs and mesdames.
There was no bar but we had wine
It was a welcome sight
Until the manager said: Non -
I did not mean each night!
Each evening we went out to dine
Each day we went our ways
To all points north, south, east and west
With sights that did amaze.
Billets en carnets let us roam
By bus and underground
But walking was the nicest way
For us to get around.
From the heights of old Montmartre
To the bridges of the Seine
We strolled 'neath chestnut blossom
And whistled through the rain.
We licked Berthillon ice creams
Upon St Louis' Ile
Some ventured up into the sky
Upon a giant wheel.
The Arc de Triomphe drew our gaze
Amidst the tourist throng
The Champs Elysee sought our francs
With siren Virgin song.
We joined Parisien walkers
Past monuments to wars
And statues of brave men who died
In some forgotten cause.
We sat at pavement cafes
Ate crepes and Croques Madame -
And for those who ain't been there
That's rarebit, egg and ham.
We drank vin blanc, we quaffed vin rouge
We sank a good few beers
While some would order Perrier
For others it was Kirs.
We saw the Sacre Coeur at night
And toured the artists' square
Where deft skill captured beauty
Of eye and golden hair.
Some went to mount the Eiffel Tower
Upon our Eiger Tour
But we thought we would leave that feat
To do un autre jour.
The places that we didn't go
Were legion I am sure
We didn't like the crowds, you see,
So just walked past the door.
We didn't go inside the Louvre
Or lovely Saint Chapelle
Not even towering Notre Dame -
At least we heard the bell.
But the views were stunning
The atmosphere sublime
Each street a revelation
Of France's golden time.
The buildings had a grandeur
That made the spirit soar
With balconies that stood aloof
Above the traffic roar.
OK, it rained on two days
All right, it rained a lot
But when the sun at last came out
You know it felt quite hot.
So will there be a next time?
You bet there will be, ma'am
And after where we stayed this time
It must be Amsterdam!