Balls

I had dinner with friends from Victoria last nigh at a restaurant on rue Cler.  The service was what people fear when they come to Paris - a snarling and dismissive waitress.  She was so horrible it was funny.  But it was still a luxury to spend time with Victoria friends in Paris. 

Today was my big day at Roland Garros.  Made even more exciting by the forecast - sunny! - and the fact that Nadal was playing a match on the court where I was sitting.

Merci Chris for the fabulous seat!

I had no idea what to expect at the French Open which meant my usual wardrobe worries.  Do you dress up?  Do you wear a polo shirt and pretend you play tennis?  I did a Google search and it wasn't helpful.  In the end I wore my "Paris uniform" of skinny jeans, blazer, t-shirt, scarf and ballerinas.  Yawn. 

I shouldn't have worried.  The chi-chi tennis set were on display but there were also a lot of middle-aged men wearing what looked like swim trunks with running shoes.  The large German gentleman sitting next to me had an Agassi mullet from the 1990's and was eating processed white cheese straight from the packet.  In between bites of cheese, he chugged Coke from a 1 litre bottle.  A woman a few rows down from me had on a full-face mosquito netting hat.  I didn't see any celebrities.

Except Nadal.

Watching Nadal leap, grunt and power his way around the famous clay court with serve speeds reaching 200 km was nothing short of titillating.  I totally get his appeal now and may have let out the occasional shriek.  Like when he changed his shirt in between sets.

Shirtless in this picture between sets. I thought a zoom would be inappropriate!

I had a wonderful day at the French Open.  Tomorrow back to "my Paris" tomorrow - wore writing, more marketing, more eating and more walking!

Roland Garros Etiquette 101...

If you are late back to your seat in between sets, the Chair Umpire will yell out, "Asseyez-vous!", and spectators will boo and jeer at you until you sit down.

One of the best things I saw at Roland Garros...

The ball boys and girls warming up with wind sprints early this morning on a side court.

They may serve Champagne at Roland Garros but they also serve this...

The Nespresso was delicious but they ran out of croissants (??) and substituted a piece of lemon cake instead. I think it came from Costco in Victoria.