May 25 - FRENCH OPEN!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can anyone not prefer clay courts to any other type of tennis court in the world? At least, to look at, which is all I care about, since I don't play.
We got up ridiculously early in the morning on Tuesday to catch our train from Dijon to go to Paris. I can't remember - maybe Min does - was it Dijon that did not have an escalator in the train station so we had to carry (again) our 2 huge suitcases and 3 backpacks up the stairs? We invented very innovative ways to travel. Of course, this meant leaving half our bags at the bottom of the stairs at a time. We may as well have left a sign that said "little girls at station, please steal their bags".
Anyway, we got into Paris around 9:30 am - dragged our bags halfway across the city to our dingy little hotel (I won't say whose bright idea it was not to take a taxi - jk) and dragged our bags up the stairs again to the reception of Hotel Beaudin. Oh my God - how to describe this place - it was pretty centrally located to where we wanted to be (in the Bastille district) but that's all it had going for it. We picked it from Lonely Planet and it sounded ok, but - let's put it this way - you know how the reception usually has a bell ding or some sensor to announce when customers walk in? This reception, had a beaver (i.e. a stuffed beaver doll) which gave a wolf-whistle whenever people walked across the threshold. And that was only the beginning. The proprietors were quite nice, we had to give them that, but our room was what Min called a "love dungeon" - painted a horrible shade of porno red with a red bedspread. Wallpaper peeling off the walls, bathroom with a folding door that didn't really close yet faced the bed so the person in the bedroom had to turn around. Shower that was little more than a painted square on the floor since there was no shower curtain. Toilet with no cover (but at least it had a toilet seat). In short, dirty - dirty dirty dirty. When we used the shower water leaked all over, and that wasn't even from the lack of shower curtain - probably something wasn't properly caulked. And the owner actually asked us how we found the room when he showed us in!!!! We just kind of looked at each other and said "OK" - what else could we say?
Anyway, we got the hell out of there and headed for the French Open after stopping at the Opera Bastille to check for tickets for the evening's ballet performance of Don Quixote. Minora still had this dream of going that night to see the show by lining up for last minute student tickets, but I was skeptical.
Another adventure before we could make it to the Open - they always warn you about pickpockets on the metro but I never really believed it until these teenage punks really did try and open Min's backpack!!!! I had my MEC bag in front of me and my Roots bag on my back, and I happened to notice that there seemed to be these 3 guys behind us walking in the metro station who were kind of reaching towards Min's zippers on her bag. She kind of brushed her hand around the zippers so I thought she noticed it too, and I kept watching the guys just in case. The perpetrator was holding a map in front of him, pretending to be a tourist, and I stayed one step behind Min on the stairs just to watch her bag...and then he did it again!!! He started pulling the zipper open!!! So I grabbed Min's arm and kind of pulled her forward from them and then they started walking away from us. I told her what happened (she hadn't known at all) and we were fuming about that at the sandwich place when we watched them following this old couple around just like they followed us! I kept glaring at them until this one scary punk kind of swore at us and glared at us and I finally got a little scared that they would attack us. Luckily I watched where they walked off and it was a different direction and we stayed with the sandwich people until they were gone. We asked the restaurant owners if they could call security but they said their security only governed the shops and we would have to go up and report it to the police if we wanted to. They were really nice and warned us to be careful. Min and I were paranoid after that about pickpockets. They were so blase about it too, the map guy totally acted as if nothing was happening - he didn't even look at us after I pulled Min away! That's what got me so angry more than anything else, was the - blatant and arrogant presumption of the pickpockets, and the fact that I've never (knock on wood) really been a victim of a crime before. I guess it's always a shock when a truly pleasurable experience is ruined by such - evil. It sounds cliche but it was really sad that we have to live in such a disappointing world.
Anyway, finally we got on the metro and were on our way to the Open! Of course when we go there, it was about noon and the stadium is huge so we asked a million times where to go to get the tickets. I had already ordered and paid for the tickets so logically you would think you just go pick them up and get in, right? Of course, that only works in North America. In France, you must still line up for 1 hour (because everyone was on their lunch break) and then get your ticket, and THEN go in. Grrr. Finally we make it in around 1 pm - we'd already missed the first match - but once we were inside, the atmosphere was incredible! I could hear the cheers from outside while we were in the line, but to be there, with all the Roland Garros signs, and claps and cheers from all 14 courts, and - it was so amazing. We had centre court seats, all the way at the top of the stadium but it's a small stadium so it wasn't bad at all, I barely used my binoculars. And we were right in the middle - right above the net - so we had a perfect view!!! It was incredible.
Of course, before I could even go inside the stadium I had to spend like an hour buying souvenirs and programs. I went a little crazy and didn't care how much I was spending because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - or so I told myself. The funny thing is, all the products say "Roland Garros" (the name of the stadium on it), but almost nothing said "French Open" - it was like the stadium was more important or something. But their stuff was really nice!!! I bought myself a t-shirt and immediately had to go change into it. And we had such amazing weather! Up till then it had been a little cold but it was sunny and very warm that day.
So the first match we really saw was Serena Williams vs. Iveta Gotz-something (we'd seen part of the Sebastien Grosjean match), which Iveta put up a good fight initially but just totally died by the middle of the first set. Then we saw Juan-Carlos Ferreres and Tommy Haas - I thought Tommy was the Spaniard because of his hair colour but whatever. From our seats we could also see Court No. 1 which had terrific cheers and applause coming from it, I think because Martina Navratilova was playing there. It was so awesome!!!!
We left a bit early (somewhere in the first set of the Ferreres match) because both Min and I decided to try for the Bastille tickets. So we made it there by 6:30 and I stood in line while Min got us some McD's - authentic French fare - and we actually got in! Of course when they asked if I was a student I said yes and that I left my student cards at home. Considering the usher at the French Open said "Allez-y, petite fille" to me ("go ahead, little girl") I really don't see why anyone should question the authenticity of me being a student! Anyway, for only 10 E each, we got front row centre seats at the Opera Bastille in Paris to watch Don Quixote. I have to say, stupidest ballet I've ever seen - with possible exception of Blue Snake - story was retarded, but there were some exceptional technical sequences and the dancers were really good. I swear the lead ballerina was messing up at the end because she was tired but whatever. The backdrop was very elaborate too.
So Min and I had an amazing day, when all's said and done, with French Open in the afternoon and Opera Bastille in the evening. We ended the night with yummy nutella crepes and seeing all the dancers leaving by the stage door (Min almost ran over to talk with them after I pointed them out to her - but restrained herself) and we went back to our love dungeon for the night.
Below - pics of me in Centre Court (Phillippe Chatrier Court, to be precise) in my Roland Garros tshirt, and of Serena Williams mid-serve. Also scene from Don Quixote.
How can anyone not prefer clay courts to any other type of tennis court in the world? At least, to look at, which is all I care about, since I don't play.
We got up ridiculously early in the morning on Tuesday to catch our train from Dijon to go to Paris. I can't remember - maybe Min does - was it Dijon that did not have an escalator in the train station so we had to carry (again) our 2 huge suitcases and 3 backpacks up the stairs? We invented very innovative ways to travel. Of course, this meant leaving half our bags at the bottom of the stairs at a time. We may as well have left a sign that said "little girls at station, please steal their bags".
Anyway, we got into Paris around 9:30 am - dragged our bags halfway across the city to our dingy little hotel (I won't say whose bright idea it was not to take a taxi - jk) and dragged our bags up the stairs again to the reception of Hotel Beaudin. Oh my God - how to describe this place - it was pretty centrally located to where we wanted to be (in the Bastille district) but that's all it had going for it. We picked it from Lonely Planet and it sounded ok, but - let's put it this way - you know how the reception usually has a bell ding or some sensor to announce when customers walk in? This reception, had a beaver (i.e. a stuffed beaver doll) which gave a wolf-whistle whenever people walked across the threshold. And that was only the beginning. The proprietors were quite nice, we had to give them that, but our room was what Min called a "love dungeon" - painted a horrible shade of porno red with a red bedspread. Wallpaper peeling off the walls, bathroom with a folding door that didn't really close yet faced the bed so the person in the bedroom had to turn around. Shower that was little more than a painted square on the floor since there was no shower curtain. Toilet with no cover (but at least it had a toilet seat). In short, dirty - dirty dirty dirty. When we used the shower water leaked all over, and that wasn't even from the lack of shower curtain - probably something wasn't properly caulked. And the owner actually asked us how we found the room when he showed us in!!!! We just kind of looked at each other and said "OK" - what else could we say?
Anyway, we got the hell out of there and headed for the French Open after stopping at the Opera Bastille to check for tickets for the evening's ballet performance of Don Quixote. Minora still had this dream of going that night to see the show by lining up for last minute student tickets, but I was skeptical.
Another adventure before we could make it to the Open - they always warn you about pickpockets on the metro but I never really believed it until these teenage punks really did try and open Min's backpack!!!! I had my MEC bag in front of me and my Roots bag on my back, and I happened to notice that there seemed to be these 3 guys behind us walking in the metro station who were kind of reaching towards Min's zippers on her bag. She kind of brushed her hand around the zippers so I thought she noticed it too, and I kept watching the guys just in case. The perpetrator was holding a map in front of him, pretending to be a tourist, and I stayed one step behind Min on the stairs just to watch her bag...and then he did it again!!! He started pulling the zipper open!!! So I grabbed Min's arm and kind of pulled her forward from them and then they started walking away from us. I told her what happened (she hadn't known at all) and we were fuming about that at the sandwich place when we watched them following this old couple around just like they followed us! I kept glaring at them until this one scary punk kind of swore at us and glared at us and I finally got a little scared that they would attack us. Luckily I watched where they walked off and it was a different direction and we stayed with the sandwich people until they were gone. We asked the restaurant owners if they could call security but they said their security only governed the shops and we would have to go up and report it to the police if we wanted to. They were really nice and warned us to be careful. Min and I were paranoid after that about pickpockets. They were so blase about it too, the map guy totally acted as if nothing was happening - he didn't even look at us after I pulled Min away! That's what got me so angry more than anything else, was the - blatant and arrogant presumption of the pickpockets, and the fact that I've never (knock on wood) really been a victim of a crime before. I guess it's always a shock when a truly pleasurable experience is ruined by such - evil. It sounds cliche but it was really sad that we have to live in such a disappointing world.
Anyway, finally we got on the metro and were on our way to the Open! Of course when we go there, it was about noon and the stadium is huge so we asked a million times where to go to get the tickets. I had already ordered and paid for the tickets so logically you would think you just go pick them up and get in, right? Of course, that only works in North America. In France, you must still line up for 1 hour (because everyone was on their lunch break) and then get your ticket, and THEN go in. Grrr. Finally we make it in around 1 pm - we'd already missed the first match - but once we were inside, the atmosphere was incredible! I could hear the cheers from outside while we were in the line, but to be there, with all the Roland Garros signs, and claps and cheers from all 14 courts, and - it was so amazing. We had centre court seats, all the way at the top of the stadium but it's a small stadium so it wasn't bad at all, I barely used my binoculars. And we were right in the middle - right above the net - so we had a perfect view!!! It was incredible.
Of course, before I could even go inside the stadium I had to spend like an hour buying souvenirs and programs. I went a little crazy and didn't care how much I was spending because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - or so I told myself. The funny thing is, all the products say "Roland Garros" (the name of the stadium on it), but almost nothing said "French Open" - it was like the stadium was more important or something. But their stuff was really nice!!! I bought myself a t-shirt and immediately had to go change into it. And we had such amazing weather! Up till then it had been a little cold but it was sunny and very warm that day.
So the first match we really saw was Serena Williams vs. Iveta Gotz-something (we'd seen part of the Sebastien Grosjean match), which Iveta put up a good fight initially but just totally died by the middle of the first set. Then we saw Juan-Carlos Ferreres and Tommy Haas - I thought Tommy was the Spaniard because of his hair colour but whatever. From our seats we could also see Court No. 1 which had terrific cheers and applause coming from it, I think because Martina Navratilova was playing there. It was so awesome!!!!
We left a bit early (somewhere in the first set of the Ferreres match) because both Min and I decided to try for the Bastille tickets. So we made it there by 6:30 and I stood in line while Min got us some McD's - authentic French fare - and we actually got in! Of course when they asked if I was a student I said yes and that I left my student cards at home. Considering the usher at the French Open said "Allez-y, petite fille" to me ("go ahead, little girl") I really don't see why anyone should question the authenticity of me being a student! Anyway, for only 10 E each, we got front row centre seats at the Opera Bastille in Paris to watch Don Quixote. I have to say, stupidest ballet I've ever seen - with possible exception of Blue Snake - story was retarded, but there were some exceptional technical sequences and the dancers were really good. I swear the lead ballerina was messing up at the end because she was tired but whatever. The backdrop was very elaborate too.
So Min and I had an amazing day, when all's said and done, with French Open in the afternoon and Opera Bastille in the evening. We ended the night with yummy nutella crepes and seeing all the dancers leaving by the stage door (Min almost ran over to talk with them after I pointed them out to her - but restrained herself) and we went back to our love dungeon for the night.
Below - pics of me in Centre Court (Phillippe Chatrier Court, to be precise) in my Roland Garros tshirt, and of Serena Williams mid-serve. Also scene from Don Quixote.
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