Friday5/20, Roland Garros and more

Today, Rebecca and I went out to Roland Garros. It's the home of the French Open, one of the four major tournaments that make up the Grand Slam in tennis. The French Open doesn't start until next week, which means that we will miss it. However, a number of spots in the draw are left open for those players who do well in the qualifying tournament. And the qualifying tournament has been running this week.

We expected to see young players on the way up, and some older players hoping for just a little more glory.  A qualifying tournament can be fun because it features players for whom this is their best hope to reach the big time. It really really matters, and they play with real drive and intensity.

Play takes place on the outer courts. But we walked in past Suzanne Lenglen, one of the two large stadiums on the grounds. I told Rebecca I was just going to glance in there and see what was going on. Well, it turned out they let the stars practice on the grounds the week before the main event, and Rafa and Andy Murray were hitting! Rafa has long been Rebecca's favorite. So we went in and watched the two of them play a set from twelve rows up!!!

Rafa's backhand was sharp.

So was Andy's.

The we went to the outer courts. We saw the American Vickery clock a poor French player, despite the best efforts of the gallery.

The poor victim only got one game.

The Americn, Donaldson, was good, but not as good as this guy with a really long name.

How about this get?

Then, after dinner, we went on a tourboat trip on the Seine.

Here's the Pont Neuf, which means "new bridge." It's the oldest bridge.

The Eiffel Tower looks quite beautiful at night, as this picture attests. Although, if we'd come along ten minutes later, I would have been able to get a picture of the sparkly light show. Oh, well!

Everybody was out partying by the river. What a scene!