With the recent conclusion of the French Tennis Open, the second grand-slam tournament of the season, it is a reminder of how arresting the sports scene is in June and July in Europe.
In just a few days, Wimbledon will begin. The ancillary options that accompany these two events in the incomparable atmosphere of Paris and London this time of the year are unequaled. Sporting aficionados can absorb the effects of cultural smorgasbord that is as fulfilling as the electricity of the competition itself.
The clay courts of Roland Garos and the ryegrass at Wimbledon are as much of a contrast as the local cuisines, but the competition is as keen as you will find anywhere for a major sporting event.
I have always been smitten by the fulfillment of walking the streets of Paris and London. The atmosphere is becoming and the environment brings about contentment that is an elixir for the soul. None of the foregoing considers the great restaurants, the museums of both cities, and the wines of France.
Then there are the other events — which merit the appraisal of “sensational” — headlined by the Tour de France, which seems to go on forever. There is the running of the bulls at Pamplona, the Henley Regatta, and the oldest golf tournament in the world, the British Open. They just say, “Open,” and consider it high treason to suggest otherwise.
I loved the experience of running with the bulls at Pamplona, but once or twice is enough. And while it is not fixed, bull fighting remains a custom where the bull has no chance. More than 180,000 bulls — some estimates go as high as 250,000 — die where bull fighting is still practiced.
There are plenty of options for sports throughout Europe without going to Pamplona and taking in a bullfight after the running of the bulls in the morning, where participants occasionally lose their lives. Only 16 have died over the years — which is less than you have in soccer.
Regardless, every venue, every circumstance, connects with a piece of history, which sometimes requires a Google search or reaching for a reference book — bringing about enlightenment to make you appreciate authors, poets, and artists.
A summer in Europe and its varied and consequential exposures are enough to qualify one for a full academic year. Perhaps more. Those experiences are worth more than being born into wealth and privilege.
The first time at Roland Garros is unforgettable. First, there is just something extraordinary about Paris in the spring. The flowers, the art, the accordion music, and life along the Seine.
The Seine has great appeal for those who want to journey to its beginnings Northwest of Dijon. It is not a long river compared to the Danube, but if you take a trip on it to the north, you can ease along leisurely and stop at the most charming river towns in France, opt for bed and breakfasts along the way, and couldn’t possibly be more emotionally fulfilled.
Those indelible side trips and alternate agendas are even more compelling when the worldclass competition has concluded. To be able to do both makes for the greatest of daily doubles.
Then there are the sojourns to the countryside, the farms, the endless fields of robust sunflowers if you choose to stay off the motorways and let yourself mingle with the everyday people who are as hospitable and agreeable as you would find in Cordele, Tifton, Waycross, Omega, and Chitlin Switch.
There are countless postcard towns and villages on the Elbe River in Germany, the vineyards of France, and the tulips and windmills of the Netherlands. You can visit General Patton’s grave in Luxembourg or take boat trips on the Rhine and Danube Rivers.
The international flavor of the competition at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Open is unique, though all major sports today showcase players and performers who hail from addresses across the globe.