'RETRACING SOME STEPS'

Villefranche-sur Mer

Villefranche-sur Mer harbour

Looking back on 1991 in what was the highlight of my tennis life i can't speak highly enough of the beauty of the French Riviera. The image on the left is the view from the train line at the top of the mountain at a place called Villefranche-sur Mer. From memory i had taken a train from Paris to the Riviera , approximately a 6 hour trip and around 100 French Francs as was the currency back then. $25 Australian.
Now as i had said in an old chapter this was what i was prepared to do to gain some sanity as the trip with Peter and Brett in 'Le Car' was character testing and building all rolled into one. My sense of humor however was the problem , it had disappeared altogether as the tiny section in the back seat that i shared with the tennis bags and dirty socks had felt like solitary confinement. I needed some sanity.
The train trip was another education as i shared a cabin with some Europeans who only spoke a bit of English but it made for some entertainment to fill in the time. When the trained stopped at Villefranche-sur-Mer , well that's when i knew that playing tennis in Europe was perhaps second to what was really important. Tasting a different culture was one thing but seeing places like this was something that i really didn't expect to be so magnificent. The internet back then did not exist to look up future destinations so it was like turning up on a blind date and just hoping that the 'scenery' was good.
Within 10 days of reaching the Riviera i had played at two magnificent venues as well as visiting Monte Carlo. The following photos are a night photo from a town called Cagnes Sur Mer and the Saint Maxime Tennis Club. Unfortunately i could not find a photo of the tennis club at Cagnes but the one of Saint Maxime gives it justice. It was a club about 50 metres from the shore line with views of the ocean from most courts. Most difficult to concentrate on your tennis when you play at tennis clubs like these.......




Cagnes Sur Mer

                                 

Sainte Maxime Tennis Club

 I was lucky enough to meet a School teacher in St Maxime who spoke fluent English and he phoned through my entries at  both of these venues . Without his efforts i would have struggled as he was the only person who i spoke to who had a good grasp of English. Sometimes you can be lucky.......
                                                 

Monte Carlo Country Club

How could you not play good tennis here ?? The Monte Carlo Country Club . A postcard.....