Orange-mania

The world cup mania has already reached fever pitch here in the Netherlands and we only played our first match today. Needless to say, there is a tsunami in the making and it’s going to leave loads of quaint pubs, cobbled streets, skew houses, glass offices, ring-roads, and brown canals strewn with orange flags, orange boas, orange hats, orange shirts, orange TNT vuvuzelas and the odd free orange condom as well.

It was my birthday again last week, so this blog is not so much about the sunny Amsterdam as about “joli” Paris. Francois surprised me with a weekend-away-in-Paris as birthday present and, as if that is not already good enough, 2 tickets for the finals of Roland Garros. And just to make sure we would not be bored on Saturday night, he added two tickets for the final night of the world tour of Black Eyed Peas into the deal.

There is a new fashion in the city of fashion, Paris, and it has taken the young crowd by storm: The new trend in town on a sunny late afternoon is a pick-nick on the banks of the Seine. It is totally amazing. The quays of the bourgeois Ile de Cite and the stately Ile Saint-Louis are covered with revelers. You really have to battle for the nicer spots. It varies from a good bottle of French red with carefully prepared sandwiches to a cheap rose wine with a few cold cuts from the traiteur on the corner! There is something so improvised, yet so absolutely manicured and chic, about it. So terribly French!



Oh, come with me and I’ll show you
Oh yes, do come with me and I’ll show you
Do you hear that buzz?
Yes, see all those people there?

Oh, come with me and I’ll show you
Oh, yes, do come with me and I’ll show you
No, nothing special, just a summer’s evening
No, nothing like that at all, just fun

Oh, come with me and hold my hand
Oh yes, come with me and kiss me under the Pont Neuf
Yes, like when we were students
No, not at all, why would you say that?

Oh, come with me and hold my hand
Oh yes, do come and with me and kiss me under the Pont Neuf
No, watch, just for a while
Yes, yes, such great, great times

And then there is another new trend in the city of trends: rent a bike! As in most European cities Paris has bikes dotted around that you can rent. And unlike most other European cities, they are enormously popular – both with the locals and the visitors alike. Except for the instructions that are only in French, it is really is piece of cake to rent them and a real pleasure to ride them around the city of love. There are beautifully laid our bicycle paths all along the Seine and you can get to all the famous jaw-dropping sights with the greatest of ease. None of the usual parking problems, no fighting for a spot on the rambling metro, and loads of time to stop and take that favorite pictures. I saw the Eifel Tower from angles that I never though existed! We even hopped onto our rental bikes in the evening to cycle down to the stadium in Bercy where the Black Eyed Peas were performing. Does this sound very Dutch? Oh la la ….

The Black Eyed Peas gave a roaring performance and the 60,000 odd spectators were there for a party of a lifetime! Their latest hit, “I gotta a feeling”, together with the French DJ, David Guetta, have rocketed them to levels of popularity never seen before. Judging by all the jumping up and down and the balled fists and waving arms in the arm, the crowd was there to hear that song above all. I also like their more recent song, “Meet you halfway”, which they opened up with. I was rather intrigued to hear from a friend that it is about death and meeting each other on the other side. Macabre! Well, whatever, for me it’s all about meeting a beautiful somebody in a luscious jungle setting and swimming across a cool stream meeting each other naked halfway. I leave the rest up to you! It would be a huge lie if I said I liked everything. There was a lot of bland rapping and tedious thumping that is really not my scene and never mind how hard I tried the only rap words that stuck to me is “It’s hot in here; it’s really hot here in Paris tonight” as I swiped my hand across my clammy brow again. You see I’m much more of a party boy. Well, there were loads of other party boys and girls around. Not the least was a sweet French couple that is obviously huge fans of David Guetta, the Black Eyed Peas, everything Ibiza and the party scene. They danced in and around their seats in the most sensual of way, with so much caring and enjoyment for the music and most of all for each other. Most infectious!!!



Well, the highlight was definitely my first ever grand slam final and that at Roland Garros of all tournaments. The first hurdle was the rain. François was frantic and the forecast was an overcast morning and heavy rain all afternoon! To top it all we were woken up at around 6 in the morning with torrential rainfall on the sink roof of our minute rooftop hotel room. The gods were on our side, however, and the afternoon turned out to be intermittently sunny, with a refreshing breeze. The red clay court of the main court shone brightly in the afternoon sun and the grand stadium, filled to the brim, made a beautiful sight against the dark purple clouds in the distant background. Rafael Nadal, “el tigre Espanol”, was there to take revenge on cannonball Soderling, the fastest server around. Soderling had upset Nadal, struggling with a knee injury, the previous year at Roland Garros by beating him in the fourth round. Nadal was there to show the world and, seemingly even more important, himself that he was back in full grueling strength. The big hitter, Soderling, was no match for the finesse and agility of Nadal. It was short and sweet match and Nadal was holding the trophy in his hands in just over 2 hours, with straight 3 sets victory! He rolled in the mud like a joyful piggy and cried a little like a spoilt brat that finally got what he wanted – his 5th Roland Garros title. Talk about ambition! The Spanish supporters were happy, the French supporters were noisy, our neighbor had finally finished his blackberry messages, but most important of all I was as happy and content as when I blew out that first little candle now 45 years ago in Cape Town!

Take a picture of me while the sun sets
Ah yes, take a picture of me with the Eifel Tower
Now, take a picture of me with my French beret
Quick, take one with my new sun glasses

Let me take a picture of you in front of Roland Garros
Ah yes, look at this one with Nadal on his back
Now, quick a picture of the cup high up in his hands
Quick, yes, now, snap the minute, the second, just as it slips away …..