Cynthia's Rainy Adventure

Monday 10:30 PM
It was a warm beautiful evening so I decided to walk to the Tour Eiffel to do some photos. The tower is quite beautiful at night, a golden pillar glowing against the midnight blue sky.

I’ve seen this French symbol many times, but I still wonder at its beauty, feel lucky to be looking up at this lacy steel structure. I wander around taking photos, and suddenly I feel a large drop of rain. Should I look for cover? Well, it was just one drop, maybe it will be ok. Uh Oh, another drop, I head for the snack stand where there is a little shelter, plus the added benefit of eating Chocolate Crepe.

Suddenly, lightening strikes, thunder roars, and it starts POURING I mean raining hard, There are about 30 of us huddles under the three foot awning stretching across the front of the stand. The wind is howling and blowing the rain, but I manage to stay reasonably dry, and protect my crepe from getting soggy.

After about 10 minutes, it lets up and a few brave folks run for the cab stand across the square. For sure they are first time tourists because anyone who has been here before knows that you will never get a cab when it’s raining in Paris.

I hold tight under the awning and try to figure out my next move. I’m about a half hour walk from my apartment, and am not close to a metro stop. It slows to a drizzle, and I decide to start for home, making it from doorway to doorway until I either get incredibly lucky and find a cab or get to the apartment. Just as I get across the square, there is a loud clap of lightning, and I know it’s going to start pouring again. I spot a phone booth with one girl inside, and run for it. Soon another girl squeezes in, and then a man who wants to make a phone call joins us.

Four people are a small phone booth! I wouldn’t mind it was Carlos Moya or Nicolas LaPente, actually if I were trapped in a phone booth with either one of them, I might hope it would never stop raining, but with these four .. I’m praying for a break.

It turns out that they are all Pakistani and he has a car and offers to drive them to their hotel, they leave, and I’m on my own. I decide to see if I can get a few photos from inside the phone booth... It’s blowing so hard I hope it keeps standing.

Suddenly … I can’t believe my eyes... an empty taxi... I run out in the street, flag it and YES!! He stops and I’m on my way back to my place. Of course nothing is that easy. He does not speak a word of English and has no idea where my street is; he’s looking it up on a map and driving verrrrrry slowly looking at every street sign. We are about 4 blocks from the apartment, I see that the meter is up to 9.20, and I know I only have a 10 Euro note, so I tell him to stop and I’ll walk the rest of the way. Fortunately there is only a light rain so I make it back without getting soaked. So much for exciting nites in Paris.

10:30 AM Tuesday

Still raining. I don’t want to go to the site and wait for rain delays, so I stay inside, answer e-mail, and start writing my blog.

Noon

I need food, so I’m going to have to brave the rain and make it around the corner to the “Sup Pair Mar Kit” as the French call it.

3:00 PM

Finally make it to the site without getting too wet.

4:50 PM

I’d really like to shoot some of the Fish Gonzalez match, but its freezing cold, windy, and looks like it could rain any minute. Court 3 is way on the other side of the site and not close to shelter if the sky starts to fall. They’ve split and its 3-2 Gonzo, so I’ll keep an eye on it and maybe venture out if it looks like Mardy has a chance.

So far today, I’ve refused to leave Suzanne Lenglen, which is where the photographers have desks, and you can get to the court without going outside. It’s been ok because first I had Bobby Reynolds, who lost in three to Monfils, and now Serena, so I’m thankful that the American’s are playing here.

6:50 PM

Too bad, Mardy lost in four, but the good news is I’m saved from going to court three.

Check out this photo... notice where Serena is looking... not at the ball maybe this is why she took three sets to defeat Klara Zakopalova of Czech Republic who weighs in at 50 kilos, to Serena’s 68.2. Which converts to 110 pounds, for the Czech, and 150 pounds for Williams?

And what about that dress on Serena... is she kidding... one of the worst yet, and she has had a lot of lows. Someone commented that from a distance she looked like she had a bare midriff… and could they design a dress that doesn’t show her white bra? I wonder if any of the clothing manufacturers ever test run their designs by having someone actually play tennis while wearing them. So far Nike has a fat zero in the fashion department.

8:30 PM

Its still freezing and windy, I’m not going to shoot anymore today, so I’m locking it up for tonight.