I got an amazing few days to enjoy Bavarian food, culture, and the outdoors. This stop-over trip in Germany was the 2nd European Spring in a row.
Got to fly on the new Luftansa flight from San Diego to Munich direct. On my way to Spain to attend the Madrid Masters 1000 ATP/WTA event, I decided to make the most of this pitstop!
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I drove South through the AutoBahn in a BMW 4 Series diesel. Petrol stations are interesting!
Arriving in the Alps, I stayed at an Airbnb cottage in Garmisch with a nice mountain sunset view for a few nights. The warm glow of morning greets you eagerly for nature's adventures.
Back in Europe for the clay-court season, I was returning back to the USA after meeting Rafael Nadal at his hometown and academy.
To make the journey complete I decided to book a detour to see Switzerland again, after the great holiday experience the previous Spring at the Sechseläuten or Sächsilüüte weekend festival.
To complete this European tennis tour, let's go make a tennis pitstop to visit Roger Federer's hometown in Basel!
From here, you can see both Germany and France at the same time!
This is an all-important city for loyal fans of Mr. Roger Federer. Between tournaments, he often flies home to Switzerland to practice and spend time with his family.
Basel Bridge Seal
Just before Madrid, he spent some time prepping with his team to prepare his body for the clay season.
Maestro's Magic
His peers describe him as a funny/silly guy who's still a child at heart. More importantly, he's a very decent, humble human being.
Switzerland's shining superstar - the role model for tennis.
Just like Kei Nishikori from Japan, Roger is a global brand ambassador for Uniqlo.
Swiss Indoors - ATP 500 Event
If you can come here in the Autumn, around October, you can also visit the Swiss Indoor 500 Championships. Roger was once even a ball kid here!
The architecture and history of this city are amazing. You will see a lot of German influences around the town center.
Swiss-German is the language most commonly spoken here. But one can get by with English easily here, too - the Swiss are very multi-lingual!
Laver Cup
Later in the year, Roger welcomed the world to Geneva. Just one of many beautiful cities to visit and explore while in Switzerland.
To lend his support in America, he was nice enough to come by during his recovery to support his friends here in the USA for 2021. Flying to Boston unannounced, he surprised everyone during that Laver Cup.
In his final pro match, he played doubles with his greatest rival and friend, Rafael Nadal.
It was a very emotional ending, filled with tears of joy and sadness. But Roger could go out on his own terms, in his own time, in his own way. Tennis will always remember his career and personality fondly.
At the London 2022 Laver Cup, the Big 4 played together for the last time
Each April, I would set my alarm to wake up early on Sunday when it was time to watch Rafael Nadal. He would play whoever else was the other finalist. I remember sitting at home and tuning into Tennis Channel, glued to seeing clay court genius in full glory. I was so used to hearing the Spanish National Anthem played every Sunday in April.
Memories of Monaco
The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 1000 was always the leadoff tournament on the road to Roland Garros - the unofficial start of Spring Tennis in Europe.
Balcony view at sunrise over the tennis courts
Monte-Carlo Country Club (MCCC)
The grandeur of the principality in Monaco. The royalty in attendance. The elegance of the ocean coast.
The beauty of the clay courts. Residence to many tennis stars. Wealthy elites line "Billionaire's row" at the M.C.C.C.
The Famous Monte-Carlo Poster
Back in 2017, on a trip to Vietnam with my parents, I saw the Monte Carlo poster below.
This poster at the NYC passport office inspired me to visit one day!
It was inside a passport office in Manhattan. I was delayed 24 hours in NYC after I lost my passport at JFK. Retracing my steps in every terminal and shuttle for hours, I had only my driver's license and was in another state. I weighed my options and decided to sleep there - my 2nd time overnight at a NY airport. Then in the morning, took the first train to Manhattan to apply for a new one when the office opened.
There it was, the Monte-Carlo poster (pictured below) hanging on the wall at a passport office in NYC. Fortunately, a half-day later I was able to get back to JFK and continue that SE Asia trek. But I knew it was a sign from the tennis gods I had to go pay my respects one day to this small strip of land by the sea. In 2018, I arrived in Monte-Carlo via Zurich - during the Snowman Spring Festival - Sächsilüüte.
The typical recommendation is to fly into Nice, France, get an Airbnb near the train station, and then take the daily train ride a few stops to the tournament location.
Private balcony overlooking the MCCC
I thought wouldn't it be nice to stay somewhere you could see the tournament from one of those balconies they film above the tournament even for just a couple nights?
For memories of a lifetime, it was worth a shot and a worthwhile business investment.
Above is a satellite view with my AirBnB reservation highlighted in the purple box. Since it was my first (and possibly last chance to go), I had to check if this opportunity was possible. The daily lodging prices in the area during the tennis tournament were usually around $600-$1000 USD/night.
I searched for accommodations near the tournament and noticed there was one duplex with an amazing balcony that overlooked the clay courts! Confirming on Google Maps and various angles, I made sure.
As a fellow Airbnb host, I chatted with Jessica, the vacation homeowner from Milan. Offering some freelance photography and marketing skills, I was able to secure a very sweet deal at her vacation home for a couple of nights it would be vacant. It was a dream location and the ideal private spot for any tennis super fan. If interested in a stay during the tennis event, feel free to contact me.
The views as you can see are breathtaking. I could hear and see the tennis action from the balcony. Each morning, I would wake up before sunset to capture some time-lapse videos.
Beautiful to watch the cruise ships sail into port and drop off passengers at the famous Casino de Monte-Carlo made famous in the James Bond movie Goldeneye.
Airbnb Condo in Monaco - Welcome to the roof's top deck
Walking down the hill to the Monte Carlo Country Club
Stopping along the way for food at breakfast and lunch
Practice Court view from the clay ground level
Court de Princes - side stadium court
Monte-Carlo Tennis Ball from the pro practice session
Canadian Teachers - #1 Rafa super fan on the right
Rafa's sister (?) at the Rafa Nadal Academy booth
Rafael Nadal Academy Booth
I spoke to a very pretty blonde girl at the booth. Some remarked she looked like Rafa's sister - I wasn't sure at the time. She suggested that I go check it out in the Autumn after summer break is over and the kids are back in school.
Go here to get the official Monaco Seal stamp on your Passport!
French Riviera - Nice, Antibe, Cannes
Nice, France is a beautiful seaside town a hand full of train stops away. For a few hours, I signed up for a really fun Segway tour and enjoyed it very much with a group of young students. A great way to get up and down the steep hills and explore a lot of ground in a few hours.
Red, white, and blue lighted dancing fountains
A very scenic and laid-back coastal town - Nice offers many shops, museums, and parks. A great way to spend any Spring afternoon or catch the sunset by the ocean.
With an extra few days in Frace, I took day trips to nearby Antibes and other port cities on the French Riviera. If you're shopping for beautiful yachts on the water, there is always plenty to see everywhere.
On the last day of my trip, I overheard that there would be a Red Bull air race taking place in Cannes. Normally this is where the red-carpet events are held for the Cannes Film Festival. That year Solo was shown early at the festival.
The red bull air race was going to be the first-ever in France, so after dropping off my bags at the airport, I decided to go attend the event for a few hours. Why not? When in France!
Transportation from the airport and back was a bit of a mess but I am really glad I took a chance and got to go check it out for the day. All event drinks and merchandise had cashless payments. When walking down the beach, you could see large crowds gather to see the fast planes race around the pylons with their smoke trails.
Cannes - Red Bull - Air Race
Overall, an excellent tennis trip week plus extra tourist time on the Cote d'Azur!
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