Christmas is coming and after a lazy Sunday afternoon on the mulled wine and mince pies I decided the best way to start the week was to brave the cold and try out another new court. Once the kids break up there will be no chance of a game for a couple of weeks so I decided to make the most of their last week at school.
With Paris shivering in the rain and wind it had to be inside and as luck would have it there was a court available at Tennis Paul Valèry in the 12th arrondissement.
Porte Dorée is home to the city's aquarium and not far from the zoo across the Péripherique in Vincennes. Even in the drizzle and mist it looked smarter than other fringes of the city. Had the weather been finer we could have cycled, but as it was we took the more circuitous Metro to keep dry. The Centre Sportif Paul Valèry is a super-modern facility parked right up against the Péripherique and just over the road from the Ecole Professionnelle de Boucherie - a huge establishment on the Boulvard Soult. This where French butchers come to train and you could practically hear the knives being sharpened. Inside the immaculately-tiled sports centre interior there was a large indoor sports hall. Outside was another state-of-the-art athletics track, a couple of uninviting-looking outdoor tennis courts and at the far end of the complex three tennis 'bubbles'. Wonder of wonders you could even pay by debit card!!
The Paul Valèry courts are properly inside - with a half-timbered, shed-like lower half and a tent-like structure on top. There was also a window giving a view directly on to the motorway traffic of the Péripherique and the consequent accompanying roar. The three courts are laid out side by side and all were full when we played. On the far court a couple of wheelchair tennis players were warming up with some impressive shots. My own game was less impressive - knocked off its stride as usual by a court surface made up of blocks of concrete and the inevitable cracks which can send a ball flying off at an awkward angle. But there is nothing to beat a run round the tennis court to cheer up a dreary morning - especially with the prospect of rewarding ourselves with more mince pies back home!
Tennis Paul Valèry
15 rue de la Nouvelle Calédonie
75012 Paris
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