by Burt Graeff
Everyone has a bucket list … places they’d like to visit; things they’d like to do before they … kick the bucket. My bucket list included some day visiting Paris and some day attending the Ryder Cup golf matches.
Voila! My wife, June, and I were able to knock these two items off my bucket list with one trip in late September, when we flew to Paris and attended the Ryder Cup matches between the United States and Europe. It was the greatest trip I’ve ever taken.
First, Paris. Paris is a magical city of 2.5 million people. It is a city of hustle, a city of bustle. Nattily-dressed native Parisans walk around on their beautiful city streets with a strut, an air about them. It is as if they are saying, “I’m from Paris and you’re not. So there.” Native Parisans have every reason to strut. This is a city of history. We in the United States think of a 150-year-old building as being ancient. One day, we had lunch at a French country inn that was built in 1452!
Because our stay in France was one week and because we attended the Ryder Cup for four days, we were limited in seeing the sights of Paris. We did pack plenty in the one week. We visited Normandy, where more than 9,000 American troops are buried in a single cemetery. The sight of those 9,000-plus headstones evoke feelings of sadness and anger. Sadness at the thought that the lives of those troops were snuffed out at such a young age. And, anger for the same reason.
We took a four-hour tour of the city that included seeing the Arc de Triomphe, The Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Cathedral of Notre Dame and more. On another day, we visited the village of Giverny, where noted impressionist Claude Monet had a home and amazing gardens.
On a perfect Paris evening, we took a boat ride down the river Seine, where the illuminated Eiffel Tower looked stunning. Bottom line: the essence of Paris cannot been seen in seven days. Maybe seven weeks, but not seven days.
Second, the Ryder Cup. In my other life, I was a sportswriter in Cleveland, Ohio. I covered numerous golf events, including 11 U.S. Opens, 9 PGA Championship and seven Masters. But, never the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup was first played in 1927. It was dominated by the United States, until the opposition was changed from Great Britian to include players from all of Europe. Since 1995, Europe has dominated, winning nine of 12. It was no different this year at Le Golf National outside Paris, where Europe romped, 17 1/2 to 10 ½. The Ryder Cup is unlike any another golf event. The passion, particularly from the European fans and their players, rivals the intensity of an NFL game between the Packers and Bears.
The European fans arrived at Le Golf National when the gates opened at daybreak. Many of them, fueled by alcohol, were singing, dancing and rooting on their favorite players throughout the day. European players such as Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood fed off the fans’ passion, fist-pumping their way to victory.
What a trip… Paris, the Ryder Cup. Can’t get any better.
