6 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER November 2022
A tennis adventure to remember
BY KATHI GRAY
About three years ago , my fellow tennis friends and I had planned a fabulous trip ! Like most travelers , all of our adventures had to be postponed because of COVID-19 . Thankfully , times have changed and travel has reopened again . Foreign travel still has its challenges — forms , forms , tests , identifications , on and on . It ’ s still worth it ! Our small band of tennis players were off on our dream vacation to Wimbledon via tennis camp in Spain . Wow ! That sounds weird !
First stop , Barcelona , where we met up with our travel buddies arriving from other locations . If you ever go to Barcelona , please do not miss the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia . It is the work of architect Antoni Gaudi . The cathedral takes up a square block and depicts the life of Christ in Gothic revival style . Construction began 135 years ago and is still being completed . The stained glass windows were positioned
This view peers out into the Sa Calobra , Mallorca bay .
We relish trip to Mallorca , Wimbledon
COURTESY PHOTOS so that , when it is morning light , it bathes the interior in soft blue / green light . In the afternoon , as the sun moves west , the interior is bathed in golden light . For more information and photos visit their website : www . sagradafamilia . org .
Onward to tennis camp on the beautiful island of Mallorca , Spain , home of famous tennis player Rafael Nadal . We spent five days at camp by the Mediterranean which included : swimming in the sea , tours of the island and caverns , picture perfect boat harbors and quiet villages .
But , our big adventure lies ahead — Wimbledon ! A short plane ride to London and we were there !
We started to check off our list of sights and things to do : walking tours of London , Phantom of the Opera , changing of the guard at the stables , all of which were an adventure . We found small pubs nestled in quaint neighborhoods and they were as delightful as one could imagine . After four days of fun and adventure , the big day had arrived , Wimbledon ! It is one of the four major world tennis tournaments , and happens to be my favorite . The ceremonial attitude that surrounds Wimbledon is very orderly , formal and celebrates English history . We had great seats on Center Court and shared in their refreshments including Pimms , the English drink of fruit juice , lemonade and gin ! After a few Pimms ALL of the tennis players were great !
I will leave you with this advice from my favorite aunt : “ If you are going to spend money , spend it on travel instead of things ; it will enrich your life beyond belief !” I continue to find this to be true .
LEFT : Linda Edwards , Audi Aniya , Stacy Naccachian and Kathi Gray stand in front of Rafael Nadal ’ s academy in Mallorca , Spain . CENTER : Kathi Gray , Linda Edwards , Stacy Naccachian , Ann Hunter and Audu Aniyain stand in front of a Basilica in Barcelona called : La Sagrada Familia . RIGHT : Left to right : Linda Edwards , Audi Aniya and Kathi Gray enjoy a cold beverage in London .