After checking in for the tournament yesterday, I ran into a couple of Americans who were playing in the 75s and Wayne Crowly, from Australia, the top seed in the 60s.  I sat for a while in the dining room at the hotel/club and people watched. There were two players next me, both fit looking and not very tall…but they could eat! One had a whole fish on top of a large plate of potatoes…ok, not out of the ordinary…but then each had an entire plate of pancakes filled with fruit and accompanied by cream or ice cream. And a beer…they were right, there was no more tennis yesterday afternoon, it rained hard all day.

So I caught the bus to Karlovy Vary. It’s about $1 or less for 60 minutes. I rode it all the way to the bus depot and started walking around. This is a spa town known for it’s healthy (foul tasting) water. People buy these mugs with spouts and take water from various fountains around town. There are a lot of Russians who visit here, and of course Czechs and some Germans…very little English is heard and that from Asian or English tourists not from Americans.

The town is really pretty, it feels like a movie set each time I see it again. The buildings are old and beautifully painted and restored. It’s hilly and from up high you can get a panoramic view of the city.

I of course had to buy some of the delicious Czech wafers, about 8 inches in diameter, thin and variously flavored, though plain and chocolate are always popular. When I was finished I had to find a bus stop…I climbed up a lot of steps and eventually found one that was for the #7 stop though i had no idea when it would come. The bus schedules at the stops aren’t very clear or accurate. I was almost ready to give up and get a taxi when the bus came and dropped me back at the tennis club, a 15 minute walk from the hotel. It wasn’t raining though so that was no problem.

My doubles partner Ellen Neumann from Germany knocked on my door last night and we got caught up. Her German team is doing well and had a big win Saturday. Ellen got to the club just in time to play she said, a big disappointment to their opponents.

Today I am scheduled not before 3:30, but I hit 45 minutes with Heide Orth and 20 with Ellen and the courts feel pretty good. They play fast here and are a bit slippery. The lines here are taped lines not painted and there’s a little altitude. We are using Head ATP balls.

Draws: http://www.itftennis.com/seniors/tournaments/tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100033061 I am in the round robin group A and if I win my first two matches I play the winner of round robin group B.

Photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/111133686884013323699/albums/6163507344058480449