When I need a break from dimly lit cathedrals and musty museums, I connect with European culture by watching local sports. I get double the pleasure when I join in 鈥� and the great news is, you don鈥檛 need to be an athlete.
Several years ago in southern England, I joined a neighbourhood gang for a lesson in cricket. The point, they told me, is for the 鈥渂owler鈥� (who鈥檚 like a baseball pitcher) to hit the 鈥渨icket鈥� (a听gate-like wooden thing) with the ball and get the batsman out, while the batsman protects the wicket by hitting the ball across the field (like a baseball hitter). OK, I鈥檓 still far from understanding this baffling British pastime, but it sure was fun.
Some games are easier for me to grasp. In France, petanque, also known as 鈥渂oules,鈥� offers the perfect fresh-air escape. I call this game 鈥渢he horseshoes of France.鈥� It鈥檚 played on gravelly courts in every Proven莽al village, and in Parisian parks such as along the Seine and in the Esplanade des Invalides. It鈥檚 entertaining to watch 鈥� especially if you understand the rules. You want to get your boule (a heavy metal ball) closer to the tiny target ball than your opponent鈥檚. There are usually two members on a team. You go back and forth until there are no more balls to throw. (You鈥檒l find a similar game in Italy, where it鈥檚 called 鈥渂occe.鈥�)
In French Basque country, 鈥減elota鈥� 鈥� similar to what you might know as 鈥渏ai alai鈥� 鈥� is indicative of the strong, lively Basque spirit. Players in white pants and red scarves or shirts use a txistera 鈥� a long, hook-shaped wicker basket 鈥� to whip a ball (smaller and far bouncier than a baseball) back and forth off walls at more than 240 kilometres an hour. Most matches are not professional, but betting on them is common.
Pelota can also be played without a racket; this handball version is used as a starter game for kids. Children use a bouncy rubber ball, while adults use a ball with a wooden centre that鈥檚 rather rough on the hands and needs a lot of strength to keep moving. It seems that every small Basque town has two things: a church and a pelota court (called a 鈥渇ronton鈥�). You鈥檒l likely see half-courts as well (players at these courts look kind of like they鈥檙e playing ping-pong with half a table against a wall). The tourist information office in the port town of St-Jean-de-Luz sells tickets and has a schedule of pelota matches throughout the听area.
On summer weekends in Scotland, you鈥檒l run into a cross between a track meet and a county fair 鈥� the Scottish Highland Games. The 鈥渉eavy events鈥� are always the hit of these gatherings. Brawny lads compete for prize money by heaving all kinds of hefty things. In the 鈥渨eight throw鈥� event, burly, kilted athletes spin like ballerinas before releasing a 28- or 56-pound ball on a chain. In the 鈥渨eight over the bar鈥� event, competitors can use only one hand to toss a 56-pound weight over a horizontal bar. While the starting height can vary, it often begins at 10 feet and ends closer to 15 feet. (That鈥檚 like tossing a five-year-old over a double-decker bus.) And, of course, no Highland Games are complete without tossing the caber. The objective is to flip a tree-trunk-like pole 鈥� typically six metres tall and weighing 175 pounds 鈥� end over end, keeping it in a straight line.
And while you鈥檙e in Scotland, keep an eye out for the unique Highland sport of shinty: a full-contact game that encourages tackling and fielding airborne balls, with players swinging their sticks (called camans) perilously through the air. The easiest place to see shinty is at Bught Park in Inverness (check the Inverness Shinty Club website for matches).
In Ireland, the wild national pastime of Gaelic football is a heartfelt expression of Irish identity. It鈥檚 perhaps best described as a mix between soccer and rugby with no injury time-outs. You can carry the ball, but must bounce or kick it every four steps. Seeing a match at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, surrounded by wonderfully spirited Irish fans, is an incredible experience. Matches are held most weekend afternoons in summer, culminating in the hugely popular all-Ireland finals in September. Choose a county to support, buy their colours to wear or wave, scream yourself hoarse, and you鈥檒l be a temporary local. (You can also visit the GAA Museum and tour the stadium, even if you can鈥檛 attend a game.)
Each corner of Europe has a unique and genuine local sport. To me, good travel means connecting with the culture, and that can mean tossing a boule, or struggling with the rules of cricket.
By watching or joining in, you can wrap your hands around the culture of any destination 鈥� it鈥檚 like scoring a personal goal.
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Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.
