Anyway, we’re here. It’s been a long day but all is well. The players met this morning for yoga, before gathering at the stadium at lunchtime to head over to the airport.
You could tell there was a buzz around the place and the team were clearly excited about the trip. A few of the team told us so on City Today, including Kim Turner who declared: “It’ll be good to get some good weather behind us - it’s bloody freezing here!”
City legend and Club Ambassador Mike Summerbee even popped by to wish everyone a pleasant journey – before asking if he could accompany us!
Everything seemed to be running on schedule and without a hitch. No-one forgot their passport (thankfully!) although Jill Scott almost boarded the coach without her luggage. Doh!
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and in good spirits, although there was some concern over the weight of the cases! Needless to say, everyone took a sharp intake of breath when Toni Duggan threw her super-size suitcase onto the scales, which read 20kg. Only 5kg over the limit then…
Fortunately for our England hot-shot, Steph Houghton travels a little lighter and made up for the excess weight with her lack of it!
The same scenario took place with Karen Bardsley, who was exceptionally grateful that I opted to put my case through as hand luggage to accommodate for her extra kilos. It wasn’t all sunshine and butterflies though as my good deed for the day cost me my liquids at customs!
KB, if you’re reading this, you owe me a bottle of sun lotion!
Once the check-in palava was over, the team gathered in the departure lounge before boarding the flight and setting off on our journey.
All seemed to be going smoothly before the last half an hour, when we hit turbulence. And I’m not talking about a few bumps. This was like a rollercoaster ride.
Whilst some of the team were cheering, with their hands in the air, some of us were clinging on for dear life!
Eventually, we landed and I’m certainly not the only one who breathed a sigh of relief when we came to a halt.
Once we’d picked up our bags, we boarded the coach to the hotel and were ‘treated’ to an impromptu sing-along session of our players’ favourite tunes. Beyonce, eat your heart out.
We arrived in La Manga half an hour before dinner was served in the on-site restaurant. Very enjoyable, I might add.
Now, everyone’s adjourned to their rooms to prepare for a day of warm-weather training and team bonding which I’ll tell you all about tomorrow!
