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RHIAN SOCCER JOURNALS

ARRIVAL IN CRANS MONTANA, SWITZERLAND 5th July 2012

With the squad's arrival in Switzerland, I wish everyone a happy, if somewhat belated Canada Day to all at home in Canada, and a happy Independence Day to all my American friends! And, while on the subject of significant dates, Sophie Schmidt celebrated her birthday a few days ago. A very happy birthday to you too, friend.

Today has been a long travel day, but I am finally stretched out on my bed and am recovering. I left Montreal this morning at 5:00 am, but then I had to sit on the tarmac at Montreal airport through a series of torrential rain and thunder storms. Of course I was immediately delayed on my connecting flights.

Nobody likes being delayed, but I have to admit to being thrilled to still be on the ground and not flying as the storms came through. From Montreal, Dominique Gautier was also delayed on another flight, so he and I enjoyed some fun twitter banter on the Montreal runway. It seems that quite a few people were traveling with the stars today. Erin McLeod was lucky enough to sit next to Canadian rowing legend Silken Laumen, and all of us were traveling on the same flight over to Switzerland with Drake.

I am not a huge music lover so I was a little confused by all the fuss. However, I knew he must be important as little Desi Scott's eyes lit up as well as those of the 15 year old girl sitting next to her. The poor guy must be used to all the ogling he receives and this flight was no different: He was being gawked at pretty intensely. Now I understand why established stars like to fly in private jets. His manager was very pleasant and asked me politely to stop taking pictures of him while he was sleeping!! ( I hope everyone knows I am joking).

The flight to Zurich went well, especially for those lucky enough to be upgraded. Thank you Air Canada, or CSA manager Daniel, or whomever is responsible for the extreme comfort and luxurious trans- Atlantic crossing. Even though I was not one among those privileged to have fully flat beds I still managed not to sleep. Thankfully I have a new show to watch, and I am enjoying "Suits." Any other fans out there?

Once we arrived in Zurich we had the usual missing bag to take care of. Everyone was fairly docile at this juncture as most of us were comatose rather than fully awake. The hour long wait to get everything sorted went smoothly enough. However, during this period we were given the bad news. The hotel at Crans Montana where we were headed was 4 long hours away and there was no toilet on the bus.

In the past, this has been grounds for revolt. Not just for the long drive, but more importantly because of bus drivers who would not heed our calls of nature. Once, in China, we had to become physically involved to allow a pee break. This time, the subject simmered then died. Exhaustion had set in and most people slept the whole way to Crans-Montana. There was a concerted rush for the washrooms on arrival.

The place where we are staying is gorgeous: Seriously beautiful. The climb up the valley on switch back roads took about an hour, the road twisting and weaving the whole way to the top. The view from the hotel defies description. Imagine waking up to the Swiss Alps!

We went for a brief and enjoyable walk, had a stretch as a team, and we are now charged with staying awake till 9:00 pm. Hopefully everyone attained this goal as I am seriously struggling and it is still only 8:30pm.

Soccer Suffragist