Part 2 of 3: Philadelphia- Very Minor Stalking and an Unexpected Training!

[suzanne410.livejournal.com]

A small non-Mesut anecdote first... I promise Mesuty moments and
training pictures follow down below! Here's a teaser...

Part 2 of my Real Madrid inspired escapade begins in a hotel bar in Philadelphia. Last year the team stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in the center of the city, so naturally we assumed they would be staying there again. So despite being tired, hungry, grungy and stressed from the travel from New York City to Philly, V and I decided to casually make our way to the hotel at 10:00 pm after checking into our much more humble hotel. After walking 15 minutes in the complete wrong direction, we eventually found our way to the Ritz. We sauntered our way up to the bar area, disguising ourselves as sophisticated, mature women, grabbed an open table and ordered a glass of wine. Then... we just sat and waited.

The design of this hotel is ideal for anyone interested in stalking a team of handsome football players. The bar area is open-aired and surrounded by a second floor balcony that wraps around the room. So at any moment, someone important can look down upon the general public congregating below. Or, anyone congregating below can look up and spy someone important. :)

There wasn't too much activity at first. We saw some quick spottings of Varane and Granero around the concierge desk. We also saw Higuain peek into the area before heading upstairs. Xabi and Adan looked down on us (errr... I mean the bar area) from the balcony, and Arbeloa walked up to the entrance of the bar area, as though he was looking for someone. But the real excitement came when Jose Mourinho and his staff decided to come sit down. Unfortunately, there was a large wine cabinet that blocked our view of him, but then the funniest thing happened. He, Karanka, and Faria all walked over to the table next to us when the 11 o'clock news came on. The news reporters were showing highlights from the Eagles' (American football team) preseason game they had played that night. We didn't know it at the time, but the team had attended the game and some of them had even taken shots at a field goal kick at half time. So there they stood, waiting to see what kind of coverage they were going to get in this news report. The funny part though is that they had to look at us (or just past us) in order to see the tv screens. And since we weren't facing the tvs, it was like we were staring back at them the whole time! It was an almighty staring contest- only Mou didn't know he was participating with us! I have no pictures because I didn't take my camera. Didn't want to look conspicuous! But when there was absolutely no mention of Real Madrid in the report (as American tv is so apt to do), Mou threw up his hands, exclaimed some verbal frustration, and then turned on his heels and walked away utterly annoyed. This little display just had "Mourinho" written all over it so I wanted to share!



                 


Unfortunately, there were no Mesut sightings on this night. Some of the guys had returned to the hotel after half-time, but it's possible some had stayed until the end. Which means we probably left the Ritz just a few minutes before they returned. But that encounter with Mou... for my friend V at least- who admires him so!- was pretty damn cool.

On Friday the team was scheduled to have a training that was "closed" but you could purchase tickets to enter. We did not have tickets but planned on going to the stadium to see if there was any way we could get in. We decided to walk past the hotel to see if there was anything going on before we got our car and made our way. As we approached the hotel we saw a bus parked out front and a huge crowd of people. The team would be boarding the bus any minute to head to their practice! I am quite small, and the crowd was quite big, so I had to find a way to position myself for optimum viewing. There was a ledge on the side of the hotel that I was able to shimmy up to and sit on. I was determined!

I did not have my camera with me at this moment, but I was able to snap a couple of pics using my phone. As one would expect Sami and Mesut loaded the bus one right after the other. And I completely messed up the shot of Mesut. BUT I got a decent one of Cristiano, who kindly stopped to sign autographs for some of the kids in the crowd. We were all extremely pleased with this gesture.

We could see through the bus window that Mesut sat down in the very back of the bus and that he had his feet propped up on the seat in front of him. How very typical of our boy!

Much to our surprise, when we arrived at the stadium we were able to purchase tickets at the box office. Considering we had never intended to be able to go to the training, this was a major bonus. And as you'll see from the pics, it was well worth it to attend! I'll just post the pics and add little notes from what I remember as I go along...

He was always running so fast it was difficult to get a good shot!




During one of the breaks he and Sergio played around with
the ball together. They were laughing and joking and
reminded me of puppies chasing a ball!



I can't for the life of me figure out why he was wearing long sleeves... Just
to spite me I think. Considering his arms are one of my favorite
parts to ogle at! And it was hot out!







After playing around with Sergio he made his way over to Benzema. They
exchanged some words and pokes and smiles.













I feel like there should be daisies at his feet in this pic!













At least his muscles always seem to be in focus! Can't say
as much about his face. :(














My favorite one... The profile!!! The stance!!! As so many have said, "Like a Renaissance painting!"

So when the training ended it was time for stretches. :) Something was bothering Sami as they walked over together to stretch. He seemed to be complaining to Mesut and gestured some frustration.

As he sat before stretching he finally looked up into the seats...
And then THIS happened!




I swear, he looked right at me. Or us. Whatever. We were the only two
in this general direction and we were standing up. So it
MUST be so!




He, Sami, and Nuri chatted while stretching. The funny part
is that he hardly did a thing and we all noticed.
He's a lazy stretcher! ;)



















Better not get injured there, slacker! J/K
He was simply more interested in what Sami and Nuri had to say...

 
Well, that about sums up Part 2. They only practiced for about 35 minutes which was a little disappointing since it was advertised as a 90 minute training. Imagine if I had had 55 more minutes of picture taking! And unfortunately, they didn't use any of their left over time on the field to walk around and sign autographs. But who am I to judge these things...

I wish I could've gleaned more of his personality during this session, but really the only thing of note was that he was very playful with Sergio, and then Benz, and then chatty with Sami and Nuri. I guess it's nothing new to those of us that study what is the Mesut bromance phenomenom. But at least this served as confirmation and I can say I was indeed a witness! The third and final part of my experience will cover the game against Celtic. And I'll tease you by saying some of my BEST shots came from that game!!! In due time...