Today went well...

We got very little sleep last night, woke early and got out of the house fairly fast but I forgot the food, the drink and the book. 

I did remember the important papers and my name. 

Thank goodness, my husband did all the talking and I just sat there, looking vacant. 

We walked out into one of those crisp fall mornings that makes you want to pack up a picnic and spend the day in a park reading   or walking in woods somewhere .. or shopping. 

But not for sitting inside a government building with terrible fluorescent lighting, causing everyone to look like they had grey skin and black circles under their eyes... well , some of them might have had those black circles but they weren't grey skinned ! 

So the room was appropriately depressing, discouraging one from wishing to hang about and chat with strangers who look like they just wish they were back home in bed .. that might have been me .

We arrived to lines snaking around the block, horrified that we would have to stand in one for what could only be days ! 

But when we walked to the window ( black glass, you can't see them, they can see you) and this voice    asked us what we wanted, we flashed those passports and the magic door opened and we were inside. .  after I took off my sunglasses so they could get a good look at me on the hidden cameras !

They are still wishing I had left them on .

After some very friendly and smiling men with guns, took my hand cleansing gel and asked me twice if I had a cell phone ... no, I knew they would ask and I left it at home ... they gave me a little number so I could retrieve my gel when I left and off we marched.. 

We sat in the dreary room with grey skinned people and maybe 15-20 minutes went by and it was my husbands turn.

We were out of there in maybe 45 minutes at the longest.

We grabbed a sweet old taxi driver on the corner and watched one of those BA Phenomenon's .. a kindly, sweet, elderly man becomes a maniac behind the wheel with a lead foot. 

We got there in record time... alive .. and walked into the building where we have to go to get all papers legalized.

The last two times, we have spent hours in this place. 

This time, again, the whole thing was less than an hour.

We were finished.. free ! free !

We went to a tiny cafe that was adorable and had terrible coffee, then started walking home.

If you look on a map, we were here  * and we walked - - - - - - - - - - all the way across 9 de Julio - -  through  Recoleta - - -  past all the grand hotels - - -  past the grand Embassies - - - and finally -  we were ** Home**. 

And I though that was pretty Grand too ! 

We grabbed Pup and took him for a walk, by then, we were pretty much, walked out !

So we   came home and told each other what good luck we had today , everything went so easy and we are crossing our fingers and paws and hoping that the actual Immigrations work will be as easy and have a Really Grand ending.

This is what the Ambassadors Residence looks like  .. the part we were in looks more like a Cold War building .. square, not pretty, doesn't make you want to sit and have a cuppa tea.

But that is ok.. we came home and had our tea and now we are planning the Week End ! 

thank you to SandyRaines and the night of the living dead film makers for the photos