I never even thought about Argentina .. or even South America. I was usually focused on Europe, London and Paris. We talked about Italy, it would have been the "next adventure" ..
Then one day out of the blue, while living in Portland, my ever ready to explore the world husband, brought home books and magazines about Argentina and Buenos Aires.
And so it began.
Once I saw the prices of really nice hotels, shopping and sightseeing, I was all for it .. I'll start packing !!
We were so lucky to have a neighbor who volunteered to Pup sit ..
It was a 10 day visit.
From the fateful meeting in the airport waiting for our flight, with the sister of the man who would become our friend and our Realtor ... from the charm and perfect location of the hotel .. The Art Suites Hotel.
One suite in front, one in back .. views , kind and helpful staff and right smack dab in the middle of a popular and extremely nice neighborhood .. how could we not fall in love with the place and want to live there ??
More fate .. we were walking down the street with our realtor and a little downhearted, we couldn't find anything .. we were looking for a Home .. with the character of an old Argentine home, not a slick modern all white clone of the modern hotel we were staying in ..
Then as luck would have it .. we were standing on the street corner, saying good by to the realtor who was going to go look for more properties for us .. when I looked up. And over our heads was the For Sale/Vende sign.
And within about 2 months, we owned a home in Buenos Aires.
The architecture was old style and that was one of the reasons we loved it. When the painters came and carpenters and floor people and plumbers finally left .. we had our grand Half Floor apartment .. The "maids room" became our huge walk in closet/dressing room.
The maids toilet became the laundry room.
Everything I ever dreamt of if I lived in a foreign land , I got to have ...
Those were such happy days......
It sounds like a dream come true. I am so glad you were able to experience that life. And I am sorry that that particular dream ended far earlier than you ever conceived. I still am looking forward to what comes next with you. I sense it will be difference and better. And that it will include, at the very least, three cats.
ReplyDeleteHappy Humpday Candice.
How very kind you are.
DeleteThank you
A new adventure is in the early planning stages now!
That kind of serendipity really does lead one to believe in fate :) I, too, look back in sadness at some of the places I've lived and loved, and have considered moving back to a couple. But I've taken the words of the Don Draper character on Mad Men as my mantra; loosely paraphrased they are: "I'm not sure where my life is headed, but it's moving in only one direction, and that's forward." No going back...
ReplyDeleteLipari fam , thank you so much..
ReplyDelete:) I wish you the best of luck in figuring it all out...
ReplyDelete