When I went to visit Helen and Anthony in Santiago de Chile, I woke up with a beautiful view…

we saw some other impressive views from the top of Cerro St. Lucia…

thought we were in Rome for a minute…

saw trees with people in them…

walked through quaint barrios…

went to Valparaiso and walked among colorful houses…

saw a cat on a cold tin roof (get it?)…

went home and drank Pisco Sours out of martini glasses…

saw a clear, post-rain view of Santiago on my last morning…

and I went home, refreshed, to my beautiful Buenos Aires.

Thank you Helen and Anthony!

It is a really intense city, Buenos Aires.

There is no gray, only black and white.  No purgatory, only heaven and hell.

On some days my heart is so full of emotion and I just want to embrace this city and all of its beauty and weep with love.

On other days I feel as if it is choking me and doing everything it can to piss me off and I want to get out.

The thing about it is that even the *good* days here are so intense that they can choke.

Getting out of Buenos Aires was the best thing I could do right now, at least for a few days.  I’m just over the mountains in Chile, taking a breather from the day to day intensity that is Buenos Aires.  It feels good.

It’s like a love relationship - you see the same person, day in and day out.  You get to know each other’s quirks and preferences, habits, everything.  You deeply, unconditionally love that person and everything they bring to your life, but sometimes you just need to go look at something else for a while and get away.  Take your space.  Come back with new energy.

So that is what I am doing.  It is my love for Buenos Aires that makes me so excited to get out for a while - so that I can stretch some unused muscles and come back with new energy and even more love.

I have just filled up on fruit and coffee and toast with dulce de leche while looking at the hills that surround my friend’s beautiful apartment.  Today we will walk around and discover Santiago.  I’m in a good mood, and very happy to see my friends.