So this is the end. Te amo Buenos Aires.
I've been postponing writing this last post for some time now, as it means the official finale of my charmed life in Buenos Aires. I'm now back in Sydney, for a month already actually, and have finally found the words to close my career break chapter. I cannot describe to you how happy I am to have trusted my intuition and to have come to Buenos Aires. My four months of career break brought me all I expected, and more. I lived the porteno culture, I learned Spanish, I danced tango, had great food, long city walks, beautiful random discoveries, tried new things, made great friends. They say any travel experience is very much defined by the people you meet. It's true for me, and I'm grateful to all the people who crossed my path in the last 4 months. But it's also something about this city, something about Buenos Aires that makes your time here special. I loved it so much I cancelled my other travel plans and stayed for longer than I planned in BA (hence the 108 days of posts instead of what the title suggests). It's the energy of the megapolis, the fact that so many people here try to do something on their own, it's the spirit of trying new things, always. It's the European influence in architecture and food crossed with some undeniably latin american behaviours. It's the traffic, the street art, the creative drive; the city life that never stops, even at 4am the show goes on somewhere. It's the beautiful and the ugly together, the rich and the simple life, all existing and moving together in the wonderful grid of tree-lined streets.
I've been in Buenos Aires in the best of time, spring and summer, and I saw the city come to life even more. I saw the outdoor tables in Palermo cafes getting busier, family asados filling up the holiday calendars. I witnessed the summer heat, and the spring bloom of jacarandas, and the summer rains. I loved it all. I was as happy as I haven't been in a long time, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I loved my Downtown and Recoleta walks, the green city plazas, the cobblestoned streets, the corner cafes, the talking to friends and strangers for hours, just because I could. I loved the cocktails on balmy nights, the calmness of the river, the black & white tiled floors in the restaurants, the fact you can sit in a café for hours and waiters will still smile at you. The music, the milongas and the spirit of tango piercing the city everywhere, the parties till 6am; the empanadas, the parrillas, the coffee in the evening; the little discoveries awaiting around every corner if only you open your eyes.
I love you, Buenos Aires. I have a sea of positive emotions to last me a long time, and I will forever be grateful for all the wonderful memories. It's time for me to close this chapter, but as many people who came to BA and were conquered by its vibe, I don't say good bye forever. I say, till next time...