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Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
(Here is the Second Part of the comment:)
"But I am digressing from the task at hand. Juan asked me to write a
testimonial and I am beginning a short story. Besides, you will discover your
own stories to tell, certainly ones as interesting as mine. So in this space let
me touch the tips of your most pressing concerns. From the first
correspondence Juan was a most gracious host. The transactions were simple
and Juan was helpful throughout. Graciela, the attentive and gracious
caretaker, was waiting at Gardenia for our call when we arrived into the city
just as planned. The directions, too, were spot on. When Graciela guided us
through the house, pointing out the particulars and the peculiarities of
certain switches, it was all we could do to contain ourselves. As she turned to
open doors and cupboards our eyes volleyed back and forth between us,
silently communicating to one another the luck of arriving at such a splendid
place. The kitchen was a sensualist’s dream; a combination of quaint
tradition and modern technology with seemingly every tool and utensil in the
culinary trade from then to now right at your fingertips. Oh, the moles we
made! The garden was a favorite spot for morning and afternoon coffee. How
was it, in the middle of a city drumming with 20 million people, we could sit
in tranquility with only the birds and our cups clinking back into their saucers
to distract our thoughts? There was a very large market with local vendors
and a Metro station only one block away. The Centro Historico and Merced
were short and easy Metro rides from the house. The Metro, by the way, was
shockingly inexpensive and very fast. If a question arose while staying there
it was answered by the well-detailed notes Juan leaves for his guests on one
of the writing desks or, whenever in doubt, a simple phone call to Graciela. If
one should be perplexed by more existential wonderings, well then wander
down the terrace to the library which belongs, for an all too brief time, only to
you. Finally, we always felt safe and secure in Casa Gardenia. We will, as often
as we are able, return to her.
The rest of the story, future guests and fellow travelers, is yours to write.
Salud,
R.E.Dooley
Virginia, USA
Guest, January, 2009"
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R.E. Dooley
Virginia, USA
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| 03/13/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
(I am posting the first part of a beautiful comment from one of our guests:)
"I have told the story of my stay in Casa Gardenia countless times and yet I
am only beginning to know it. With each telling I find lacing through my
words new threads of memory I must follow back to their source. Casa
Gardenia is a living place. You will not find it, like so many lodgings, merely a
location to set your bags in. It will become part of your destination. You will
want to explore it just as you would any street in the heart of Mexico City.
Perhaps, like us, you will stroll slowly through the rooms and along the
terrace stopping often to touch, to open, and to admire. Or, you might be
walking from one room to another and suddenly find your progress halted by
some previously unnoticed object caught by the corner of your eye. You will
contemplate many layers of Gardenia’s history while there, then after you
return home uncover others you hadn’t even considered, ones that reveal
themselves only through the echoes of rumination. That is what happened to
each of us."
(Please read the second part in a different comment)
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R.E. Dooley
Virginia, USA
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