We try to keep in touch with past swappers when we enjoy our experience with them. Some, who have been unwise enough to express interest in the children, get added to the holiday card list and must endure our yearly letter updating friends and family on our kids' "fascinating" milestones. Others have become friends and we enjoy having them over when they are in town, whether or not we swap homes again.
Four years ago we made contact with a French-Canadian couple. The distaff half of the pair had helped design Chelsea Markets, a wonderful repurposing of the old Nabisco cookie factory located a few blocks from our home. She helped turn it into a beautiful indoor mall of inexpensive gourmet food shops and restaurants. Chelsea Markets has been incredibly popular, helping to transform the former Meatpacking District that is a five minute walk South of our home.
"Jeanne" and her husband "Eric" had just bought a big house in the Plateau, our favorite neighborhood of Montreal. We enjoyed a long weekend at their home with our infant son. They used the one-bedroom apartment we had at the time.
Their home was centrally located and they recommended a wonderful restaurant just up the street. Around the corner from their home was the Quebecois equivalent of a convenience store, loaded with beautiful fresh produce and a fascinating selection of local beers.
Jeanne and Eric hadn't had much time to work on their new home and it had its quirks. The downstairs had been finished nicely, and one bedroom upstairs was complete. We liked their whimsical taste in decor which emphasized kitschy old signs and art by Jeanne mixed with modern furniture. There was a nice bedroom upstairs with a balcony overlooking their quiet street. However, the rest of the upstairs was as yet unfinished. We had to walk in the dark on planks laid across open floor beams to get to their somewhat creepy upstairs laundry room. The garage downstairs was a huge convenience in their popular neighborhood with scarce street parking, but access to it was via a tight K-turn because the construction project across the street blocked part of their cul de sac. It was so hard to get into their garage that I got stuck at one point, to the detriment of my paint job.
Still, it was a lovely home in a great location. We had a wonderful visit, which we always do in Montreal. We like to visit Montreal at least once a year, and Jeanne enjoys trips to our area as well. Would we stay in touch and coordinate future exchanges? Find out what happened next...
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