Closing is Complete

All did not go according to plan on Monday. I left for Stansted airport before dawn at 5:00 AM so that I would arrive in Bagni di Lucca in time to visit the bank to sign papers and get the bank drafts required for the closing scheduled for 4:30 that afternoon. I also planned to visit the house to review the renovation work we may want done with the woman who will manage the work locally for us. Ah, the best laid plans. . .

I arrived at the airport to find it shrouded in fog – not a good sign, and after an hour's delay, they finally cancelled the flight. A mad dash back to the terminal followed, where a mob, formed from the diaspora of multiple cancelled flights, milled impatiently waiting to re-book. A quick survey of the situation told me that my best options lay elsewhere.

I caught the express train back to London, hoping to reach Gatwick airport in time to catch a later flight, and also hoping that my travel agent could find one, which she promptly did. Two trains and two tube rides later, I was on a plane to Pisa, but not in time to make the closing. Luckily, the estate agent had rearranged everything for Tuesday (thankfully everyone was available) and equally fortunately, my schedule allowed me to stay another day to get it done.

So, after twelve hours of travelling, I arrived at Roberto's hotel in time for a good night's rest before the activities now planned for Tuesday. In the end, everything on Tuesday went smoothly, although the process proved convoluted, long, sometimes amusing and always uniquely Italian. I will save that story for the next post, but for now, the villa is officially ours!