Mushroom Hunting

I finally had a very special guest come visit me and have dinner with us...Gerard! Yes, a few weeks ago I invited Susanna and Sergi with their little package to come over and supper with us. He, of course was the light of the party and the girls were enchanted by him as he was passed from arms to arms, never shedding a tear or protesting. He a woman's man. I can see it already...

The following day, it was my turn to be treated to something out of the ordinary...a very special someone surprised me with a homemade chocolate cake, laced with chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries! For those of you who know me well, this is the way to win your way to my heart. I have posted the pictures so you can let your mouth water and envy my luck...kidding, envy not necessary.


Then, oh and then, I did something completely out of the ordinary. I finally went mushroom hunting! Yes, in Catalunya and other parts of Europe, people have a true interest in mushroom hunting, picking whatever you want to call it. Turns out, Oriol is a pro at it and he wanted to be the first one to introduce me to this very special Autumn event. And so we grabbed some bags, Mollie and headed to the mountains!

So, what is this all about, you ask? Well, let me explain. It is about going out into nature. About looking for the perfect mossy forest and digging deep under ferns and bushes, having your hair tangle in the thorns and ivy that decorate the autumn forest. Stopping to listen to the leaves fall from trees and crunch under Mollie's paws.


Pulling wet, slimy mushrooms from the cold dirt. Witnessing ivy and its intricate mathematics wrap around a cut tree

Seeing colors and smelling freshness, clean, unspoiled air and taking it all in. Photographing nature up close




Hoping that your children and mine, our grandchildren and all the children will get a chance to see this at one point in their lives. That perhaps we'll get serious about taking care of the earth so it can continue to generate and grow, not disappear. Finding violet mushrooms and deciding to leave them behind because they are just too lovely to pull out.

Finishing the cool afternoon rummaging around and laying on the cold wet earth to take it all in. Swinging on the same swing Oriol used to swing on as a child and finally going home, full to cook the earth you've picked and eating it, with a smile on your face and more than one thought on your mind about the state of us.

Montserrat and La Morena

"Rosa de abril, morena de la sierra..."

After having been so close to Montserrat just the weekend before, Oriol told me to pack my bag and prepare myself, we were heading to Montserrat so I could finally see the grandness of the very strange mountain and its monastery and legend. We were happily accompanied by Gisela, Alfred, Pau, Ilari, David and none other than Mollie, the mountain dog. The day was perfect for walking up a mossy trail, with fog, old stones and tiles depicting the different saints of Catalunya.

Once we got to the top, we were welcomed by a very touristy but lovely monastery with fog licking the tip of the oddly shaped mountain, one of a kind in the region, and fairly new buildings, relatively speaking, that housed the infamous Patron saint of Catlunya, La Morena.

Legend has it that one day long ago, two shepherds were walking the mountain when they came across a cave which housed the small wooden statue of the saint. Ordered by the bishop, they began to carry the wooden statue down the mountain, but with each step,they found it heavier and heavier to carry, finally leaving it in a small "ermita" until they built her current home. The reason, they say, that she is black is the candles that they found surrounding her that had burnished her, only making her even more unique.


Gisela was set on visiting her, until she realized the line was horribly long. In the meantime, I made my way around the church and the countless of people with the same idea. Although it was chaotic and a bit stressful, I found that watching the people light their candles, make their wishes and believe in something was inspiring and relaxing. Belief, legend, faith, whatever it is, is enough to help someone dream and overcome whatever they need to overcome and perhaps that in itself is enough to appreciate the day, life and all its mysteries.


Just looking at the rocks makes you wonder how a masterpiece like this came about and whether one believes in magic or the simple explanation of cause and effect, they are there and they are unique.
Even Mollie took time out with Oriol to do a little reflection and to either wonder about when on earth we were going to feed her again or perhaps actually marvelling at the fog as it slowly made its way out and gave us a view of the mountains and their phallic tips...


We all finally gathered up again and our offering was a handmade bouquet by Alfred, two coffees almost finished and us with everything to give and live.

Vacarisses, More Gerard and Gimlets!

As October made it's silent way in with slightly cooler days and work finally winding down, I headed inland to the lower mountains of Catalunya, near Montserrat and was hosted by some very friendly people, treated to the smell of firewood burning and fresh lamb on the grill. After a nice long lunch, Oriol, his delightful nephew Biel, jolly Mollie and I made our way up to the small mountain that overlooks Vacarisses, a small country town. On our way up, we came across a small lovely wooden altar of La Morena, the sacred saint of the Mountain Montserrat. There was absolutely no one on the trail and the mountain was all ours and it was amazing. There was a slight bite in the air and you could begin seeing traces of the seasons taking place and change.


Watching little Biel hike up the mountain, with Mollie at his heels, was in itself memorable. Biel was the leader and he showed me what the trail was all about. The sun was shining just right and once at the top, hanging over the world, I breathed in deeply and absorbed the beauty. I love that the first two years in Barcelona I dedicated to the city, to getting to know its streets and all the nooks and cranies and now I'm getting a taste of its backyard and all the enchantment these small towns have and the peace that nature has to offer me.

Speaking of nature and its beauty, a few days later I stopped by to see how my buddy Gerard was doing and I was shocked at how much he had grown in just a few weeks.


Suddenly, he has formed a face with personality, eyes that open wide and observe. He looks and then falls asleep in my arms, only to wake up again and study me. He is quiet and still, with mature expressions and almost serious, until Sergi walks into the room or Susanna cooes at him.

That weekend, Gisela, Mary Katherine and I decided to take the night out in the town and have a lovely dinner at a small but yummy Bodega with cold cuts, finger licking cheeses and full bodied red wine. Afterwards, we made our way to a classic bar known as Gimlet where they specialized in Gimlets, Manhattans and all those classic American cocktails that are so hard to find here. The dark cherry wood bar with sultry jazz in the background was just what we needed.


I made the girls pose for me and I took in the moment, the perfect bar with the right company.

And to make the moment even more perfect, after a few sips of our drinks, the bartender served us homemade truffles...chocolate! What more could 3 girls ask for?? How better to start the month of October?

Mercy on La Merce

It is essential to take time out and have dinner with your friends and luckily, I get the opportunity often enough. And not only do I get the opportunity to do it, but once in awhile we get the honor of hosting a few extra guests. Our VIPs were Txell and Monica who spent two weeks in our humble abode and we got to share a few good nights of conversation and food.

Towards the end of September we got to celebrate one last Festa Major, La Merce, Barcelona's Patron Saint. The week was strung together with some rainfall, lots of music, and a 10km race!



We got to witness a little hip hop (bad nonetheless) Antonia Font, an amazing Mallorquin group, and an old-school Catalan crooner, Sisa with a group of famous singers. The last mild summer nights were made up of dinners with friends, dancing on the streets and buying cheap beer.





This year, of course, I had to do something very special to welcome the Merce. Both Alex and I spent a month training hard to run our first race.

Not only did we run and finish, but we did pretty darn well. Alex timing a bright 54minutes and I was just a minute behind, placing in the 300's out of a little over 3'000 women! We were ecstatic and are now planning the next big one, a half marathon.




The musical and sportive week was finished off with a trip to Poble Espanyol with my lovely friends and a colorful firework show. As the last sparks flew up into the sky and exploded, I wished summer goodbye and thanked my lucky stars for being, well, lucky to have spent yet another summer in Barcelona.