Last month I told you about how Tomate left us in a long day process. How he breathed his last breath next to me in my bed. He was a relatively young cat, 10 years old. But what hurt most wasn’t his age, it was that it happened so suddenly.
It wasn’t the same with Oliva, I knew she was going to go soon. She was 16. She had trouble walking and had had kidney failure for a couple of months. We’ve been taking care of her and the vet recommended to give her something to keep her hydrated, so she needed saline solution injected under the skin every other day. 

She was a fighter though, she didn’t want to go. 

Nonetheless, when Death calls you, she calls you. One day before leaving to Valencia, 1000km away from where I live, Oliva decided it was time to go. Her health started declining so much, so quickly that we had to decide to let her go, because we wouldn’t want her to die alone. She was in pain and couldn’t eat anymore, even if she tried. Heartbreaking as it was, I’ve learnt life unfolds itself exactly as it’s best for each and every moment. 

I’m glad she’s not suffering anymore, but now I’ve come back from the tour, the house feels so empty without the two of them. Cocotte, the one that’s still standing, follows me around all day long. You can tell she feels there’s weird stuff happening around her. 

But enough about death, we’re celebrating life each time we start a new day and I, for sure, am happy to be alive. 

Finally, the tour could be done. It was awesome. I had some mixed feelings because I lost two little furry members of the family, but tried to focus on the good things happening in my life. It’s always about where you put the focus.
I felt so grateful to be able to connect with the people in the venues again. We are doing this, but not many people are doing tours as they used to. I feel lucky and excited. It gives me a sense of balance in between all these chaos that is happening inside and outside my home. 

Travelling by car has the advantage of having time to read. I almost never sleep while I’m not driving, so I always choose some books I want to enjoy. There’s plenty of time for that. 

There were places where I had some time to enjoy the food, which is always an extra boost of happiness for me. Oviedo was one of those places. 

Autumn has sinked in. It was cold at night in Oviedo. But it was so beautiful to be able to go for a walk at night after the gig. It wasn’t even that late, I really appreciate that. 

I appreciate it as much as I appreciate having the chance to find a sandwich place open 24 hours. That’s what I’ve been missing. 

We didn’t stop for that long in Ourense the following week, though.

But still, I had time to enjoy a quick breakfast and also drawing for a while. 

And finding our friend Salva and his kids by chance while trying some tapas from a tapas contest. 

The guys from this place where super nice. They made me a small tapa even if they didn’t have that size on the menu, just because I said I’d love to try it. I really appreciate when people think outside of the box. I have a big stomach, but having a huge portion just for me is not what I do. They understood and without even saying anything, brought the tapa in a smaller size. That was so considerate. Also, it was delicious. So win-win.

In between gigs I could cuddle some of the new members of the family. Though they live in the garden (they found a spot they love) I let them in and feed them inside sometimes. Cocotte is a bit frightened by them, so it’s mixed feelings for both parties. She’ll get used to them, but the thing is…they’d rather live outside. That’s what I love about cats. They choose. 

Even though it was a month full of external stimuli, I found some time to stop, breathe and go inside. Actually, I didn’t have to force myself to do it. My body’s comfort zone is balance, it seeks it. Going inside yourself, and live through the discomfort is a curious exercise. It’s tough, but it makes you grow and learn so much that you understand is incredibly necessary. 

On our last week touring, I had to say goodbye to Oliva, but that same week I had the chance to hang out with a friend that has been in my life for the same many years as her. Nahún lives in Murcia and we share our enthusiasm for curiosity and learning. Actually, I shared a recipe her wife made us some years ago and I’m still fascinated by it. Paparajotes (lemon leaves with deep-fried batter).

Actually, although we haven’t lost track of each other, living in the other side of the country makes us hang less often than we’d probably like. This time, I proposed hanging though skype every now and then. He has kids, I have work…but we know we’ll find the time. 

The last gig of the tour in Murcia was very special. It was very different too, and that makes you appreciate things even more. Change makes you feel alive. 

In case you’ve never been to Murcia, there’s incredible places to try new food. I always come back in love with the city.

This time I even got to try new cuisines, like Polish. I’ve never had a Polish dish made by Polish people until I went to Valencia and found this lovely restaurant next to the venue we played in, U Polek.

And off we went to Barcelona again (we had been there the week before for a gig at Sidecar)

This time, although the tour had ended, we had to make an appearance on TV and a meeting with the management office. 

The good thing about Barcelona is that I get the chance to see my friends, even if it’s for a very short time. We always try to find the time. Although I know so many people there that it makes it almost impossible to see every single one of them. Steve and Blanca are probably those who’ve stick and we’ve managed to keep in touch more often than not. The week before, we went for the gig and couldn’t find the time, we just had some minutes to hug each other after the concert, but we knew we would be coming the following week. 

Esteban and Blanca have been in my life for so many years. We got the chance to celebrate that Esteban was living alone for the first time in forever, and we made a mini new home party. We ate pizza and took selfies. Because that’s what teenagers like us do. 

While we are talking about living in a new home, I’d like to talk about the life on tour. Living in hotel rooms, even if its not for too long is a different kind of life. You feel lonely but at the same time, comfortable in your loneliness. I guess that’s more the feeling of being on tour than the feeling of the hotel itself. I don’t know.

That feeling of being surrounded by people, but yet being alone most of the time. I believe it’s the contrast what makes it pop in my mind.

I was just thinking out loud. But let’s talk some more about Barcelona. One thing that I love is going to my favourite restaurant: En Aparté. It’s not just the food. It’s the vibe what makes me go again and again. And well, you know, the fact that the food is delicious helps a bit too, hehe. The staff is super nice and I’m so glad to be going back again and again and again (I added one again this time, for the next time I go 🤗). Shout out to the complimentary snack they gave us with the drink this time. The pesto was amazing!

Barcelona has many great places, people and food.

I enjoy going to the same places I’ve already been to, but always sneak some time to try different things.

Barcelona is already a place I know pretty well. I’ve been there so many times that I have my little places that I love to come back to every time I get the chance.

Poblenou is where I usually stay, so I visited Espai Joliu one more time. This time, I finally tried a cake.

As I was in Poblenou, I got the chance to try the food of two vegan restaurants that I ended loving: Blubar and Vrutal. I’ll talk to you more about them. Blubar’s pulled pork was so freaking good that I thought I should buy another one before leaving the next day (but of course, they don’t open at 6am)

And about Vrutal…They are rated the best restaurant in Barcelona in TripAdvisor right now. I am not a judge and you know I only talk about the good things I love about restaurants. But they deserve the attention. The staff was really nice, the cauli wings were amazing, not to mention the sauce. Umami in your mouth. My sandwich was the Tofu Bánh Mì (which I make at home many many times) but with a twist: Kimchi. And oh yeah! I enjoyed it. I want to try more things on the menu, but that’ll have to wait till next time. Probably next year. 

Yes my lovely people. Next year is around the corner. This year was kind of crazy for me. I feel like I’ve gotten much older and younger at the same time. It seems like the world is moving backwards and I am moving forward despite everything. Don’t know if you get the vibe. 

I am really looking forward to 2022, I feel like I still have so much to learn and explore and I can’t wait to show you all the new things I am working on. I am trying to get it all done by the first half of the year, but you know…when things take more time, it’s usually for the best. No rush, no pressure. 

To say goodbye this month and with this year’s last summary, I’d like to mention that this blog’s birthday is tomorrow.

I started it in 2016 without really knowing what to expect. I am so grateful for all of you that read every single post. For those that just look at the pictures and for those that come here for the recipes. I am grateful for being able to do something that excites me and if I make you feel anything, I am grateful for that too. I love connecting with you through mail, comments, direct messages or any other way I connect with you, even if some of you don’t tell me explicitly. You don’t need to. You are doing more than enough. Thank you 🙂

But above all, I am grateful for being here, living my life and writing about it. Cooking my food and nourishing myself. Meeting new people and understanding many things I couldn’t understand before. I am grateful for learning and resting, loving and caring. Losing and winning.

I am grateful for life and I am excited for the new year that is coming soon. Each new cycle is a great excuse for finding new ways of learning and enjoying. Don’t be fooled, you can choose to feel whatever you want to feel. Remember that, have fun and keep fooding 🙂