I’m loving my vacation in Barcelona! I’ve gotten to explore two of Gaudi’s greatest works, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia. I’m hanging with my family and we’ve done a bunch of fun things together, like learning how to cook Paella and roaming Barrio Gótico. Luckily there’s lots of great vegan spots!
Over the last 15 years, I’ve mostly traveled to Europe for work, but this time I’m here just to enjoy myself and bond with my family. I’m traveling with my mom, brother and aunties. The last time I visited Barcelona on a family trip was in 2004, and that was when my father and grandmother were still alive. I have so many memories of us.
Since then, I’ve been incredibly busy as an artist activist, and I simply didn’t really prioritize vacationing abroad. Of course I would go to my parent’s homeland, Peru, every few years, but nothing like an intentional trip to explore another country together, eat, drink and be merry – and NOT work. Somehow the years just flew by. I almost didn’t come because of the virus. But my mother is aging and I wanted to spend some quality time with her.
It hasn’t been all easy. One day when I was struggling, I decided to take some time for myself and go jogging through the city. And on that day, after getting lost on purpose, I found a beautiful community garden, or it actually found me. Gardens bring me so much inner peace, and the one I visited simply blew my heart open, just at the time I needed it the most. After some time with the plants, I truly felt so much better. Check out my reels for the story I made about it.
