We moved to Spain a year ago today. The most significant difference has been how safe and calm we feel living here. The Spanish have a beautiful word for it: Tranquilo. Three hundred days of sunshine a year and welcoming and joyous people have done wonders for my mood. It turns out I wasn’t depressed. I just needed to leave the chaos and division of Florida and the US. We noticed a few days ago that we no longer say “we” when referring to America. Last week I chronicled December through May, now for the rest of the year.
June (Junio)
Highs: The quality of the museums here is extraordinary. We went to the Museum of Prohibited Art, which is the only museum of its kind in the world. The curators gather and display global art that has been censored or forbidden. It is a fascinating place. We continued to form a fond relationship with our friends Paulette and Zena. My butcher at the local market, Jesus, and I are also creating a fun relationship. He is teaching me so much about Spanish cuts of meat. I cooked lasagna to celebrate our friend Jing’s successful defense of her Master’s degree, and we had so much fun with her boyfriend Sven and our friend Benjamin toasting her success.
We continue to enjoy and savor our time at our favorite beach; oh my, the Spanish people are gorgeous. Another first was attending the Barcelona Formula 1 showcase and seeing a car up close. So many cool things happen in this city. Gina and I traveled for less than an hour to Cava country and learned a lot about Spain’s version of sparkling wine. We have become addicted to Spanish football, especially the National team and Barcelona (Barca). We attended a fun and raucous celebration of La Noche de San Juan at La Whiskeria with not one but three burlesque artists. This is the night for huge parties and raves at the beaches, as well as fireworks and fires of all kinds. It is a crazy night.
We celebrated Gina’s birthday at one of Spain’s finest restaurants, The Speakeasy. They have an iconic and classy cocktail bar called the Dry Martini, and after a drink or two, you are escorted through a secret door to one of the most vibey restaurants ever. The sommelier and pastry chef concocted a fun birthday dessert. Two thumbs way up.
In the creation department, I cast one of my body parts, sprayed it gold, added a blossoming flower, and called it “The Flowering Wand” to symbolize my hope that the patriarchy will one day wield a flower rather than a sword. And since caviar is so inexpensive here, I learned to make homemade blinis for a fraction of the price of storebought. Yes! And I mastered mixing the Whiskey Sour.
Lows: The worst allergies of my life. The pollen of the London Plane tree causes them. Ugh.
***Click photos (top right) to enlarge.
Juan Francisco Casas
Great Again by
Illma Gore
July (Julio)
Highs: Hanging with friends, Gina with Paulette (Lebanon), I with Benjamin (Croatia) check out the backdrop to our bar, both of us with Armin and Marzieh (Iran), and a concert by Loreena McKinnett, an eclectic Celtic songstress, she is one of my favorites. Stretching out and relaxing at home, and eating fresh clams and mussels. I went to the stunningly beautiful Joan Miró Museum atop Montjuic, and Paulette and Zena took us to a picturesque bar high atop a hill in Badalona; what a view! It was our first time to ride in a private car in six months. Zena drove. And Spain wins! Spain wins the Euro2024!!! Bedlam ensued. The entire city was screaming and partying. I’ve never seen anything like it! What fun to see a nation united. We are fully acclimated to the efficient and clean transit system: buses, metro, funiculars, and trams. We are so spoiled with the beautiful sidewalk cafes in front of our apartment.
My friend Dave Engelman and his family visited Spain, and he and I grabbed a quick lunch while they were in Barcelona. His visit is the beginning of four months of guests from America. He brought us a care package of Knorr’s hollandaise packets, as well as Carroll Shelby’s chili mix. We can’t get those here. On the creation aspect, I did my first painting while microdosing psychedelics. Crazy! I used the fresh and incredibly delicious tomatoes and peaches to create a breakfast tart, and I painted my version of the iconic Spanish fans that are everywhere this time of year. The heat has finally arrived—and we see why everyone flees the city for the mountains. We are living at the beach. We also know why no one wears clothes here. It is hot—even for us Floridians.
Lows: My allergies are even worse this month—almost debilitating. Thankfully, I found a great allergist, who is helping me cope.
August (Aogosto)
Highs: Art is everywhere in the city. And markets. Fresh vegetables, olives, and seafood. The Santa Caterina market is a work of art. The rooftop is beautiful and can be seen from our new favorite rooftop bar at the Edition Hotel next door. We visited the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1901 and 1930. It is one of the most prominent works of Catalan modernist architecture. Gina and I fell in love with the beautiful buildings and the property. It is now one of our favorite places in Barcelona. Great food of every ethnicity abounds in Barcelona, we love the Kiltro Gastropub, and our friends Jing and Sven introduced us to legit Chinese food at one of their fav restaurants. They also gifted us a Chinese wine that tastes like Italian grappa. Wow!
I saw the original movie Wizard of Oz for the first time. Crazy! We attended Gracia’s (a nearby neighborhood) fabulous street festival and got in 24,000+ steps. Barcelona has world-class events regularly, we watched the America’s Cup competition for the first time, so impressive. I have included the recipe for the perfect Whiskey Sour, and I created caviar blinis, and a new design for a Barcelona fan. Fun!
Lows: Allergies, allergies, allergies. And no clothes dryer, well, we have one, but it does not work.
September (Septiembre)
Highs: Our busiest month yet. Lots of guests from America, we traveled to the city of San Sebastian (the foodie capital of the world and our favorite Spanish city so far), and the fabled wine region of La Rioja, we visited Barcelona’s beautiful Labyrint Garden, San Sebastian’s San Telmo Museum, I toured the MEAM museum (my favorite museum yet), and our first time inside the Barcelona Cathedral (oh my!). Incredible meals at Michelin starred Rekondo (San Sebastian), and Majide (Barcelona). Sketching inspiration, and Gina got new glasses (I love them!). And we celebrated our 12th anniversary at Ikibana Restaurant. I could have posted hundreds of photos from this month, but here are a few of my favorites.
Lows: Not enough days in this month.
October (Octubre)
Highs: A super moon, meals at our fav Maitea, and a new legit pizza place. We had tapas at the St. Moritz beer factory. Amazing. Our friends Paulette and Zena invited us to a special preview of the award-winning movie “The Room Next Door” by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. It features two of my favorite actresses at the top of their game: Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Ah, the seafood here, oh, the seafood. I participated in the first protest of my life—a march to Free Palestine. We had more friends visiting from America—Tim & Shannon Jennings and Rob and Pam DeLoach. Rob and Pam invited us over to their rental flat for a delicious seafood meal. Rob can cook! We toured the Monastery of Pedralbes, a Gothic monastery established in the 1300s; it is only a short walk from our apartment. My friend Ray sent me a male nude painting from Paris; it inspired me, so if you have read this far, click HERE for a fun self-portrait—warning male nudity (password: naughty). And I have been painting, photographing, and creating like crazy this month.
Lows: No icemaker, tiny kitchen appliances.
November (Noviembre)
Highs: With so much company, this introvert needed a break from human beings, and what better place to retreat than the Montserrat Monastery? Oh my, it was so refreshing and so beautiful. I have found my retreat place. Gina and I both benefited from a few days away from each other. We have been in close quarters for a year and the space was good for us. I had a tiny room with a view of the rock face of the mountain, it was as if I was in a cave. I loved it. Wonderful food at the hotel (Hostal Abat Cisneros , circa 1300’s) dining room and their museum was extraordinary. Upon my return, Gina and I visited the Sarria Cemetary that is featured in Carlos Zafon’s book Marina. My friend Benjamin and I went back to the St. Moritz beer factory, I wanted him to experience it, he and I can talk endlessly about music, books, philosophy, and life. Grateful. Our friends Ray and Alan came back to Barcelona after a month in Paris and I took them on a tour of some of my secret favorite places, Ray and I were able to spend two days together catching up (bliss), they went with us to the incredible Barcelona Christmas lighting, and they came to our home for our version of Thanksgiving, dia de Sobremesa, and Ray did his mixology magic with his specialty Espresso Martinis. What fun!
Lows: Missing beach time.
2023 – 2024
If you missed the first six months, click HERE.
A year has passed, we blinked, and once again time has slipped by. So fast. But as you can see, we have grabbed Father Time by the balls and savored every moment. We no longer mark days, we mark seasons. It is like having the way forward whispered in our ears. Who cares about why or how? Who cares about would or wouldn’t? Why do Americans always discuss these words? Should and shouldn’t. Can and can’t.
Is and do, that’s all that matters. Is and do. Being and doing. Right now, and a little time from now. ¡Vivimos aquí! ¡en España!
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