Hello December & Tasty Lunch

December is a month of contradictions... On one hand, there is Christmas which happens to be for sure my favorite time of the year: decorations, family, presents, skiing, fireplace... I'm happy just thinking about it! 

However, on the other hand, the first 20 days of the month are kind of terrifying: I have my final exams, and I think that the degree and the masters degree will be too much. Anyhow, I'll try to do my best.

This means that I'll might do fewer posts than usual or a bit shorter during this exam period... Sorry in advance

When you feel stressed, the best meals are those which are simple and easy but tasty and healthy.

The salad has only four ingredients but looks (and really was) delicious: lettuce, tomato, avocado and some spoonfuls of hummus which gave it a different but awesome taste. Of course it's dressed with olive oil and a pinch of salt, as Mediterraneans do.

Served with poached eggs. I cheated here... Real poached eggs are quite tricky but with this little tip things get much easier: you have to put each egg in plastic wrap, add a pinch of salt and tie with a thread. 

After 4 minutes in boiling water (yes, 3 is too little and 5 is too much) you can carefully remove the wrap and they will be perfectly cooked with a creamy heart ready to dip some toasted soldiers!

The perfect I-only-have-30-mins lunch.

Hope you enjoyed it and Bon appétit!

Today is a very special and exciting day in my life...I'll show you why in the next post... stay close!

CUTE FOOD #1

I had an idea. I'm always taking photos of everything cute around me, specially food. The pics have no connection between them except that they are all food and cute but I can't do a post for each one so, what about a "CUTE FOOD" serie?  

They are one of my favorite fruits. I think they'll appear very often in the "Cute Food" posts.

An ice-cream from the ice-cream shop that one of the "Roca" brothers has in Girona. They own "El Celler de Can Roca" which this year has been chosen as the best restaurant of the world. Of the whole world! I've only been there once and it was such an experience, not just a meal, incredible. 

Here they are again, I told you!

An ice-cream with friends in the old center of our city.

"Pates de fruits" brought by my parents from Auvergne (France) where they spent some days in summer. We absolutely love them!

These figs were picked by my friends and I during one of our "Saturday walks". We kind of had breakfast under that fig tree.

Frozen yogurt topped with berries and chocolates, a summer pretty healthy pleasure. At least the "berries" part.

Does it ring a bell? I showed you a very similar ice-cream from Amorino-Paris, where a friend of mine was working. This is from Amorino-Bilbao. It's just by chance! It's not that we look for the Amorino shop in every city we visit..ops

Soon a new post and in a few weeks another "Cute Food" post if you enjoyed this :)

Yesterday I had a terrible day...someone stole my wallet in the subway and I'm very agry because of the money and specially because aaaall the cards, identifications and important papers I had in it... Never mind.. think about nice things like the amazing day I had on Sunday: first day of the season we could go skiing! One of my biggest passions.

Even in your worst days try to be positive and look at the bright side of life

Mountain Trip to Nuria (Part II)

Good morning mountaineers!

We woke up at 6.30 (yes...!) and after all that chatting, singing and horror-story telling we had only slept for 3 hours. Quick hot shower and ready to go.  

We had breakfast in a very well-known cafeteria, it is just next to the ski station and everyone has a snack there. It was surprising to find a wall dedicated to our mountain hero: Kilian Jornet. For me he's simply the best trail-runner and for sure somebody to look up to.

Hey, see? We have a pic with him!! :D

We had to drive about 15km and we found some beautiful free horses! There was a very happy lady in the car (one of the girls is a big animal lover).

As you can see the day was a bit rainy and the sky was grey...

It was very very very cold and also very windy. The best decision was to change the route we had planned and do a shorter and easier one. However, we really wanted to try our first option and we did it, but soon changed plans and went for a less risky track. Difficult decision, but in the mountain you must be prudent and careful.

Can you see us? Under five layers of jumpers, polar fleece and jackets, there we are. 

They are very well camouflaged.

I'm not.

But proud of my bright blue jacket :D

There it is! The shrine of Núria. That place can only be reached walking or by a small train that goes up through the mountains. Simply beautiful.

Truly happy mountaineers.

What a peaceful place that is. Look at the fields, the pond... and all surrounded by enormous quiet mountains.

It reminded me of a Christmas tree! All full of decorations!

After lunch and a very needed hot coffee we chatted warm in the cafeteria, except Núria, who could no longer resist all that tiredness and fell asleep. So sweet!

It was hard to get out to the cold again, and moreover it was raining a bit. Raincoats on. That is our national flag. Our "we-want-to-be-a-country" flag, actually. The normal Catalan flag has no star and no blue triangle.

And that's all! 

The weekend post ends with the same picture it started. We really had a wonderful time all together doing one of the things we most like and enjoying these amazing landscapes. I look forward to hearing from you (kidding) look forward to plan another adventure with you very soon :)

Mountain trip to Nuria: day one

Some of my friends are also mountain lovers. 

Some of my boyfriend's friends too. 

What about planning a trekking weekend all together? 

That's just what we did! 

Three or four months ago my friends and I started a fantastic habit: we meet on saturday or sunday morning to do some trekking near our city. It's just two or three hours but hey some people are tired in 5 mins so, we're kind of... proud of ourselves! 

However, we wanted something more. We needed something more. A great long trip in a bigger higher mountain. That's where our plan began: we decided Núria was a good spot and the track we chose was about 20km and about 10 hours long (including Puigmal summit which its elevations is 2909m). That would mean sleeping near the departure point the night before so it all turned into a little lovely mountain trip.

Some days after that, my boyfriend ask to join. Yes, of course! Then one of his friends. Yes! And just some days before THE day, another friend! Yes, the more the merrier! 

That is not the most fashion baggage (I know) but for sure the most comfortable.

Our adventure started where all adventures start: Decathlon. We bought some energetic bars and...well, also some little chocolates.

We booked a youth hostel to stay in: cheap and more adventurous than a regular hotel, isn't it? 

And come on, bunk beds! We totally felt like in our childhood summer camps!

The hostel owner recommended us a nice and typical place to have dinner in a small village nearby. The man said "Are you hungry? You'll eat a lot and very well there" "Yes we are, let's try it!"

He was absolutely right, as you can see. As a starter we shared cold meats and cheese. A lot of them. They serve you all this stuff and you can cut what you want! Good idea.

I told the boys that I'd take a pic of them cutting and look at their immediate faces:

Yes, we're cutting this and we're very interesting. Hahahah

Not the longest Catalan sausage ever, but pretty much!

Cute girls :) 

Funny thing: they're both called Núria which ALSO happens to be the shrine we were visiting the day after!

Three of the most typical Catalan stuff: bread with tomato, "allioli" (garlic and olive oil) and wine served with "porró", that strange bottle. You're supposed to drink like this guys but, to be true, I've never understood its function. Honestly, what was that invented for? I'll look it up.

Maybe just to make your friends laugh. In that case, accomplished!

After all that food we headed to a cozy pub for drinks.

Now I don't wanna be arrogant but..swear this picture doesn't sound familiar to you...take another look...

TOTALLY How I met your mother team at MacLaren's!!!

Finally the best of every "summer camp" (be honest): bed time!

Probably our most ridiculous pictures ever. But we did have lots of fun.

I was very happy to see that my friends and his friends were comfortable one with each other and all of us were really having a good time and laughing now and then.

We chatted until early hours (horror stories included) and after all we felt asleep.

Good night mountaineers! 

Real mountain adventures in the next post :)