Few days ago, I had the chance to be with the group of devotees when Amma visited the new ashram in Barcelona. Amma asked us to remember all those who weren’t able to be with us. So I am passing on this story of a wonderful occasion with Amma.

The tour group had traveled from The Netherlands to Barcelona on a 20 hour drive. Because of the long journey, an extra day was built into the schedule. When we arrived in Barcelona, we were informed that in the afternoon we would be visiting the new Spanish ashram to be with Amma. The ashram is near the holy Montserrat mountains.  It is an olive farm.

The busses let us off in a residential neighborhood and we walked about a mile down a dirt road to reach the ashram.  It is set amid rolling hills, cultivated in beautiful patterns. Probably mostly olive trees.  Soon after we arrived, Amma showed up and She chose to sit right next to where I was!  A chair was brought for her and everyone quickly squatted to claim their seats. 

Amma wanted the local devotees closest to her. She simply sat looking at us with Love. There was probably around 300 of us around Her. The first thing that Amma said was that we should remember those who weren’t able to be there. She said that those who couldn’t be there shouldn’t feel bad.  Then Amma said that we all looked like a bowl of candies, wrapped in different colored papers.  What was inside, was love.

Lunch was served, and it was pasta. Amma said that she was having it without cheese, but that the rest of us should have cheese. The plates were served and quickly passed to Amma, and she passed them out into the crowd until everyone had a plate.  Then Amma said a prayer, and she invited us to start eating.  It was delicious as usual.  While we were eating Amma was delivered all different kinds of snacks.  She tried the local olives.  The devotees had made some cookies made with the ashram’s olive  oil, and offered them to Amma. Someone also brought her several blocks of chocolate, which she proceeded to work on dividing. She spent quite some time breaking and cutting the chocolate to create enough for everyone, doing it with a lot of loving attention. 

Later we had chai, and the local devotees sang to her, a sweet song, “Amma Amma, toca mi corazon”  (Amma touch my heart).  Then Amma practiced a Spanish bhajan.  It was so sweet to hear her trying to pronounce the words with the Spanish accent.  It was a beautiful song, “…Soy prisionero, perdido en ti.”  (I am a prisoner, lost in you.)  Then Amma sang “Mere jhoppidi de”, a fun rhythmic song that she also sang with us   on the U.S. tour.  I love this bhajan.  It is so sweet because it is about someone who had collected berries to share with Ram who was coming to visiting his hut in the forest.  Without paying attention to caste or class, Ram was paying a visit to this devotee and the devotee was ecstatic. 

 Then Amma got up, She took a quick walk out into the olive grove, then went inside and upstairs, and came out onto the balcony.  She looked incredibly beautiful, with a red coat over her white sari, smiling at all of us.

It was a sweet walk back to the busses, all of us happy like children.
When we got back we all started our sevas to prepare for the first Barcelona program.

There ends my report. Remember, I wrote this because Amma was thinking of you all, and asked us to do the same….Lots of love from Barcelona!

Ahalya