They say that 13 is unlucky. Perhaps it is because the fear of the unknown or life itself.

However, this number surrounds us in everyday cycles. We have 13 moons in a solar year. Women ovulate on day 13 and it was in 2013 when I met Philip!

I had been studying Pedagogy (how teachers teach, degree) and was in my fourth year with the Erasmus scholarship in the United Kingdom.

When I am on vacation, I love to discover new places through wwoofing. It is a form of voluntary exchange where you work on organic farms in the country you sign up for, and, in exchange, they give you food and lodging. I had tried it before and the experience had been very rewarding.

The school year was almost over and I only had a couple of exams to take. So, I decided to go back to Karuna Bhavan in a small town called Lesmahagow in Glasgow.  There was an ISCKON Hare Krishna community there, where I had found a second family. Their love, dedication and way of treating me had filled my heart, and even then, I had the idea of ​​dedicating my life to Krishna and becoming a nun.

I took an evening train, as it was good value, but as a result arrived at the Ashram very late.  When I went upstairs, I met a blonde girl with green eyes who introduced herself. We talked a bit and ate some Prasadam (spiritual food served to Krishna). I went to sleep early as the next day we had to wake up at 4.00am and had a three-hour journey to go to Aberdeen (a city in Scotland). This Hare Krishna community did yoga retreats, chants and meals in different places, this was one of their ways of keeping the farm and community operating.

I woke up early, had a shower and put on an orange Gopi dress (an Indian skirt and top set with a scarf) typical of India.

There was a ruckus under the stairs as they were loading all the instruments and ingredients, needed, onto the mini bus. I was happy. There were familiar faces of Devotees I already knew. I was glad to meet up with them again. As I made my way to the vehicle, a young guy with honey coloured eyes and a good vibe walked right up and introduced himself.

“Hello, my name is Philip, you must be Berta, right?”

“How do you know my name?” I answered a little surprised.

“Bhakti (the community gardener) has told us a lot about you, I was looking forward to meeting you”.

It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but I knew, from that first moment, that our lives were meant to be together. Since then, we have never been parted. Wherever I went, Philip came.

We went to Barcelona where I finished my studies, and Philip, who had decided to end his job as a chef in a 5-star hotel in London, looked for a job as a chef in one of the few vegetarian restaurants that existed at the time.

With the money we saved, we went to India for six months.  We embraced its culture, its food, and its colours.

We decided to return to Spain and dedicate ourselves to the countryside, to agriculture and to love Mother Earth. We created sustainable crops, with permaculture and devotion.

It was in 2018 that we created our Hippietarian restaurant van, to promote organic and vegan homemade food and our way of life, in the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga. We wanted to spread our values ​​and ideas, through our business.

It was a short but intense process. Lots of paperwork, lots of time, lots of phone calls, loads of laughter and tears.

Finally, In August, AguaViento was born!