Sitges y la playa!

Sitting here with a beer at the end of the day, looking back, this day was great although it had its challenging moments early on.  Some grocery shopping first; I took Sully and Madeleine with me.  In the store we talked to an older woman who fell in love with Sully.  First, she smiled, and then she started talking a lot, in Catalan, and I responded to the best of my abilities.  Here's what I caught:  A boy or a girl?  How old is he?  Do you understand what I'm saying?  (I speak a little bit of Spanish.)  My grandson was sick.  He is 5.  Lungs.  Head.  15 days.  My son, his father.  Oh, oh oh.  (I'm sorry.)  She smiled again and walked on.  We finished shopping and came home.

We'd promised the kids another day at the beach and had heard about this supposedly beautiful beach town, Sitges (pronounced "see-chais").  About 45 minutes by train or bus, rumor was that it felt like a world away.  According to our maps, we could take the metro to a regional train straight to Sitges.  Unfortunately, there is work being done on part of the train line that resulted in three extra transfers and some walking in the heat to get to the next regional train station.  Everyone tolerated it relatively well and accepted it as one of the fun, unexpected adventures you experience while traveling abroad.  They, of course, just wanted to get to the beach ASAP.

Waiting on one of our many trains this morning.  The waits are never very long.  Sully and Henry are in their beachwear, in case you were concerned about why we are dressing our kids so poorly in Europe.

Dispositions were much sunnier once we arrived.  It did indeed feel like a long way from the bustling city.  Beautiful narrow, winding streets with seafood and beach shops.  About a 10 minute walk downhill towards the sea.

The kids were thrilled to reach the water but we decided to walk to the next beach, Plajta Frigata, which is apparently most popular with families.  The guidebooks also state that although everyone is welcome at all of the 17 beaches in town, some are more nudist- or gay- friendly than others.  So, we opted for Frigata.

Stopped first for lunch of paella, amazingly our first since arriving in Spain.  I was thinking of my dad, because he loves seafood.  Erica also had gazpacho and I had a tuna salad with the obligatory sangria, and flan for dessert.  Kids' special lunch treats were hamburgesa & frankfurters.  They were thrilled and ate a lot.  The paella was tasty even though neither of us really actively seek out mussels or clams otherwise.  The waiter, a former Londoner now living in Sitges, explained that the seafood is not local (farmed instead), as most of the Mediterranean has been overfished and most former fishing villages (such as Sitges) are just that:  former.  I was almost sorry I'd asked.  

A great treat for us Oregonians while at the beach is warm air and warm water, with nice sand and palm trees as a bonus.  The kids were absolutely thrilled to be swimming with their goggles, diving down in the clear water and finding shells, which I'm sure will survive to join their extensive collections at home.  The water really was warm and everyone was in for a long time.  For all of you who were wondering, no naked men today but there were plenty of topless women.  It was refreshing to be able to just change clothes on the beach and not feel too self conscious.  Of course, sangria on the beach (2 Euro) completed the perfect scene.  It was another day that truly felt like vacation.  

Also observed a whole throng of teenagers hanging out, swimming in the water, playing volleyball and just talking.  Nobody getting drunk or crazy.  It was interesting to us how alcohol and nudity are so differently tolerated in Europe when compared to home.  Is there any greater way to make something desired than by making it forbidden?  We're enjoying this relaxed atmosphere.

A beautiful old church in the background with two bell towers.  We heard both sets of bells many times over the many hours.  You can also see some of the catamarans and sailboards, apparently for rent.  There was plenty of wind, and we enjoyed watching them go in and out.

Our kids would take sandcastle building over food any day.

Again, we had to drag them away, literally.  At just after 8 pm.  It's a sign that they are enjoying.  We arrived home, checked email and learned that some of our family friends, the Fenichels, spent a week in  Sitges for a conference.  What a small world.  

Tomorrow we plan to visit one of the tallest hills in town, Tibidabo.  It can be reached by funicular and is rumored to have a really cool amusement park with other fun activities.  Sounds like it might suit us just fine.

-N