Sitges

We’re sad.  The Europe part of the adventure is ending, but we will be back for sure.  We’re also a little tired.  Trekking from place to place every week or two takes a toll.  Which is why our last stop here in Sitges is a good way to decompress.

It’s not a household name like Madrid or Lisbon so unless you are a local Barcelonan, you may not have ever heard of this place.  Sitges is a picturesque upscale seaside resort that is basically a suburb of Barcelona, about 30 minutes away.  Day tripper locals, tourists, great weather, beaches, million-dollar homes, and lots of trinkets.  We are staying in one of those million dollar places a little way up the hill just outside of town center.  It’s a 20- minute walk to the nearest beach or 25 to town.  Not far, and there’s a bus stop right outside the gate if we want to ride instead of walk.  But really, we’re not that motivated.  We have a large private terrace with a swimming pool.

So, we’ve been sorta hanging out here.  From what we’ve seen so far, the beaches in Tarragona are bigger and less crowded but we really haven’t done any exploring.  We will need to get more groceries over the next few days, so we will wander through old town and look at souvenirs.  No relics here or even an old cathedral and if you google the top things to do in Sitges, the list will be restaurants, bars, beaches, a fish market at the docks, one museum, a small palace, the Baccardi rum joint, and a carnival with this description:

Carnaval in Sitges is a sparkly week-long booze-soaked riot, complete with masked balls and capped by extravagant gay parades held on the Sunday and Tuesday, featuring flamboyantly dressed drag queens, giant sound systems and a wild all-night party with bars staying open until dawn.

So, sitting by the pool has some appeal.  Besides, upscale usually equates to more expensive.  It also will give us some time to reflect on what we’ve done as well as think about what we will be doing next.  Essentially, we are coming home, but not really.  What is home anymore?  Something to figure out that’s for sure, but in the short term, we have things planned out through to the end of next January which includes a 2-month stint in Guatemala.  I hear there are some great deals, especially around Volcán de Fuego.