June 10-21 – Sitges
Sitges is a cool beach town 30 minutes south of Barcelona. Originally a fishing village, it was the birthplace of Rusiñol, a renowned Catalan painter, who brought his friends to the area (including Picasso). The town became a gathering place for artists and art history lovers, including Charles Deering, the wealthy industrialist who invented the commercial scale and built Vizcaya, a Moorish-Spanish estate in Coconut Grove, Florida.
We stayed at a condo on the cliffs at the northern edge of the town. From there, we could walk along the port and along the paseo marítimo past the original village center and beyond. Our son, Chris, arrived the same day, and as we strolled into town, we were absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people flooding the streets. As it turned out, we had arrived on the day of the Festival de Corpus Christi, a high holy event when artists create floral installations on the town streets. Thousands of people come every year to view the art and celebrate this ancient tradition.
We spent subsequent days hiking, dining, and taking day trips to the SoHo House clubs in Garraf and Barcelona.
Our condo complex.
Our balcony view toward Sitges port.
Chris and me.
Flower installations for Corpus Christi.
View from our hike to the top of the Garraf Massif looking back towards the Mediterranean.
Excellent street musician wearing Guy Fawkes mask.
Looking across the beach and harbor to the Old City and the Garraf Massif.
The old market: closed now but used for parking by an opportunistic delivery van driver.
We found some great vegetarian restaurants, including Dosa Nova, run by an amiable French couple. They also have a Barcelona location. First up, a welcome glass of ginger cider.
Dragon Bowl: Steamed rice, guacamole, mango ceviche, roasted yams and broccoli, and sautéed kale along with some other goodies.
EarthKale Salad: Kale, lettuce, radishes, pomegranate, young celery, sautéed asparagus, onions and garlic with lime and sesame oil dressing.
Raththaran Dosa: Fermented rice and lentil crêpe, roasted cauliflower and chickpea curry with leeks, portobello mushrooms and spinach in coconut milk, and King Dhal.
Dan arrived from London for a whirlwind 36 hours. Complicated business schedules prevented Yaz from joining us, unfortunately. This weekend was Sitges’ annual Pride Weekend celebration. Again, the town was jam-packed but this time with a different sort of reveler . There was music, and partying, and fun all around. Somehow, I had managed to bookend our visit with one of the most historic religious holidays in Spain and one of the most contemporary celebrations. This embodies 21st century Spain.
Dan, me, and David on our way into town.
Our Friday evening began with a couple of waterfront bars for drinks and tapas. Eventually we landed at an Indian restaurant, which sadly, was not quite up to par. The views and Dan were the stars of the evening.
The view from our first stop: Vívero.
This Indian spread looked great but lacked punch.
The following day, after an oceanside walk and ocean swim for Dave and Dan, we headed into Barcelona to wander its Gothic Quarter and eat at Cecconi’s, the SoHo House restaurant. Lunch there was sublime. Dan and I both had Quinoa Salads and Dave had a silky Mushroom Risotto. A refreshing Verdejo accompanied the dishes perfectly. It all ended much too soon, and Dan returned to London, while we headed back to Sitges.
Pop-up vendors selling Pride paraphernalia.
I think this is the nude beach, but you’ll have to zoom in to verify.
June 21-22 – Madrid
We spent a final, memorable night in Madrid. Having arrived after 8pm, we headed straight to the hotel’s semi-subterranean restaurant where we found every table reserved for a contemporary Flamenco music event featuring Andalusian favorites. We must have looked desperate because the maître d’ spoke with the event manager, and they agreed that we could take a seat at the bar. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of mushroom croquetas and grilled artichokes while listening to Flamenco guitarists and singers. Spanish hospitality at its best!
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