Sitges ("See->Chess")

Today, I moved into my apartment, and I'm pumped to be out of the dorms and in Gracia! Ready to stop speaking English too.  I finally feel like I'm living in Barcelona.

Thanks to my neighbor, who's letting us bum his WIFI, I can continue to update the blog...beginning with an epic journey to Sitges - a popular beach destination about 45 mins south of Barcelona by train.

There were two groups of us heading to Sitges that day, and I was happy to be with the first group - our toes were in the sand before 1 pm.  The beach (and bordering neighborhood) in Sitges reminded me a lot of Venice.  Narrow streets led us to the packed midday beaches which were divided every 500 meters by concrete and rock jetties. 

We found a plot and parked our stuff, took in a little sun, and then went for a swim in the salty Mediterranean.  The water was really nice but we were hungry.  The search for lunch began.

After a quick stroll away from the touristy beach-side we found ourselves at a decent looking spot with a seafood menu del día to soothe our hunger.  We sat, drank and ate, all the meanwhile chatting up our waiter who asked the seemingly obligatory question, "So..you all Americans?"  Yes.

He must have liked us because moments after clearing our table he returned with a plate of six ice-chilled shot glasses and three frozen-looking mystery bottles.  Madness ensued.

After tasting the bottle he called, "sin nombre" - "without a name," some potent homemade stuff from Galicia - I went went with the sweeter melecoton (melon).  By 4 we had left the restaurant and were back at the beach.

We then rented a paddle boat outfitted with a slide for more shenanigans in the ocean.  So fun.  After a couple of hours in the water and on the beach, we decided to head back.  As if that were all Sitges had to throw at us...

On the walk back to the train station we crossed paths with a parade of giant fake animals and bagpipers.  After watching the giant squirrel dance around a crowd of dead-pan serious Spanish folk, there was no turning back a laugh attack: one of the funniest things I've seen since landing.

All in all, it was a great day.  Just great enough to yield a much-needed nap on the train ride home.

The summery beach vibe is all over Sitges.  I had some fun with photoshop on this one.

 

 

Our waiter stands proudly with the post-lunch drinks.  Left to right: sin nombre, melocoton, and crema catalan.

The most ridiculous parade I've seen in Spain. The combo of a giant dancing squirrel and bagpipe music was priceless.