Our Last Day In Sitges

Dinner at La Salseta

 

 

Our Week In Bottles

We try to have a rosado every day at noon. Generally we have tintos in the evenings. Cavas can fit in any time! These photos chronicle our daytime selections. Oh, we do sometimes do more than eat and drink - check out the rest of the blog to see what.

 

 

Sitges - Day Three

We are establishing a routine. Get up have coffee. Go to Cafe Roy. Walk, shop, talk, veg, have lunch, walk, shop, veg, read, drink, talk, sleep. This morning I introduced Jason to the AeroPress and he took to it immediately. Jason Soler is now our morning barrista. I walked down to the beach and watched the world go by and photogrphed what appealed to me. One of the best experiences of the morning was the violinist at the end of the pier. I enjoyed listening to him practice and enjoyed grabbing a few images. I was beautiful out there this morning. I wandered through town on the way back to the piso and as I was coming in the door two smiling ladies were going out. Aliza and Mary were going to the Barcelona Airport to pick up their bags. They were very happy knowing where they were and were taking no chances on delivery.

Katie and Jason and I went to the store for a few items and of course more wine. We picked up a couple of Dueros and a bottle of Cava. Then Jason headed for the beach. At about 2:30 Aliza and Mary showed up dragging their bags very happily. We then went down to San Sebastian for a lovely lunch. We all did a little afternoon shopping and met at the piso. It is now 8:49 and we are reading and sipping wine - except for Jason and Mary who have both given up for the day and me typing away on this blog. In a bit we will have olives and jamon and bread and perhaps a little salad followed by a bite of turron.

No plans for tomorrow, but Wednesday will be a trip to Sagrada Familia and lunch at Osmosis. Thursday is Saint Jordi day and we will celebrate that in Sitges. Until tomorrow! Buenos noches.

 

 

Sitges - Day Two

We all were up around 8 this morning. I used my AeroPress to make coffee for Aliza and me so we were off to a good start. We all went to Cafe Roy this morning for breakfast - cafe con leche and croissants and a bikini for me. A good start to a quiet Sunday morning. Since then Sitges has come alive. Many people are out walking and shopping and eating and drinking. I went for a walk up to the train station and then through the San Sebastian area to San Sebastian beach where I spent time simply sitting in the sun on a bench and watching people walk by. I then walked to the church and found that the museums that were being worked on the past two years are now open again. A sad note, our favorite jewelry store is part of a block under major reconstruction. The storefront is still there but nothing behind the facade. I'll post a picture another time.

 

Jason and Mary made it here, arriving around 12:30. We are still waiting on Aliza's bag, and it turns out Mary's bag. Hers went to Puerto Rico.

 

We had lunch at La Salseta which was, as usual, wonderful. We started with a rosado cava and calcots and croquettas. Aliza had squid, Jason duck, Katie beef , and bacaloa for me, some vino tinto, desserts, and coffee. All delicious. The bacloa was probably the best I have had in Spain. It is now 7:15 and Katie, Aliza, and I just got back froma walk. We got a loaf of bread and some cheese for dinner tonight and some excercise. We are now in for the night. Jason is crashed on the lounger in the living area, and Mary is out in one of the bunk beds.

 

 

 

A Chilly, Cloudy Day In Sitges is Still A Day In Sitges

We woke to rain and found ourselve more sluggardly than even our normal. There is little incentive to venture out to chilly and wet, but we did eventually. The high point of the day was taking the Mon-Bus to the Aeroport Barcelona to meet Sharon. She had a difficult time getting here starting with a three hour delay getting out of Chicago. That meant she missed the 10:00AM flight from Paris to Barcelon and was finally on the 3:25 which got her to Barcelona around 5:30. We made it back to the piso around 6:45 and then went to Yamluna for cava and dinner. It is good to have her join us.

 

 

 

Wow, Sunny Skies in Sitges

We have had two wonderful days in Sitges. Wednesday was a lazy day to make up for our travel day on Tuesday. We slowly got up, made coffee, showered, and finally went down to Cafe Roy for breakfast and discussions on our plans for the day. Mine were simple, a trip to the hardware store for a euopean to us electrical socket and a trip to the tabacco store for some Cuban cigars. Then we all headed to the beach! After we had had our fill at the beach it was up to the playa for a restuarant and lunch. Paella and a couple bottles of Torres DeCasta Rosado made us happy. (I wish we could get this at Binny's.) By now it was about 4:00 and we all needed naps, can you believe it? Back to the piso, some to the roof and nap time.

After that hard earned rest we went to the local butcher shop and picked out a jamon Pernil Iberico and some cheese, got bread and salad fixings and were set for dinner later. Now it was back up to the roof for cocktails and cava and technology and talk. We were on the roof 'till 9:00 then down to the Soler piso for dinner of jamon Iberica, bread, salad, cheese, vinto tinto, olives, anchovies. In other words a feast to build our strength for Thursday and our trip to Raventos.

Up and out of the piso at 7:00 and the the train station. We are on our way to Raventos - two trains and we are at the Sant Sadurni D'Anoia train station a little after 9:00. Arnau Roca picked us up at the station and served as our guide and host for our visit. He is friendly, articulate, and entertaining. We started in the beautiful office area with coffee and an introduction to and history of Raventos. Then Arnau took us on a ride through the vinyards, stopping to show us the vines and the soil and explaining the different terroirs. We then came back to the main building and walked through the production area and Antonio demonstrated a manual disgorgement. Very cool! Then inside for a tasting of thee different cavas and a still wine. We met Manuel Raventos i Negra and his mother. This family and the people who work for Raventos are passionate about what they do and it shows. They made our visit the their winery a highlight of our trip and something we will treasure. We learned a lot and came away with a genuine appreciate for their wines.

Montserrat is always the backdrop for the Raventos vineyards