Sitges - Day Eight and Sagrada Familia

 

We went to Sagrada Familia today. I have been in Sitges and Barcelona every year for the past six and have never made it to Sagrada Familia. It was beautiful, one of the most beautiful basillicas or catherdrals I have seen. And, this one was unique because of Gaudi's architecture. This is a builing you must see if you are in Barcelona. Sit down near the middle and gawk, it's O.K. Think of the fact that this was begun in 1882 and Gaudi took over in 1883. One hundred and thirty three years and to me the design seems modern. If you have any issues with heights, do not visit the towers. I do and I did. Big mistake. I did miss seeing the whole basilia from a distance to fully appreciate it from outside. This calls for another trip to find a good location to view it. No doubt I will be going to visit again to gaze and gawk in the interior.

 

Check out the selfie photos at the end of this blog post. I was most amused at the number and variety of selfies. It seemed to me that some people were more interested in themselves than were they were. I noticed the same selfies being done at Montserrat. It is an extension of people wanting their photos taken in front of signs and landmarks everywhere. It is a statement; "I was here." But to me it denigrates the experience, making it more about the person than the place, and that obviously bothers me. The one of Mary was posed. Thanks for being a good sport Mary.

 

After Sagrada Familia we all have coffees and a bite before splitting up. The girls to continue seeing sights. Jason to meet a friend. Katie and I to go back to Sitges. Katie and I went for a light lunch and split a bottle of rosado and chatted for over two hours, then we shopped for Sunday dinner and bought a phone for the chicas to take with them next week.

 

Our day ended at the calcots and chicken restaurant where they had no calcots but plenty of chicken and an ice cream shop where we got some delicious cones. Now we are in the piso chillin'.

 

 

Our Tour Guide

Oh Darn, More Rosado

 

A Day Trip to Montserrat

Wow. We are bushed. This seemed like a simple trip but it took all day. Out of the piso at about 7:30 for the train from Sitges to Estacio Sants. Then the Metro L3 line to Espanya. Then the R5 line to Montserrat, then then the Cremallera Funicular up the mountain. All together well over 2 hours of travel with some waiting on top of that. It was around 11:30 when we got to the basillica and we could not get in until at least noon and 12:15 for a quick view of the Black Virgin. We went to get something to eat. Then back to the line for the Black Virgin and then into the basilica. They were interesting to see and they have spent quite a bit on them for gold and solver ornamentation but I was not impressed.

We took the St, Joan funicular up to the top of the mountain and that was well worth our time. Beautiful views available all around. Being surrounded by nature ws more rewarding than being surrounded by religious artifacts - and people taking selfies with their selfie sticks. Yes, they seemed to be everywhere. I think people are more interested in photos of themselves than they are in memorable photos of where they have been. "I was here.....I'm not sure what that is in the background.

We started back at about 3:45 making it back to Sitges about 6:45, Three trains, lots of walking a some waiting. Glad to be back and at least Katies and I are bushed, Vacation can be hard! The kids went out for take away burgers for us and we all settled in with food, showers, wine, and Spanish TV. I will be in bed early as we have a day at Sagrada Familia tomorrow.

I cannot recommend a trip to Montserrat from Sitges. Perhaps it would be worth it if going from Barcelona, but the extra hour plus of travel may not be worth it. Yes, a pretty mountrain, but I have seen prettier, more glorious looking churches in many cities. Save up for Reims or Paris, or stay in Barcelona.

 

Happy Sant Jordi Day!

Dia de Sant Jordi is one of many festival days in Sitges - and this one is celebrated throughout Catalunya. Katie and I visited the booths and I bought roses for the chicas and Katie bought a book for me. It was a beautiful day and made for a very nice walk. Lots of people were out and about as this is a holiday for many people. Another highlight of our day was lunch at Grey's. I rank this my third favorite meal since arriving. Osmosis makes #1 and Salsetta #2.

Aliza and Mary made plans today to travel next week and they made plans for us to go to Montserrat tomorrow and Sagrada Famila on Saturday. They head for Sevilla and Granada - sounds like fun! I got a call this evening from Osmosis. It seems I left my camera flash there. I checked and yes I did, darn we have to go back there. Aliza made reservations for Katie and Jason and me for next Tuesday.

Walking back to the piso from the grocery and the liquor stores this afternoon carrying olives,
anchovies, two bottles of red wine and a bottle of bourbon I found myself with a silly grin on my face because this is such a wonderful place and time to be.

 

Sitges - Day Five And Osmosis

A Barcelona kinda day. Tuesday night I made reservations for Osmosis and then attempted to get us into Sagrada Familia in the morning. No such luck. The earliest time I could make reservations online for Sagrada Familia was 12:15 and that would not work with our 2:00 Osmosis reservation. I ended up making a reservation for the Picasso Museum special Picasso/Dali exhibit.

We had coffee and pan dulce and then were out of the piso for the train at 7:30 which we took to the end at Estacio Franca then walked through the Barrio Gotico to the museum. The QR code I had saved on my iPhone got us in and we were in the exhibit by 9:15. Many of the Picasso's were on loan from the Picasso museum in St. Petersburg Florida - which surprised me. As these two artists developed their styles they sometimes paint the same subjects in very similar styles. The exhibit played on this and showed each as they developed their art. We then worked our way through the Barrio Gotico with a stop for coffee, then on to El Born and on to Parc de la Ciutadella, down to Placa de Catalunya with a stop for vino along the way, and then ending up at Osmosis for our 2:30 reservation for a fantastic meal.

Katie and I walked to Estacio Gracia and were onboard the train to Sitges by 6:00, picked up some bread and were in the piso by 7:00. We had walked over 6 miles today and we were tired. We stepped out a bit later to get some coffee beans for the morning but otherwise we were walked out! Jason, Aliza, and Mary were back by 9:00 and we all had a very quiet evening.

Jorge's Building

 

Sitges - Day Four

We altered routine this morning. Jason was our barrista and instead of breakfast at Cafe Roy, I made omelets with manchego cheese and mushrooms. The kids headed to the beach and Katie and I went to the store for a few items including cream to use to make bread pudding. Turned out that finding cream was not an easy task. We were in three stores before finding nata de leche. I was looking for crema de leche and Katie was pretty sure it was nata. It was. We also checked at the local household supply store and found a digital scale. We have bread, nata, sugar, eggs, and bananas and a scale. We can make bread pudding and more.

This does not seem very exciting does it? It is relaxing and warm and the sun feels good. As Katie and I were standing in the sun looking out over the Mediterranean she commented that it was 42° and cloudy and windy at home while it was almost 70° and sunny here in Sitges. Neither one of us does well with cold anymore and this feels darned good. The younger ones in our group are at the beach soaking up rays.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Yamluna today. This was one of our favorite spots last year and will be this year also. €13.50€ for delicious three course menu del dia. Wine is extra here.

it is 6:50 pm and I've got bread pudding in the oven following Sharon's recipe. We are using a mix of leftover bread from the past few days. With Sharon's recipe it can't fail right? I sent Aliza, Mary, and Jason out for dinner fixings - salad ingredients, bread, cheese, and crossaints for tomorrow morning. We are leaving early tomorrow to get to Sagrada Familia and then to Osmosis though right now we do not have reservations for either. Perhaps I should work on that?

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.