Sitges - a place of friendship

Diana, Adrian, Raff and John

Sitges for us has always been a place for us to enjoy with friends.

Our first visit was to celebrate my 30th birthday; we were accompanied on our second visit by our friends Robyn & Dave and our third visit we made friends with a lovely couple - Ian & Donna. So, it was fitting that our latest return to Sitges would be shared with our long standing friends Diana and Adrian who flew out for a long weekend to catch up with us.

We had been staying at La Fosca, about 2 hours north of Sitges and made the journey through glorious national parkland, circumnavigating Monserrat which is a stunning multi peaked mountain range north of Barcelona. This also meant John didn't have to drive our outfit along the spaghetti of motorways which makes little sense to the northern edge of Barcelona city. Soon enough we were back in one of our favourite seaside towns - Sitges.

Sitges is a place we love coming back to, it has artistic roots dating back to the 19th century and became a centre for counterculture in the 1960s in Francoist Spain. These elements continue to exist and there is a lively bohemian feel to the town, even out of season. The seafront and esplanade is extremely pleasant presided over at one end by the magnificent 17th century church of Sant Bartomeu I Santa Tecla. Previously we have stayed at Camping Sitges which is one and half miles from the town centre, however it is now closed until next year so we booked into Camping El Garofer about half a mile further out. The site was quite busy considering it was out of season with a number of 'snowbirds' making their way south - just like us!

We collected Diana and Adrian from the airport and little Jaffa stood the test with four adults a suitcase, cabin trolley and rucksack squeezed into his tiny dimensions! A very Smart car! Diana and Adrian had booked a studio apartment in the town centre which was great. Small kitchenette, nice bathroom and an enormous terrace. We'd prepared a supper which was washed down with a very quaffable bottle of Veuve Cliquot Rosé courtesy of D&A. On the Saturday we met for a coffee near D&As apartment and then drove into Barcelona, parking at the Las Arenas shopping centre near Plaça España. This is a renovated bull ring and the only charging going on now is in the myriad of shops! We walked to La Rambla and found a tapas restaurant we'd been to previously, Taller de Tapas, where we had a delicious lunch. We started a walk back to car and wandered around the market just off La Rambla - this is a feast for the senses. Beautiful displays of fruit, hams, strings of chillis, pastries - a real smörgåsbord for the eyes. A quick search on google maps showed still had a long walk back to the car so we opted for the metro instead - five stops and we were back at Las Arenas. In the evening we ventured into Sitges for a walk around and stumbled across a restaurant in a side street called Al Fresco. What a find - the service was excellent, the food delicious, a wonderful evening and end to a great day with our good friends.

Sunday we spent in Sitges exploring the old town and enjoying a local band playing traditional dance music on the esplanade with people dancing in circles hand in hand.

We lunched at another favourite restaurant Fragata which sits in the shadow of the church. Another delicious meal and we sauntered back to the motorhome to chat, play cards and squeeze in a little supper. Wonderful. All good things must come to an end and on Monday morning Jaffa once again played his part as we took D&A to the airport. The weekend went so fast but how wonderful be able to spend it with great friends.

During our remaining time in Sitges we've tested out various menu del día and I think our winner was the chicken rotisserie where our lunch was even served with a glass of cava! Raff has made friends with the many cats on the site much to Audrey's annoyance and I have been learning Spanish to help communications when we get to Benidorm.

View over Sitges esplanade from the church steps

Looking up towards St Bartolomeu I Sta Tecla church

The bell towers of St Bartolomeu I Sta Tecla church

Night time view of the 17th century church of St Bartolomeu I Sta Tecla

View of the old town from the east side of Sitges. The town beach is in the foreground.

The east side of Sitges with cafes and restaurants sitting along the sea front

Bronze stature of a mermaid seemingly happy to high five all visitors

The beautiful doorway of the Museo de Maricel, being used as a backdrop for a wedding photo shoot

Doorway of the Museo de Maricel the handbags for sale at the foot of the steps are made from cork

Street in the old town with stone and whitewashed walls

The narrow whitewashed streets of the old town

A magnificent villa in the middle of Sitges built in warm red bricks with stone ornamentations. The dark green doors and window frames contrast wonderfully.