http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Spain , Catalonia , Sitges en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:20:02 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:20:02 UTC Habla un poco de espanol. Habla usted inglesAfter the euphoria of the Rando Silex cycle race and my birthday the next day 49 the bubble well and truly burst. I call it the ldquo East Enders momentrdquo. You know the bit at the end when someone says ldquo My life couldnrsquot get much better than this.rdquo The drums play the theme tune and you know in the next episode that eve http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-344834.html 2nd November SundaySpainVilanova Park Vilanova I La Geltru Barcelona .Double click on photos to enlarge . Not doing the map at the moment as the software keeps crashing.Our last days in Tarascon were cold and wet. The threat of snow made up our minds to move on. In the last couple of days there we met a British couple who had arrived late one night. They introduced themselves and explaine http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-340985.html So today is going to get a short entry because it was mostly a travel day. We did however do some important stuff today 1 being finally having a real swim in the Mediterranean We started the day with a trek to the local ldquoChinese Storerdquo apparently a genre around here as thatrsquos what people called it everywhere that had everything in the universe at decent prices including http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-293594.html A few weeks ago ya I know I am doing this entry a little late I went on a daytrip with my program to Penedes Sitges and Sant Piere. About 20 of us hopped on a greyhound at 8 am and headed to our first destination Codorniu a cava and wine vineyard in Penedes. This was about a 30 minutes bus ride from Barcelona. We started with a tour of the plantation and factory and then we learned about http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-265336.html I took a daytrip to Penedes Sitges and Sant Piere. Penedes is only a forty minute drive from the Barcelona city center. Here we took a tour of the Codorniu cava vineyard where we learned how cava was made. Cava is essentially champagne but it is technically illegal in the world of wine laws to call a substance champagne unless itrsquos from a specific region in France. Hence the name spa http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-261635.html Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged I have been a busy busy traveler On February 1st my friends on my program and I took the train down to Sitges for Carnaval which is the biggest carnaval celebration in Cataluna. It is only a half an hour train ride to Sitges and do to some rule involving the politics of the city it's free We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked into our hoste http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-246497.html I have no photos to do this experience justice. Being such a crazy night I didnt bring my camera for the high chance of it getting pickpocketed. However I was able to get a few before the night begun In spain they have this week long celebration called Carnaval. The weekends and last day are the best nights to celebrate and although Barcelona enjoys the festivities no one does it like the tow http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-245195.html So last Tuesday February 5th was the last night of a huge festival in Spain called Carnival. Barcelona doesnrsquot really celebrate it so all of our teachers said that we should go to Sitges a small town 30 minutes outside Barcelona to experience it. Carnival is a huge celebration lasting from the previous Thursday to the middle of the day the next Wednesday. It is similar to Mardi Gras b http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-245137.html On a whim we decided to take a train from Barcelona to a small beach town about 25 minutes away by train or an hour if you get off on the wrong stop like we did on the way back called Sitges. It is gorgeous and the atmosphere and scenery is much more what you think of as Spain than Barcelona. It was cold no not as cold as Indiana... but cold however we managed to meet a few gentleman loca http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-242186.html Vilanova i la GeltuA very welcome break. On the beach. Barcelona Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltru. Getting cooler but beautifully sunny.Making a great new friend Stefan. Resting. Sleeping. Eating. Reading at last a book that grabs me. I know http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-217093.html well off we set to barcelona spain....on our easy jet flight....all was well...had a good flight.....then caught a train from the airport to sitges for the bears weekend.....on our way we met other bears on the train who had been to sitges before....and they told us that it was straight person friendly.......well it was more like gay wonderland.....never had jason or i been to any where in the w http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-207345.html SITGES to CARCASONNE 16th May 2007 Wednesday Sunny 23 16 and showers by the time we hit Carcassonne.This morning I ring my Nephew Mitchell who is only 300 kilometres away on a working holiday in Valencia. I think the call makes us both feel a bit home sick. He answers the phone sounding like he had been up late partying which is exactly what 23 year olds do in Spain. Go figure.He is thinkin http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-205401.html SITGES 15th May 2007 Tuesday Sunshine 24Today we are heading to Montserrat translated to mean Jagged Mountain.Into the FFF and out onto the Auto Route we head NNE but encounter very heavy traffic heading towards Barcelona. Deb conjures up an alternative route through a place called Gava and other small towns and villages.After an hour or so moving through picturesque hills we emerge on the http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-203900.html SITGES 14th May 2007 Monday Light rain clears to Sunshine with a light breeze 24The Platjadour bungs on a great brekky. Best since St Emilion and we plough in.A brisk walk to the Sitges Railway Station burns off the second plate of scrambled eggs but doesnrsquot budge the cake that I finished off at breakfast. Yes the Spanish eat cake at breakfast I like the Spanish.We jump the train to http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-202494.html LLEIDA to SITGES 13th May 2007 Sunday Hazy 23With an eye on the rear mirror we cruise the next 200 kms towards Barcelona and are amazed at the thousands yes thousands of wind turbines that dot the landscape. They are everywhere. In paddocks and fields and along every ridge as far as the eye can see. I am impressed with this VERY serious attempt to use an alternative means of energy producti http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-202479.html We have quickly acclimated to the Spanish culture of eating lunch and dinner at typically later hours than we are accustomed to in the US. Due to our late night last night we didnrsquot start the day until after 1pm today. It was a cloudless clear and sunny day so we decided to go down to the coast to spend the day at the seafront town of Sitges. Christian the hotel concierge recommend http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-192515.html Third Trip Spain Italy France Sitges was a little resort town about 30 minutes from Barcelona. My Dad booked us three nights there so my Mom would have time to relax on the beach. We went to the beach two days and it seemed like it was sunny in the morning while we slept and then shortly after we got to the beach the fogcloud would roll in. It was still warmish so we would stay but the res http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Sitges/blog-152260.html