Monday 13th November 2017
Today we made a visit to the coastal town of Sitges. Sheltered by the Garraf Mountains, it has a warm micro-climate and was only a short drive from our hub.
We managed to find Parking Zone Azul opposite the Hotel Estela, which was east of the port and free at this time of the year. In the sea below us were a few surfers making the most of the waves. (In wet suits 😉 )
Our journey into town took us through the Port de Sitges, Aiguadolç. A very attractive area with numerous restaurants and plenty of yachts, moored up. It’s impossible not to notice the sound of rigging chiming against the masts. You either love it or hate it!
We left the port and headed towards Sitges, taking a man-made coastal path with sea view running its length.
Down below us was the Platja des Balmains; a sheltered sandy beach in a small bay, which we later discovered was quite popular as a ‘clothing optional beach’.
On the day we passed by there were a few paddler boarders surfing the waves and yes, one man staring out to sea, in the altogether 🙂 whatever floats your boat I guess.
Sitges has 17 beaches (platjas in Catalan) to suit all tastes, but not all in the main part of the town.
After passing a rather imposing church, Ermita de Sant Sebastià, we reached the Sant Sebastia beach, with its promenade and cafes.
Continuing west we reached Sitges’ Old Town. The narrow cobbled streets and alleyways were hilly but gave us an opportunity to look at some fabulous architecture. The Old Town is not particularly big but its position affords views across the sea and the rest of the town.
Here in the Old Town/Old Quarter the Marciel Museum and Cau Ferrat Museum showcase Catalan and other Spanish art.
From here we made our way down to the popular sandy beach of Platja de la Ribera and wandered along the wide promenade (paseo), with numerous restaurants and hotels on our right hand side for a while.
It is possible to continue further along the seafront promenade of 2.5 km, following the Paseo Marítimo and on to Terramar Gardens where you can admire the splendid renovated mansion houses that now sell or rent for a mint!
As you can tell, we didn’t continue any further, but made our way back through some narrow streets up to the main shopping district.
We enjoyed a piña pastry and a café solo at a pavement patissiere before heading back to our car.
For those of you that don’t know Ray, he doesn’t much enjoy shopping but there are a number of big chain stores and cute boutiques concentrated in the main shopping area of Carrer Sant Francesc, the shopping street north of the Cap de la Villa.
There are four main shopping streets in Sitges: Carrer Sant Francesc, Carrer Parellades, Carrer Major and Carrer Jesus. The four streets end together in one point, where the Cap de la Villa is located.
Remember in Spain, shops usually open from 10 am until 2 pm and then from 5 pm until 8/9 pm, so as not to be disappointed.
As we approached the port, the sun was sinking below the horizon and the temperature was beginning to drop. A good time to get back to the car and head for home.