From Barcelona to St. Cyprien, with a Pit Stop in Girona

On Saturday, we left Barcelona to go to St. Cyprien, France. We thought we would stop in Girona on the way, as I have heard it is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. I am very glad we decided to stop.

The train ride from Barcelona to Girona was packed, standing room only. We boarded at Clot, meaning we did not get seats. Next time we travel to Girona on a Saturday, we will make sure to leave from Sants and get there early!

With a little persistence, however, I managed to get a seat! I spotted a man on the train with his luggage in the seat next to him. Not wanting to stand for the 90 minute ride, I asked him if the seat was occupied. He said it was, with his luggage. I pointed out that he could put his luggage in the aisle where I was standing and I could sit down. He agreed, and I sat down, with Raymi on my lap. Two seats for people, and one less for luggage!

The train ride went well. It was short, and the scenery was quite nice along the way. My ten year old twins were thoroughly entertained with their iPod touches, and I read stories on my Kindle to my seven year old. Thank goodness for electronic devices!

Once we arrived in Girona, we ventured out towards the historic center in search of a “menu” – an inexpensive prix-fixe lunch menu. The train station is about five blocks from the historic center. We made it to the famous Pont Pedra, and turned right towards the Plaza Catalunya. Close to there, we found a restaurant with a decent menu at a reasonable price – 13 euros. As a bonus, they had pizza!

The restaurant was Catalonian, the bartender Chinese, and the server Cuban – quite the multi-ethnic place. Nando ordered a plate of butifarra with kiwi as an appetizer, and I had a tortilla with salmon and garlic. Mine was quite a bit more interesting. We both had merluza or lluç – a white fish- for the main course. It was grilled to perfection and quite tasty. For dessert, we ordered chocolate cake and tira misu, which the girls devoured.

In Spain, a lunch menu comes with wine, so the waiter put two bottles of wine on the table. Nando and I made it through a bottle and a half of wine, meaning we were in quite a good mood after lunch. A nice long walk was just what we needed to walk off the wine. Girona is the perfect town to walk around in.

Girona was built hundreds of years ago, with narrow streets. One thing I have learned by spending the summer in Catalonia is that narrow streets are much cooler than wide ones. Tall buildings on narrow streets provide ample shade and a cool breeze. This made walking up the many stairs around the historic center much more pleasant.

I walked with my daughters through the old town and up to the Cathedral. The Cathedral is an impressive structure, with a few flights of white stone stairs leading up to it. Short on time, we didn’t go inside. A couple of hours in Girona was just enough time to walk around the narrow streets, up and down the old staircases, and through the narrow arches. As a treat, I took the girls to a “2 euro” store, which is kind of like a dollar store, but where everything costs 2 euros – about 3 dollars.

At the 2 euro store, Soraya got a straw hat, Tatiana a keychain flashlight, and Raymi a small toy keychain. I even got a new wallet, as I lost mine in Sitges a few weeks ago.

Soon, it was time to go back to the train station. Four hours in Girona was pretty short, especially because of our long lunch. But, it was definitely a great way to break up the trip from Barcelona to France.

The train took us to Cerbere, and from there we took another train to Elne. In Elne, my sister in law picked us up to take us to St. Cyprien, where she lives. The ride along the northernmost coast of Spain was very scenic. We made it to St. Cyprien, a lovely seaside town, by 7pm, where my sister-in-law had prepared a delicious seafood stew for us.

The quest for the perfect Catalan meal

You’d think it would be easy to find a good meal in Spain. For some reason, I have not had the best of luck with eating out during my time in Spain. The places I’ve been, the pintxos have been soggy, the patatas bravas greasy and the fideua salty. On Friday, however, I finally lucked out! I had a fantastic lunch at Hotel Amrey Sant Pau across from the beautiful Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau.

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

Here’s how it went down. After a lovely visit to La Sagrada Familia temple, I decided to walk over to the Hospital to check it out, and look for a restaurant along the way. As I walked along Avinguda Gaudi, I passed by each of the restaurants there, thinking they were most likely tourist traps. For me, this was evidenced by two things: 1) the abundance of people sitting at tables looking at maps of Barcelona as they waited for their meals and 2) the colorful signs indicating they indeed had paella – one of the most well-known Spanish meals.

I walked along Avinguda Gaudi, admiring the lampposts and architecture until I reached the turnoff point. Still no restaurant. I then walked alongside the Hospital where I could see the colorful roof of the hospital. There, I only found places that looked a bit too greasy spoon to be good. The thing is, once I start investing in looking for a good place, I become obsessed with it being perfect. That makes the search even harder. Finally, I reached the end of the block of Carrer de Sant Antoni where the hospital ends, and turned left on Carrer de Sant Quinti. There, I saw the Hotel Amrey, which had a nice menu printed on see-through, waxy paper outside.

The menu looked promising, with carpaccio de bacalao and escalivada catalana with melted goat cheese for appetizers, and grilled salmon and fideau negra for the main courses. It was a hotel, however, so I paused, as hotels often do not have good restaurants. I peeked inside and it was tastefully decorated, with wallpaper made to look as if there were bookshelves along the wall. However, I overheard American college students inside, and decided it might just be a tourist trap as well. I kept walking, but then told myself that those students might just have been lucky enough to find a good place. Plus, I was tired and hungry, so I relented. I am glad I did.

Escalivada Catalana

The menu – the fixed price lunch – included an appetizer, a main course, a dessert, bread, and a beverage, all for 11 euros. I chose the escalivada catalana with melted goat cheese for an appetizer. Escalivada is fire-roasted red peppers and eggplants drenched in olive oil. It was delicious.

For the main course, I decided on the fideau negra – thin noodles cooked with a mixture of spices, drenched in squid ink, and served with shrimp and calamari. This plate is typically served with aioli – garlic mayonnaise – on the side. Scrumptious. I accompanied my meal with two glasses of the tasty house red wine.

Fideau Negra

For dessert, I almost went for the chocolate mousse, as I am a chocolate lover. But, I decided I should continue the theme of having a typical Catalan lunch, and went for the pastel de crema catlana. This is a pie with a cake-like crust, filled with Catalan vanilla custard, and topped with dark chocolate flakes and cinnamon. Divine. I had to finish the meal with a café cortadito – an espresso with a dash of foam.

cafe cortadito and pastel de crema catalana

After the meal, I relaxed on one of the comfortable armchairs at the front of the restaurant where I finished my coffee and made plans for the rest of my afternoon.

Tatiana, Soraya, and Raymi's photo journals: June 15, 2011, Barcelona

I thought a neat way of getting my daughters to record some of their experiences in Barcelona would be through photo journals. Thus, this first installment when I was able to squeeze a couple of sentences out of them about our trip to Barcelona.

Tatiana’s photo journal: June 15, 2011

This is a picture of me, Soraya and Raymi when we were at the pigeon place looking at big bubbles and popping them. I was happy because I was having fun.

Soraya’s photo journal: June 15, 2011

Barcelona has a pigeon place where I caught pigeons with my bare hands and seeds. I had fun. The seagulls killed and ate the pigeons. We tried to stop them because we did not want them to kill the pigeons.

Raymi’s photo journal: June 15, 2011

This is my cousin Alice. I like Alice because she is nice. Alice came to visit us in Barcelona with her mother, Linda, and her sister, Michelle. She went back before my other cousin Michelle went back because she had to go to school. I think she looks like Hannah Montana.

Making Lemonade out of Lemons: An unexpected trip to Vallvidrera, Spain

On Sunday, we ended up in a small town in the hills just outside Barcelona called Vallvidrera. We were on our way to Tibidabo, but got on the wrong train and decided to make the best of it. I am glad we did. Here’s what happened.

On Sunday morning, I left our apartment in Sitges with two of my three daughters – Tatiana, aged 10, and Raymi, aged 7. My other daughter, Soraya, stayed with my husband, Nando, in Barcelona at his brother’s house. The plan was that we would meet up on Sunday afternoon and spend the day together in Barcelona. Just as we were leaving Sitges, however, my husband called to let me know we should come to his brother’s house instead.

The idea of hanging out at in my brother-in-law’s living room on a beautiful Sunday did not sound appealing, so we decided I would spend the day in Barcelona with Tatiana and Raymi and meet up with Nando and Soraya at Barceloneta Beach in the afternoon. That meant Raymi, Tatiana and I had to decide where we would spend our day. On the 30-minute RENFE train ride from Sitges to Barcelona, I studied my guidebook and decided we would go somewhere in Gracia, starting with Tibidabo. I didn’t actually want to go to the amusement park itself, but thought it would be fun to ride the tram and the funicular with the girls.

So, we got off the RENFE train at Passeig de Gracia and tried to get on the FGC train to Tibidabo. That was not as easy as it looks on the map. You see, Barcelona has three separate rail lines: The Metro, the RENFE, and the FGC. The RENFE goes long distances, mostly south and north and the FGC is a regional train that mostly goes east, away from the sea and up into the mountains. And, the Metro is the underground that goes around Barcelona. We finally figured out that we had to go to a different train station to get the FGC.

Funicular that goes up to Vallvidrera

Thus, we took the Metro to the FGC Station. Right when we got to the FGC station, the train was there, waiting for us. We hopped on the train that said “Line 7” on the front and were pleased we didn’t have to wait long for a train. A few stops later, I noticed that we were not on Line 7, but on Line 6, and had made it all the way to Las Tres Torres. Oops! We jumped off the train and I thought of going back to get the train to Tibidabo. But, by that time we had been on different trains for well over an hour and wanted to get to our destination.

I looked at the FGC map and saw a station called “Peu de Funicular.” I thought to myself that that station might have a funicular as well and might even lead somewhere nice. On a whim, I decided we would go there. Luckily, the “Peu de Funicular” stop did have a funicular and, as I expected, my daughters thought the funicular was very cool! They even compared it to a roller coaster. We took the Funicular up to Vallvidrera Superior, and found a nice little town set in gorgeous mountain scenery.

The town of Vallvidrera is very hilly, and has lots of stairs. It also has amazing views of Barcelona below as well as the mountains above and below. We walked around a bit, but not much, as the girls were not too keen on the stairs. We found a nice homestyle restaurant and went inside for lunch.

Tatiana and Raymi in Vallvidrera

The lunch was decent. I ordered three plates: roasted chicken with fries, pasta, and a salad. The pasta was a big hit with the girls, and we ate most of the other two plates. I was particularly pleased to see that when I asked for a glass of house wine, I got a carafe and it was only 85 cents! After lunch, we looked around a bit more and made our way back to the funicular, and then back onto the FGC train. Later, I looked online and saw there is a small hostel in Vallvidrera. I will keep that in mind as a possible place to stay in Barcelona, as it looks clean and inexpensive, and I really did like the town.

On the way back, we had a lot more luck with transportation. The FGC train took us all the way to Plaza Catalunya. From there, we took the 59 bus straight to Barceloneta. I was impressed with my navigation skills on the way back from Vallvidrera. There was lots of room for improvement, anyway. At any rate, despite the long train rides, my daughters seemed to enjoy our outing today. They were even happier to get to the beach at Barceloneta!

Barceloneta was also nicer than I expected, full of vibrant Sunday afternoon activity and the beckoning Mediterranean Sea. It turned out to be a perfect day: a lovely lunch in a mountain village followed by a dip in the cool sea. The fact that it doesn’t get dark until 9pm in Barcelona in June certainly helped us to make the most of a long day.

Raymi in Barceloneta

Barceloneta

Parc de la Ciutadella with the family: Boat rides, parrots, a fountain and a fabulous picnic

When I showed my 10-year old daughter, Soraya, the picture of the fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella, she exclaimed: “I want to go there!” Thus we set out on Thursday afternoon for the Park to see the amazing fountain.

Parc de la Ciutadella Fountain

We took the RENFE train straight from Sitges to Estaçao de França, which is less than a block away from the entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella. On the train ride, of course, the girls wanted to hear a story. I have been reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as it was free to download onto my Kindle. So, I told them the story of how and why Eliza, George, and Harry escaped from slavery and made their way to Ohio on the Underground Railroad. Remarkably, they found the story fascinating and had all sorts of questions to ask.

I finished the story just as our 45-minute train ride was coming to an end. We got off the train and walked into the park. When we walked through the grand entrance, the girls immediately noticed that the leafy trees were full of small green parrots. We walked along a tree-lined path and looked to see what other birds we could find before we got to our picnic spot.

We had come prepared, and had a delicious picnic. We brought baguettes, longaniza, arugula, and goat cheese for sandwiches. We also had my favorite kind of potato chips – olive oil chips, and flan and chocolate cake for dessert. Nando and I drank red wine and we had water and juice for the girls. Now, that’s what I call a picnic!

After stuffing our faces, the girls ran around the small playground while Nando and I relaxed and finished off the wine.

We then walked around a bit more and the girls saw a lake with paddle boats. They begged to get on the boats, and promised to be good for the rest of the day if we would pay the 10 euros for 30 minutes on a boat. We relented and Nando and the girls got on a paddle boat while I wandered off to explore the rest of the park on my own.

Tatiana, Raymi, Nando and Soraya on the rowboat

Walking around, I found the Catalonian Parliament and the famous fountain Gaudi designed. The entrance to the Parliament was blocked off, and there were protestors gathering together to express their disapproval of the current government. Once the 30 minute boat ride was over, I took the girls to see the fountain. Tatiana, Raymi, and I walked up the stairs to the top of the fountain, while Nando and Soraya stayed at the bottom and relaxed at the park café.

Parliament Building, Parc de la Ciutadella

We left the park through the Arc de Triomphe exit. From the Arc de Triomphe, it is about a 15-minute walk over to Plaza Catalunya. Of course, the girls wanted to go back there to feed the pigeons, as that is their favorite thing to do in Barcelona. So, we made our way past buildings, cafes, and shops to Plaza Catalunya, where we stayed until dusk.

Staying until dusk meant that we got back to Sitges too late to take the bus up the hill to our house. So, we had to walk up the hill home. To make the walk a bit more bearable, I bought the girls a snack and a bottle of water at a store on the way. And, I told them a bit more of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This time, I told them the story of how Tom got sold into slavery at St. Clare’s plantation and how his and his wife’s opinion of how slaves should be treated differed. I made the story stretch out just long enough for us to get home without too many protestations from the kids.

Once home, we were thoroughly tired and went straight to sleep.

Las Ramblas and Plaza Catalunya with Three Kids: The endless joy of feeding pigeons

On Monday, our family got on the train and went to check out the famous Plaza Catalunya and Las Ramblas.

As usual, my ten-year-old twins insisted they did not want to leave our apartment in Sitges and go into Barcelona. I reminded them that they often tell me they don’t want to do things, but end up having fun anyway. Finally, we were able to drag them out of the house and down the hill to the train station.

Our new tradition has become that, if the girls have to walk somewhere, they don’t mind so long as I tell them a story. In order to be able to tell the girls stories, I have to make sure I am reading books. I recently read Jodi Picoult’s Handle with Care, as it was lying around our rented apartment. So, I recounted to the girls the story of how a severely disabled girl’s mother had to make a decision as to whether or not she should sue her best friend, an obstetrician, for wrongful birth. Not exactly a children’s story, but they seemed to like it anyway.

I continued the story as we rode the train into Barcelona. We got off at Sants and transferred trains to take the train directly to Plaza Catalunya. When we finally got to the plaza, the girls were more than pleased to see that the Plaza is full of pigeons. Now, I know pigeons are dirty little creatures, but my kids absolutely love feeding them, and especially, feeding them from their hands if they can. So, I let them do it, but insist they wash their hands thoroughly afterwards.



Plaza Catalunya

After an hour or so of feeding pigeons, we made our way down Las Ramblas. The kids did not want to leave the pigeons, but I promised them there would be human statues on Las Ramblas, so they consented. On Las Ramblas, there were several human statues, as well as little stands that sell pets. That should have been more than enough entertainment for the kids, but they really wanted to go back and see the pigeons. After eating gofres (waffles), ice cream and granizado (frozen lemonade), we decided that my husband, Nando, would take the kids back to the pigeons, while I explored a bit of Las Ramblas myself.



Quatre Gats: Placa Reial



They made their way back, and I went down Las Ramblas, stopping off at Placa Reial to have a look at one of Gaudi’s creations: the Quatre Gats, and then making my way down to the old port. As I walked around by myself, I was taken back to my early twenties, when I used to travel around alone and explore European cities. I strolled along the streets of Barri Gotic, and it was just like old times, except for that I took note of where all the playgrounds were, with the intention of bringing the kids back to them later.



When I got back to the Plaza Catalunya, the girls continued to be fully entertained by the pigeons. Nando had found some musician friends, and they were playing songs together on one of the benches. I stood by Nando to listen to the music, while keeping an eye on the girls. Listening to Nando and his newfound friends play “Moliendo Café” took me back to all the times we have hung out in Latin America and gotten together to play music. I don’t play any instruments myself, but love those moments of spontaneous music and dance.



Old Port



While we were singing and dancing, there was something else going on in Plaza Catalunya. This happens to be the place where the youth protestors have taken over. At 7pm, the protestors announced that they would get together in small groups and come up with proposals. I sat near a group that was discussing the external debt. The conversation was in Catalan, but I understood enough to learn that there was an argument going on between the majority who thought Spain should default on the debt and take care of its people, and one older person who insisted that was an unrealistic proposal.



The youth protestors have really set themselves up in the Plaza Catalunya, with a variety of stands focusing on different issues, a kitchen, and an information booth. I found most impressive the way they have laid boards on trees to sleep in. They also have strung a huge net between trees where several people can sleep.



In addition to the protestors, the musicians, and the vendors, there are also homeless people who live in the Plaza. I wondered to myself how the takeover of the Plaza by the youth has affected the homeless people who used to stake out the Plaza as their own. To me, it seemed as if the homeless people and the protestors seemed to keep apart. There didn’t seem to be much interaction between them. The sociologist in me became very curious about what happens to people when they find themselves in the streets all day every day, and what new social relations and divisions occur. I didn’t stay long enough to figure it all out, just long enough to realize that it would be interesting to explore.



Eventually, we all got hungry and I wanted to try one of the small restaurants with a terrace in Barri Gotic. We found one that looked reasonable. Nando and I ordered a fideau with seafood and got a pizza for the kids. The food was decent, but unremarkable. I did enjoy my glass of cava and Nando his glass of red wine. Now, we were fully tired and it was time to take the train back home to Sitges.



It was a long ride, made longer by the fact that we took the metro instead of the train back to Sants, missed the fast train, and got back too late to take a bus up the hill. We made it up the hill back to our house with a story. I had told the children all the stories I had read, so had to make up a story to get us back up the hill. I had no idea what I would say, but got to talking and was able to weave a tale that kept them from complaining about walking 2 kilometers up a hill at 11pm.



Once home, we all easily fell asleep until the next morning.

Raymi and the Pigeons



Rain, Long Walks, Immigrants, and Expatriates: Another Day in Sitges

Tuesday was a rainy day in Sitges. That put a damper on my plans to spend the afternoon walking along the beach. I like to take long walks along the beach, as these walks allow me to process all that is going through my mind. I find long strolls to be therapeutic. When I can put one foot in front of the other and not have to think about where I am going or what time I have to be there, my thoughts flow freely. If I am having trouble making a decision or figuring out a problem, a long walk usually does the trick.

On Tuesday, the rain came in stops and starts, which at least permitted me to take the 15-minute walk down the hill from Vallpineda, where we are staying, to the historic center of Sitges.

Just as I made it down the hill to the center of town, the rain began to come down again. Just three blocks from the beach, I had to seek refuge under an umbrella at L’Aixeta Café. When I sat down, I watched people hurry along under umbrellas. Others stood under awnings, waiting for the rain to pass. Still others braved the downpour, with or without rain jackets or ponchos.

Unable to walk without getting soaked, I decided to use another strategy to process the myriad thoughts running through my mind. I pulled out a pen and began to write down my thoughts. As the rain cleared and my thoughts flowed onto paper, I felt a sense of relief. Perhaps I would be able to walk along the beach. If not, I could write and reflect on life and write about it.

As I paused to take in the scene, I noticed how many foreigners, and how many languages, there are in Sitges. There were four Chinese men chatting and smoking in the entrance to the café. Two women walked by talking in Quechua. A variety of German, French, and British tourists strolled by. The couple at the table next to me conversed in Catalan, and two older women hurried by chatting in Spanish.

Sitges is in Catalunya, meaning that many people’s native language is Catalan. People from other parts of Spain also reside here, and speak Spain. Sitges, like the rest of Barcelona, is also home to many Latin American immigrants, who come here primarily to work in low-wage jobs. Some of these immigrants speak Spanish, and others are indigenous and have Quechua as their native tongue. Sitges is also home to a large number of expatriates – Europeans and Americans who have made their homes here.

Wait, why are Latin Americans in Sitges called immigrants, and Europeans expatriates? Technically, an immigrant is a person who intends to settle in a country other than his or her birth, whereas an expatriate is simply someone who lives in another country. However, many Latin American immigrants fully intend to return to their countries of birth, and many European expatriates marry locals and purchase retirement homes in their adopted countries. The connotations of the terms certainly are distinct. At any rate, this could be a topic worth exploring further!

Monday Afternoon in Parc Guell

On Monday, we ventured out from Sitges to Barcelona to visit Parc Guell – home to many of Gaudi’s fabulous sculptures and beautiful gardens.

On the 45-minute train ride there, my daughters wanted to hear a story again. I just finished reading The Coldest Winter Ever, by Sister Souljah, so I recounted Winter’s story to them. At the end, Tatiana asked why my stories don’t have happy endings. Good point. Perhaps I need to populate my reading list with some happier stories. There are some books in the apartment we are renting, so I will have a look at those.

Getting to Parc Guell was pretty easy. We took the train to Passeig de Gracia. I wanted to see just a bit of this famous street, renowned for its expensive shops. In the two blocks that we walked from the train station to the bus stop, we passed a Gucci shop, a Chanel shop and a Bulgari store. Clearly, the street lived up to its reputation. I also thought to myself that Winter Santiaga, the main character in The Coldest Winter Ever would have liked that street. I wanted to walk a bit more, but the girls had begun to complain, so we hopped on the #24 bus, which takes you all the way to Parc Guell.

You can also get to Parc Guell via the metro, but the bus has two advantages: 1) You can see all sorts of cool things outside the windows and 2) The bus takes you to the top of the park, and you walk down to see everything, whereas the metro takes you to the bottom of the hill and you have to walk up.

Parc Guell is a large green expanse, with amazing architectural and design highlights. I enjoyed admiring the mosaics and gardens. It was a bit crowded, however, which took away some of the charm. If I go again, I would arrive earlier in the morning, when, presumably, there are fewer people.

These are a few of my favorite things (to eat and drink) in Sitges

I have to say that I love going food shopping in Spain. The cheese, wine, olives, chocolates and cavas are my favorites thus far. Of course, you can get most of these items in the United States. In Spain, however, they are ubiquitous and a bargain!

My favorite cheese so far is the goat cheese, not the chevre like the French eat, but an aged goat cheese that is firm, flavorful, and creamy. In Spanish it’s called queso de cabra semi-curado. I got 120 grams for 2 euros and enjoyed every bit of it.

Spanish red wines are fully of flavor and body. I personally like the Grenache. It is a bit spicy, full of fruit flavors and full-bodied. My husband prefers the Rioja, which is smoother and has more tannin. One Grenache I like quite a bit is the Etim. For Rioja, the Paulus is a good bargain wine. Marqués de Cáceres is another good one if you want to spend a bit more. I will have to continue to try more wines and see if I can find my favorite!

As for olives, the best thing to do is to buy a jar of the plain green olives with pits and season them yourself. I bought a large jar of very large green olives for 2 euros. Then, I broke open a few garlic cloves and put them in a large bowl. I covered the olives with olive oil and sprinkled basil in the bowl. I put in a couple of dried cayenne peppers for a bit of a kick. I muddled the garlic and peppers a bit before putting in the olives. Then, I mixed them up and let them marinate for a while. Yum!

I have to say that I love chocolate! And, here in Barcelona, delicious Swiss chocolate is widely available and fairly inexpensive. Yesterday, I stocked up on Toblerone, Lindt, and Milka, so that I can enjoy a square or so when I crave some chocolate.

Cava is Spanish sparkling wine. When chilled, it is delicious. I have tried a couple so far, and they both have been crisp and dry. Like the wines, I will have to continue to try different kinds until I find my favorite. Not a bad job, I’d say!

I foresee many an evening here in Sitges where I will snack on cheese and olives and red wine instead of eating dinner. Life is good.

Ups and Downs of Life in Sitges, Barcelona: Beautiful City, Bad Food, and a Lost Wallet

Yesterday started out just lovely. After getting my morning writing tasks done and having a delicious lunch, I headed down to Sitges with my daughter, Soraya.

We are living in Urbanizacion Vallpineda, a residential area about 2 kilometers from Sitges, and an easy walk downhill. Soraya was the only one who wanted to walk with me today, so my husband stayed at home with Raymi and Tatiana. My daughters are very pleased that our apartment complex has a swimming pool and several children who also live here. Although yesterday was Friday, the neighbor kids did not have school for some reason or another. So, Tatiana and Raymi stayed to play with them while Soraya and I headed out around 4pm towards Sitges.

Sitges has a large pedestrian-only area of the city full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and vendors. Soraya and I walked around looking at the shops and admiring the old stone streets and architecture. This maze of streets leads straight to the beach, and we walked along the beach right to the end. I was impressed with how long Soraya walked with me without complaining.

The beach at Sitges is quite nice, with a mild current and decent sand. It’s not the Caribbean with powder white sand and clear waters, but certainly nice enough. The beach does have stone jetties and you can see a large Cathedral at one end of the beach. Soraya and I had fun walking out onto the jetties and feeling the cool breeze.

After our long walk, Soraya and I headed back through the old city, looking for a place with good tapas. You’d be surprised, but our search for delicious tapas in Sitges has thus far been quite a disaster. I suppose it is time to pull out the guidebook. Yesterday, we tried a place that had a wide variety of small open-face sandwiches, each less impressive than the last. We also tried their fried calamari, which was mediocre. The one decent thing there was the wine at 1 euro 35 cents a glass, a decent Rioja called Paulus. The people at the next table had a plate of shrimp that looked good, but our food was okay at best.

Today, we bypassed a couple of places in the center because they were completely full. I thought it might be a good idea to try a place near the train station, thinking the food might be cheaper as it was not in the center. The food was quite unremarkable. Well, the patatas bravas were decent, but the bacalao en salsa was not. I actually can’t remember the name of either of these places. At any rate, I will be sure to check online reviews before venturing out again, as there must be plenty of good places to eat in Sitges. Our random selection of convenient restaurants does not seem to be the best way to find them. Based on TripAdvisor, La Salseta and El Fresco look promising.

As Soraya and I were eating, I saw the bus pull up. The bus only comes every 30 minutes, so I paid the bill and asked for a take away box. We rushed out of the restaurant and onto the bus. Somehow, between paying for the bus and getting off the bus, I lost my wallet. I am not sure how it happened. Soraya and I sat down in the front seats. I had a plastic bag with chocolates in my purse and took it out for us to try the Toblerone. I imagine that when I did that, my wallet fell out of my bag and onto the seat or the floor. All I know is that when I got home, I looked into my bag and my wallet wasn’t there. It is actually a small clutch which contained my iPhone and my wallet with my driver’s license, both debit cards and a credit card. I freaked out when I realized it was gone. I told my husband, and then ran out of the house back to the bus stop. Of course the bus was long gone.

The next bus that came along was the last bus. I told the driver what happened, and he suggested we ride back downtown to the end of the line to find the other bus. It seems there are only two buses on this line. We made it downtown and the other bus and driver were there. He let me look on the bus, but, no wallet. I guess some lucky passenger found it and chose not to turn it in.

I walked back up the hill home and began the very long process of finding all of the international numbers to call and cancel my cards. It took three hours! But, at the end of it, Citibank and Bank of America agreed to send me new debit cards. Thus, if we are lucky and the people who work at the bank are able to understand the address, which is in Catalan, we will have new cards next week! Capital One said they don’t send credit cards overseas. That is unfortunate, because they are the only credit card company that does not charge a 3 percent surcharge on international purchases.

I am really kicking myself right now for going outside with both of my debit cards when I needed neither of them. I usually am good about leaving those at home! I did need both of them on Wednesday when I had to take lots of euros out of the bank to pay for the apartment. But, I really should have put them away.

I am also disappointed because I lost my driver’s license. My husband seems to have forgotten his at home, so that puts a big damper on our plans to rent a car.

I have sent several Skype messages to my iPhone in the hopes that the person who found it will connect to the Internet and see them. Aside from the unlikely event that tactic will work, I am trying to let bygones be bygones and forget about it. It is bad enough to have lost 80 euros in cash, my iPhone, my cards, and my driver’s license. I don’t have to also lose out on the joy of life! So, I am trying really hard to forget about it and keep moving forward.

Adelante!

P.S.: Sorry this post has no photos. I took some cool pictures with my iPhone before I lost it….

We finally made it to Sitges … and are celebrating with Cava!

On Wednesday morning, Nando, our three daughters, and I took a train from Sant Adria de Besos to Sitges. Actually, two trains. Fortunately, Junior and I had taken our two large suitcases the previous day to Sitges, meaning that, with a little help from the girls, we did not have very much to carry. Still, Tatiana, Soraya and Raymi made sure to complain at least a few times during the six-block walk from the center of Sant Adria de Besos until the train station.

Once we got to the train station, and everyone calmed down, I began to tell the girls a story, which they love for me to do. I recently read the novel, The Help, and decided I would recount the story from that novel where a maid put her feces into her employer’s mother’s chocolate pie. I thought the girls would get a kick out of the gross factor there. They did. And, once we got on the train, I recounted them every other bit of the story I could remember. By the time we got to the Sants station, where we needed to transfer, I had told them most of the memorable parts of the book.

At Sants, we transferred to another train that would take us straight to Sitges. On the way there, they forced a few more pieces of the story out of me, and I told them the part about where Celia Foote went to the Society Benefit in her hoochie-mama dress. One more reason to read more novels: It gives me material to recount to my daughters during long train rides.


When we finally arrived at our apartment, the girls couldn’t have been happier with it. It really is a nice place, with hardwood floors, and is tastefully decorated. It also has a lovely wooden porch that looks out onto the garden and swimming pool. I am sitting there now, with a baguette, some cava, and Spanish cheese, as I write this blog entry.

I was pleased the girls were so happy with the apartment, as that should make everything easier. It is not exactly in Sitges, but in a sort of suburb on the outskirts of the city. It is a 2km walk downhill to Sitges, and definitely a 2km bus ride back up the steep hill. Luckily, there is a bus that takes us straight into town. Also, just in case, there is a small store a few minutes walk away where I was able to get my cava, cheese and baguette.

One thing I love about Spain so far is that Spanish products that are practically considered gourmet are so cheap here! Obvious, I know, but still! I got a nice bottle of high quality olive oil for about $3.50, a great bottle of cava for $7.00, and some decent olives for $1.00. And, that was at the corner store. Can’t wait until I go to the real store!

And, of course, I can’t wait until I get to explore Sitges tomorrow. Today, I decided to stay in and get everything packed away and set up.

The joys of being plugged in....

I finally found an adapter! My laptop had completely run out of battery, as had my iphone. Without these two devices, I felt quite out of touch. Thus, an adapter was high on my priority list today.

My nephew was sure I could find one at the variety store across the street owned by Chinese immigrants. I looked and looked, but there were none. The storeowner had no idea what I was talking about nor where I could find one, so I asked another customer. She told me I needed to go to a real hardware store, and that there was one just a few blocks away. I ventured down the block and made it to the hardware store. The person who attended told me that he only had adapters for when you when want to go from Spain to another country, but not vice versa. He recommended I try El Campo - a large Target-like store just across the street.

El Campo, it turns out, has a little bit of everything, from groceries, to furniture, to power adapters. In El Campo, I looked up and down the wide aisles before I finally found a universal power adapter, a pretty neat gadget that lives up to its name - universal. You can use it to change U.S.-style plugs to European or UK style-plugs and vice-versa.

The only worker in the store who actually was able to help me find an adapter turned out to be an African immigrant, who took an adapter with him to London when he traveled there. The adapter cost 11 euros, and he told me I probably could get a simpler one elsewhere for cheaper. I considered it an 11 euros well-spent.

With my adapter, I just needed one more thing: a cell phone. I bought a vodaphone for 19 euros, that came with 12 euros worth of pre-paid time. Not a bad deal.

With an adapter and a cell phone, I am plugged in!

Getting settled in Sant Adria de Besos: Our First Day in Barcelona

I arrived in Barcelona on Monday night, and my husband´s family came to pick us up from the airport. Of course, a full carload of relatives came. When we deplaned, my niece, two of my nephews, my sister-in-law, and my brother-in-law were waiting for us in the lobby.

Even though we are traveling relatively lightly, there was no way that all five us of plus all five of them plus our luggage was going to fit into my nephew´s car. So, we split up and I rode home with my niece and nephew and the luggage, and the rest of the family took the train back to my sister-in-law´s place in Sant Adria de Besos, a northern suburb of Barcelona.

Upon arriving in Barcelona, there were two things I needed: cash and an adaptor. I tried getting cash at the airport ATM to no avail. I have two debit cards: Citibank and Bank of America. I wanted to use my Citibank card because my BofA account charges $5 for non-BofA ATMs. With no luck with the Citibank card at the airport, I decided to try and get cash near my nephew´s house. I tried a few banks, but, apparently the ATMs couldn´t access my Citibank savings account, and I ended up having to use my BofA card. There are no charges with that card at Deutsche Bank, but the Deustche Banks are all in the center of Barcelona. The good news is that I finally got my hands on some euros. It was too late to get the adaptor, so we went back home after getting the cash.

The rest of our family ended up taking about two hours to get home from the airport, meaning that they weren´t home until 10pm. This, of course, is a normal time for supper in Spain, so we got some pizza and red wine and ate and chat together before we all crashed around midnight.

I woke up right at 9am this morning, so hopefully this time zone change will be no problem. When I woke up, my sister-in-law and niece had already left for the day, leaving just me and my three daughters in her house. My husband went to sleep at his brother´s house so they could hang out until later and catch up. It´s been ten years since they saw one another. We saw my husband´s sister and her children in Peru in 2007, but his brother was already living in Spain at that time.

My sister-in-law left me a note with the keys, so I ventured outside in search of some breakfast items and the adaptor. I need an adaptor to plug in my computer, as the outlets here are completely different and the plug simply does not fit. In Spain, like in many parts of Europe and Latin America, instead of having Walmarts and Targets that have everything, there are small specialty stores. In search of an adaptor, I went to a bookstore, a paint store, a drugstore, a toystore, and a supermarket. No luck. I then went to an outdoor market and asked in one of the stands, but they only sold hardware for computers. I guess I will have to wait to get an adaptor.

As I was trying to obtain an adaptor, I realized I don´t exactly know how to say: "Do you have an adaptor that allows me to plug in a three-pronged plug into a two-pronged outlet". I think the word I am missing here is "pronged." So, I said: "Do you have an adaptor that allows me to plug a thing with three thingys into an outlet with two thingys?" Some people understood me better than others. This reminded me of many previous trips abroad looking for various household items. It´s not until you get to the hardware store that you realize you have no idea how to say "faucet" or "stopper" or "nuts and bolts." Anyway, no adaptor means I am typing this on my nephew´s computer.

I did have good luck with getting breakfast items though. The first thing I needed was a coffee. I found a corner cafe run by Chinese immigrants. I wasn´t too sure about getting a coffee from a Chinese coffee shop, but I decided to see how it was. I ordered a cafe con leche, and it was delicious. From there, I made it to a small supermarket and got yogurt, fresh cheese, baguettes, and a pint of strawberries for breakfast.

Sant Adria de Besos is an immigrant neighborhood, full of immigrants from Pakistan, South America, Africa, and China. For this reason, the coffee shop was owned by Chinese immigrants, and it is next to a kebab restaurant and a market with Pakistanis selling shoes and clothes. I have yet to explore it much, but I am sure I will have the opportunity.

This afternoon, however, hopefully, we will be moving into our apartment in Sitges. I have reserved a place, and if all turns out well, we will move in this afternoon!

How to Travel Abroad for a Long Trip with the Family: Seven Steps to Be Ready

The idea of traveling abroad for over a month with your entire family can be overwhelming. However, if you have a large family and are going to spend a significant amount of cash on airline tickets, it often can be well worth the time and money to stay abroad for longer than a month.

I have packed up myself, my husband, and my three kids for extended trips abroad on at least a half a dozen occasions. In this post, I explain how we do it.

My daughters at the park during our trip to Guatemala

At the moment, we are about to embark on a 7-week stay in Barcelona. Thus, it’s a good time for me to provide some tips on how one goes about this.

Step 1: Passport and visa check.

At least three months before you leave, pull out everyone’s passports and make sure they are not about to expire. Do some online searching to make sure no one needs a visa. This simple step could potentially save you a lot of trouble and frustration later.

Step 2: Buy the airline tickets.

Because I have to purchase five tickets for my family, I always want to ensure I get the best deal possible. At the same time, I know that I can easily spend hours and hours online trying to get a good deal. To strike a balance, I keep an eye on the price of the tickets for about a month. That allows me to have an idea as to how much I should spend and what a good deal would be. Then, I dedicate one afternoon to researching all of the online options and purchasing the tickets. Two tips for getting cheaper tickets: 1) If you don’t live in a major city, it can often be cheaper to purchase one ticket to a major city and another from that city to your overseas destination. If you do this, it is advisable to have a very long layover or to purchase your overseas tickets for the next day. This year, we are flying to Washington, DC on Friday, and out to Barcelona on Sunday. 2) The more flexible you are with the dates, the better chance you have of getting a bargain.

Step 3: Look for housing.

If you are traveling abroad and plan to stay in one place for more than a week, you often can find furnished apartments to rent. Furnished apartments usually cost the same or less than hotels, and have the dual advantages of being larger than a hotel room and the possibility for doing your own food preparation. A little online searching – via craigslist.com – for example, can often lead to many possibilities. With Google maps and forums such as the Lonely Planet thorntree and tripadvisor.com, you can get a pretty good idea about the area before you choose a place to stay.

Step 4: Pack lightly.

For our family of five, we can fit all we need into two large suitcases and three smaller carry-on rollies. Packing lightly makes traveling much easier. If you arrive in a city with six or ten suitcases, you need all kinds of special transportation just to get you and your bags where you need to go. If you travel with just a few suitcases, getting around and getting settled is much easier.

Here is what we pack:

• One suitcase full of my and my husband’s clothes and shoes: For myself, I pack no more than 30 items of clothing – including dresses, slacks, shorts, and shirts. That is more than enough to have plenty of variety at least for one season. My husband fills the remainder of the suitcase with his clothes. I usually pack a couple of towels and maybe a sheet, depending on where we are going.
• One suitcase full of the kids’ clothes. For the kids, I pack seven to ten outfits each. That will last them at least a week before it’s time to do laundry. We minimalize the number of toiletries we pack, as you usually can get what you need wherever you go, and split the toiletries between our and the kids’ suitcases.
• One carry-on rollie with my books and computer. This is my work suitcase, and I fit in there whatever I need to get work done: my laptop, kindle, digital recorder, books, papers, flash drives, and writing utensils.
• One carry-on rollie with the kids’ toys and electronic distractors. I finally relented and let the kids get Nintendo DS’s when I realized that they are a great, compact way to keep the children entertained while we are traveling. My 10-year olds also got iPod touches for Christmas, and these are also great and compact for traveling. We also pack a portable DVD player, blank papers, crayons, markers, and books to keep the kids entertained.
• One carry-on rollie with my husband’s jewelry-making supplies and books. My husband is a musician and a jeweler, so he packs up his rollie with whatever he needs to keep himself occupied while we are abroad.
• Then, each of us gets one backpack into which we put whatever we want. I pack reading materials for the plane. My kids pack their favorite toys. My husband packs snacks and his instruments.

Step 5: Get everything ready well in advance.

It alleviates a lot of last-minute stress if you can be packed and ready to go the night before you leave, or several hours before you go. After you pack, you can relax and have lunch or dinner out. Leaving everything to the last minute is guaranteed to produce lots of stress.

Step 6: Gather the troops and head to the airport.

Double check that you have the passports, tickets, cash and credit cards. With those things in order, everything else will be fine.

Step 7: Bon Voyage.

You are ready, and have what you need. Enjoy the great time with your family.