Sant Pere de Ribes

Sitges is a small town 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona and is famous for its film festival, and as a holiday location for Spaniards (and gay men from around the world). After the 40-minute train journey from Barcelona, we arrived at our seaside abode, which we would call home for the next two days.

As we opened our hotel room door, our first impressions conjured up a movie set. But the set is maybe more Tarantino crossed with a horror movie. At least there was more space than the Barcelona hotel. We could at least swing a cat in the room without leaving claw marks. And based on previous experiences, this was certainly not the worst … at least there weren’t blood-stained walls like those in an Ecuadorian hotel we stayed in, although there seemed to be other body fluids on the bathroom mirror. Just hope the mirror doesn’t have monkeypox!

We had worked up an appetite after a day of travelling, so in true Ricky/Jason fashion, we set out to find ourselves some provisions. With so much choice, it can sometimes be difficult to settle on something. We’re like hunters waiting for a better kill … maybe a better option will be around the corner. Inevitably, it never works out that way. We’re always a sucker for a menu del día (menu of the day), so we jumped at the opportunity to gorge on a three-course lunch with the obligatory alcoholic beverage.

Sangria is fast replacing water as the hydrating liquid of choice. And afternoon siestas have started to feature in the daily routine. Oh well, when in Spain …

Fueled up, we set out to explore the old city and the beachfront. You can walk from one side to the other in ten minutes but each street is a labyrinth of interconnected alleys and side-streets. After wandering up and down the rabbit-warren like streets, we headed back to the hotel for a light refreshment and a quick siesta. I mean, we needed to re-energise so we could paint the town red!

With any story of ours, it generally commences with food and drink. This time, we dined along the beachfront, eating pizza, slurping on our Estella beers and people watching. If we thought that half of France were holidaying in Barcelona, all of the gay men in France had headed to Sitges. There were more homosexuals in Sitges than a Madonna and Kylie concert combined.

We followed up dinner with more drinks at a club that has become an institution in Sitges. Parrots has been serving up drinks for 40 years and provided us with a place to take in all the eye candy. In typical European style, chairs face the streets to enable people watching. The streets turn into a makeshift catwalk for all to parade down. And what an eclectic offering we had!

Time for another siesta I think.

Oh, and I've started a tally of the number of times Jason thinks he's lost his wallet etc. Make that 2 ... for now.

Next stop: ValenciaRead more