Vilanova i la Geltrú

Today was a travel day. Montserrat to Barcelona and then on to Vilanova. A little complicated with trains and subways and another train but with helpful strangers, we were able to get to Vilanova in a few hours. We do like the efficiency of the Spanish public transport system. We are here for two nights in the Solvi Hotel.

Our first impression of the city is that it is a clean and attractive beach town with a huge port. We easily walked to our hotel that has a great view of the ocean and is in a good location.

We lucked out and were given an upgraded room with a sunny balcony on the third floor overlooking a park and the marina. Directly in front of us is an interesting structure - the Ribes Roge’s tower built in 1850. It is the remaining one of three defence towers that were built to protect the maritime quarter from pirates.

It has a wide open, pedestrian street running right through its centre, covering about a mile all the way from the seafront to the Parish Church of Sant Antoni Abat in the heart of the town. This gracious esplanade (called the Rambla de la Pau) is lined with shops and pavement cafés and it is a delightful place to stroll. On Friday, it had an outdoor market set up in the middle of the street with clothes, fruit, vegetables, etc. we bought a handful of big green olives from a vendor who had to have had 50 varieties of olives! Hard to choose.

There is a lovely palm-tree-lined promenade, full of noisy parrots, along the ocean front and then set back from this are lots of restaurants and cafés. Mid-way along, sitting out on a promontory, is a striking and unusual sculpture by Vilanovan artist Oscar Estruga that is one of the symbols of the town. The sculpture shows a woman inside the body of a cow and it is an interpretation of the legend of Pasifae.

In Greek mythology Pasifae was the daughter of Helios and the wife of King Minos of Crete. Poseidon sent Minos a bull as a gift to be sacrificed but he refused, and Poseidon cursed his wife, forcing her to fall in love with the bull. She had a wooden cow built which she could hide inside and mate with the bull! The resulting offspring was the Minotaur.

Down at the harbour, hundreds of small and large boats are moored in neat little rows, This is still a fishing village and most restaurants have fresh seafood on their menus. On our first night, we ate a wonderful seafood paella in the restaurant next to our hotel.

We walked to the harbour office where there was an elderly man mending a brightly coloured fishing net. Nets were spread out on the ground like great, long snakes, or piled up at the side awaiting their turn. The man told us that he spent his time mending nets not as a job but as a ‘diversion’. He enjoyed doing it.

Before we came to Vilanova, we had read about the Museu del Ferrocarril de Catalunya, a train museum. Sounded interesting so we thought we would look for it. Of course it was near the train station.

Once again, we got a seniors’ rate and the lady showed us how to navigate the music. Follow the black brick road. So we did.

Located in the original installations of the steam locomotive depot built on horseback between the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the museum houses a collection of more than 50 locomotives and wagons in Vilanova i la Geltrú. You can climb into several of them and take photos wherever.

It also has the first Talgo train (articulated lightweight high speed train in 1942) and a replica of the first train that ran on the peninsula in 1848, making the journey from Barcelona to Mataro. See the next footprint for photos.

This town is lovely but we think that in the summer it must be packed with holiday makers! We are quite happy to be here on a sunny, warm day in the off season. Quiet and peaceful.

On Saturday, we heading further south to Peniscola, another popular tourist resort with a big castle.Read more