Beautiful Barcelona.....but we are heading out for the day.

I have lost count of how many times we have visited Barcelona by cruise ship and of course, I never tire of it.

Today our group of 6 was booked once again with Spain Day Tours to visit the two seaside villages of Tarragona and Sitges.  Although we opted for a driver to take us there, it is quite easy and rather scenic if you decided to travel there by train.

Tarragona the first of our two stops is the larger of the two, actually, I should not call it a village as it is the second largest city in Catalonia and the Capital of the Costa Dorada (Gold Coast).

Rambla Nova is the equivalent of Las Ramblas in Barcelona and we started our exploration at the Als Castellers Monument.  I am sure you have all seen or heard of these human pyramids of Catalonia!  To quote a website I read “So deeply rooted in the local traditions of Tarragona that the people of the city built a monument in their honor”.  This life-size structure measures 11m high and is made up of 222 bronze figures… and today a few live ones.

Strolling up the Ramblas, beautiful old buildings line each side and as a reward for making it to the end, you enter the Balcon de Mediterraneo, a vantage point offering lovely views of the Mediterranean Sea.

We also visited the local Mercado, similar to the Boqueria, the produce and premade meals are now only a feast for the palette but for the eyes as well.

Another highlight of Tarrongona is the well-preserved Roman remains. Originally named Terraco, this Roman-walled city was strategically placed on guard from any attacks from the sea.

All that history and architecture made us hungry, so on arriving at our next seaside village Sitges our driver directed us straight to a restaurant where we could fulfill our mission of finding the best paella ever!

After our filling and very satisfying lunch, our driver took us for a walk through the old town of Sitges ( pronounced by saying “Stitches” but leaving out the first T so Sitches).  Once again the beach looked so inviting, but alas we did not bring our swimmers with us …

For those coming in future years consider a train ride to both places by train… ( they are on the same line ) and as stops in Barcelona are usually long days, take your swimmers so you can have a dip in these lovely inviting waters.