Sitges, Spain – February 2018

“Tu Pasas Por Mi Casa Pero Tu Recuerdo Permanece”

A forty- five minute excursion on a bus from the Barcelona airport led a group of friends and myself to Sitges, a town of which I’d never been aware before my arrival to Europe a few months prior. My mind would always immediately drift to Barcelona at the mention of the Catalan region of Spain, a major indiscretion on my part, as I would learn that weekend when I first visited there.

We chose Sitges for its legendary parades for Carnival. “You’ve got to go to Sitges for Carnival,” practically everyone in Andorra told me. “They have the best celebration for Carnival, way better than Barcelona.” I decided to take the local opinion up to task. Sitges is also known for its open attitudes towards the LGBTQ community, adored for its gay bars and cabarets. Indeed, it’s the best location for gay tourism in all of Spain. Prepare to dance.

Though it should be noted that lively nightlife is equilibrated by a relaxed beach culture. Many of the things you associate with Spain are here, from flamenco street performances to men selling mojitos on the beach (don’t buy them, they’re way overpriced). You’ve also great art history, the Museu del Cau Ferrat situated at the helm of the movement. Originally a workshop home for esteemed artists in the late 19^th century; it has since become a display of breathtaking sculptures, ceramics, paintings, archaeology, and furniture. If art is not your thing, it’s worth the ticket for the window-view of the sea at the back of the house, a room surrounded by sculptures and bathed in an aqua glow from the ocean.

Do yourself a favor while you’re there: go out at night. Personally, I’m not really a big nightlife person, but there are some places that I simply cannot resist the urge to witness the spirit of repressed self-indulgence that only seems to come from excessive consumption of alcohol and music. Sitges is one of those places for me. Perhaps I’m biased because I chose the most festive weekend to visit this vivacious coastal town.

Carnival parades happen as early as midday there, but they peak in the evening. Countless floats and choreographed dancers flood through the downtown street in a sexual fervor as hordes of drunken people cheer and gaze in stupor at the mesmerizing effect of their glamorous outfits and masks. If you don’t wear a mask on Carnival, you’re a loser; of course you must hide your identity before engaging in inebriated foolishness and confronting your neighbors at church the following day for repentance, why would you even question that? Tractors pull the floats down the street, blasting Cumbia and Reggaeton, spirits are elated everywhere you look. Did I mention all the beer and liquor surrounding you while you’re there?

After the parade, we ended up at a party in the street where the spirit of indulgence was in full-effect. Everywhere you turned, crowds of people flocked to the center square donning hilarious costumes. I swear I met Dave Franco, though for some bizarre reason he was wearing a Disney princess dress and worked as a psychiatrist in Barcelona.

I don’t know when we returned that night, but the next day wielded an extreme hangover. We got coffee from a local café and hit the road, heading back to Andorra. On the whole, my brief visit to Sitges proved to be remarkable, despite the cement brick pounding in my skull on the drive out of town.