| Unspoiled
by the boom. |
| Sitges
is one of very few holiday retreats in Spain that was unspoiled by the
tourist boom of the 60's and 70's and the consequent |
| concrete
tower buildings because it was already well established as a holiday getaway
for the affluent Barcelonians and Cuban sugar |
| and
cigar importers since the 1800's. Many of their beautiful homes still exist
in the Calle Isla de Cuba area and all along the sea front, |
| though
they are now converted to hotels, restaurants or apartments. |
|
  |
| There are 3 restaurants
side by side on the sea front called La Santa María, La Pinta &
La Niña. They are the names of the 3 ships that sailed off from
Spain with Christopher Columbus (Real name Cristoból Colon) and
discovered the Americas. The photo is a replica of La Santa María. |
|
|
|
| What
is Subur? |
| You'll
see the word 'Subur' a lot in Sitges. Subur was the name of a Roman 'party
town' which stood where Sitges now stands over |
| 2,000
years ago. Some things never change! |
|
|
| The street 1º de Maig,
or 1º de Mayo en castellano (1st of May) is so called to commemorate
Sitges' blackest day in history when the |
| town was attacked in 1838
by the Carlines, claiming many lives. It was renamed 2º de Mayo during
Franco's reign, however it has |
| returned to 1º de Maig.
The street is also locally known as Calle del Pecado - Sin Street. |
|
|
| If you walk around the old,
old part of Sitges in the area of the church, you'll see blue lines painted
along the bottom of many homes. |
| They were/are fishermen's
homes. It's a sign to keep quiet as they sleep by day. |
|
|
| Sitges
carnival in February is the only carnival in Spain that continued to run
every year throughout Franco's reign. Franco banned all |
| such
fiestas but Sitges refused to give in. It is often referred to as "The
wildest party on Earth". Come see for yourself and you'll understand why. |
|
|
| The concrete planters &
blocks that now run the full length of C/ España were put there
in summer 2006 because 3 severe rain storms |
| in a period of 3 months
washed dozens of cars down the street. There are no storm drains in Sitges
and every street slopes towards |
| C/ Espalter. If you are
here during a heavy downpour, take a walk along the beach after it to where
the Subur hotel is and you'll see |
| quite a spectacular sight
as the street is turned into a torrential river. |
|
|
| How
do I say Sitges? |
| Sitges is pronounced very
much like 'Seechez' but say it very rapidly with the 'e' in 'chez'
almost silent. It's not pronounced 'Sitchez. |
|
|
| Sitges'
history |
