Ruby Red Champagne

This was our travel day to Sitges and for several days Sue had been insisting that she wanted to take a taxi there.  It’s not far from Barcelona, only 12 kilometers but when we had talked to a taxi driver he quoted a price of 60 E….or $75.  It seemed steep to me but Sue was not going for the metro – train I was suggesting.  This had been the subject of much discussion over the last several days.  All of a sudden last night Sue decided she thought we should do the train.  My flat is a quick walk to the Metro Station on La Ramblas and the metro takes you right to the train station without a need to transfer so it really was a snap.  My expertise in the train station which I obtained when Nancy and Marta and I were trying to figure out how to get a train to Paris made the whole process painless.

Since this trip is ‘my birthday trip’ from Sue she had arranged the hotel and it’s divine, right on the beach, with a great secluded pool and lots of nearby cafes.  It’s the perfect place for some relaxation time after the hectic pace of the last few weeks.

We arrived about 10am dropped off our backpacks at the hotel and found one of those cafes for breakfast.  As soon as we finished we headed straight for the beach.  After all it is the Mediterranean and I have long loved the Mediterranean!!

My friend Joan, her daughter Rene and sister-in-law Karen from New Jersey had arrived in Spain yesterday and Joan was insisting that nothing would do except that she hosts a pre-birthday dinner party for me in their flat tonight.   So here I was in Sitges, Spain going to a dinner party being thrown in my honor, way cool!!

As it turned out our hotel and her flat were very near each other.  But before we headed out for the night Sue presented me with a bottle of ‘ruby red champagne’.  We had heard about this stuff and been searching all over Barcelona for it as we wanted to try it.  So proudly carrying my bottle of red champagne we walked along the beach to Joan’s.  Finding Joan’s flat proved to be no trouble at all but it was one of those places with buzzers into the apartments and I had no idea what apartment she was in.  I tried calling her cell phone but got voicemail so I found myself without a choice.  I simply started hitting buttons, after speaking to several new friends I finally hit upon Joan’s button!!

Joan hosted a wonderful evening which is truly amazing considering she had only been in the country 24 hours!!  We had chicken, roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, and green salad served with lively conversation and a ton of laughs.  But I’m afraid the night was not perfect, we opened the ‘ruby red champagne’ with desert and quickly learned that none of us cared for it at all………oh, well you can’t win them all. 

In all ways it was a night to remember………………..