Mediterranean Sailing Adventure

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Last Friday the 24^th, Cathy, the girls and I went to Villanova I la Geltru (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=villanova+i+la+geltru&hl=en&ll=41.218307,1.730862&spn=0.111434,0.264187&sll=41.223085,1.72142&sspn=0.111426,0.264187&t=h&radius=8.24&z=13), which is close to Barcelona, for a day on the beach.  It was a nice 32 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and a nice, while a bit crowded, beach.  We went swimming with the girls, and the water was very warm. Felt like Hawaii.  By chance, I went and gave a hand to a few Hobiecat sailors that were struggling to sail away from the shore due to the narrow passage the boasts are allowed to get out to sea.  With a few cool moves, I had them going.  Turns out, the one guy was the rental club owner, and the other - his father-in-law.  I got a free sail out of it and they got a free lesson on Hobie sailing.  A fair exchange.

After the beach we had a very nice coastal drive to Sitges, which is another coastal town.  It looked spectacular: reminded us of the type of waterfront you would have in California, just smaller scale.  Lots of people rollerblading on the promenade, people on the beach, tons of nice bars and restaurants.  We are definitely going back for a weekend.

We got to our hotel, went for a nice dinner and to sleep for the next day’s flight.

Saturday, I dropped Cathy and the girls at the airport and went back to Villanova, where I picked up my friend who came from Zaragoza to go sailing with me.  We rented a new Jeanneau Sun 25 foot sailboat, got our gear onboard and took off for a Mediterranean cruise.  With nice 14 knots of wind, we hoisted our sails and cruised away at about 5 knots.  After a few hours we got to Sitges marine, where we moored close to a 50 foot catamaran and several  70+ foot super yachts (see one in the picture: at Villanova, over 300 feet, owned by Russian Billionaire http://www.flickr.com/photos/jortegafigueiral/5379426544/ ), feeling and looking cool.  We had our lunch on the boat and went for a stroll into town.  The experience was absolutely amazing, felt like something out of a movie.  I was thinking about our friend Derek who is sailing his 46 foot catamaran in the Carribean for the last several years.

At about 5pm we set sail on a course back to Villanova and enjoyed a homebound cruise with the sun setting gently.  When we got to port at about 8:30pm, we walked through a big procession dedicated to the Maritime Patron Saint celebration.  Seems wherever or whenever you go, your chances of encountering a Spanish fiesta are always good.

The 2.5 hour drive back to Zaragoza was the least exciting part of the 2 days, but the effort was surely worth it.  Just brilliant!  

PRAGUE!

On Thursday June 2nd we drove to Barcelona and caught our evening WizzAir flight to Prague.  We have to say this travel experience was much more civilized than our Ryanair adventure to Dublin.  The main reason we decided to go to Prague is because our friends Alma and Evaldas from Lithuania have been living there for three years and are moving back to Klaipeda in July.  Alma was a student of mine when I taught there and we became good friends.  Another reason for going was because neither Anatolijus or I have ever been but have heard how fabulous it is.  Well the highlight of the trip was reconnecting with our good friends and Prague provided a spectacular back drop.

The weather was supposed to be cool and rainy but it turned out to be sunny and 30C the whole time.  Alma was an amazing tour guide taking us on the Metro the first day down to the old town and its famous main square.  The next day we went by ourselves and found the transportation system very user friendly.  We walked up to the castle and cathedral on the hill and spent some time in the Toy Museum which the girls loved.  We ate very tasty, but very expensive hot dogs in the shade of the cathedral and also saw the brief but interesting changing of the guards at the entrance.  The cathedral is huge and the stain glass windows were spectacular, rivalling any we have seen.  The views from the hilltop are lovely with all the red tiled roofs and ornate buildings.  a tour of a Baroque church and a quick walk across the famous Charles Bridge before the storm hit ended a great day.

On Sunday we rented paddle boats on the river and this was a wonderful experience.  The river is large with big tour boats going by and the views of the bridges and National Theater building were awesome.  that night Alma offered to stay with the girls so Anatolijus and I went out for a memorable dinner.   Alma made a reservation for us at the Terrace restaurant which overlooks the square with the illuminated towers of the cathedral, the chiming clock and then a panoramic view of the city.  When we arrived a few minutes late and said we had a reservation the maitre'd said, "Ok but only if you are ready for the best table in the house".  He sat us at the table right over the square - it was fabulous!  While we were eating lightning kept illuminating the clouds around the city but the storm never moved in, it was just a great light show for us.

We were very fortunate to have five star accommodations as Alma's apartment is lovely.  We loved our morning lattes with her high end espresso maker and special Krups milk foamer (I am definitely buying one).  We cooked lots of lovely meals together and enjoyed good Czech beer and wine sitting on their huge deck enjoying the view.  Aside from getting very little sleep it was perfect.

On our last morning Anatolijus was able to play 9 holes of golf at a beautiful course along the river.  We also visited Starbucks for the first time since London and won't do that again as it was 25 euros.

All in all, a very memorable trip with great friends!

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