Going home

The El Xalet hotel was built by a Catalan businessman at the beginning of the 20th century after his return from Cuba. It's a beautiful specimen of an Art Nouveau building. It was easily the most pleasant place that I had stayed at in my sojourn. The room was modern and comfortable. Breakfast was sumptuous.

One of the reasons I picked Sitges for my final night was its proximity to the airport, which is between Barcelona and Sitges. I even found that I could catch a bus from Sitges to my departure terminal. However my flight was late in the evening so I didn't need to be at the airport until sundown. So that left me with a few hours to while away before walking to the bus stop in the late afternoon. The hotel was kind enough to let me pass the time in the coffee room, while the staff went about their duties. I passed some of that time talking to a friend back home using the last few minutes on my SIM.

The bus took the coastal route to Barcelona's El Prat airport. I was fairly early and finished the last of my snacks before checking in. Our boarding gate was strange: to browse the airside shops you had to go down the escalator and then up again after shopping.

So it was goodbye to Spain again. I liked the way of life on the Mediterranean coast. I enjoyed the pleasant weather in the shoulder season. It was wonderful to forget about the quotidian issues and live in the present during my holiday.