Sure Travel Journey Vol 4.1 Summer 2018 | Page 25

• E N
PLANNER
Q TRAVEL
WHY VISIT: Just 35 kilometres
from the crowded ramblas of
Barcelona, the 17 golden beaches of
Sitges have long made this charming
town a popular seaside escape. Away
from the sands Sitges boasts a trio of
excellent museums, with the Museu
Romántic, Museu Maricel and Museu
Cau Ferrat filled with history, artifacts
and artwork.
PARTY TIME: The town comes alive in
late February with the annual Carnaval
Sitges. Expect hedonistic street
parades and plenty of partying.
STRIP OFF: Looking for that all-over
tan? Platja d’Aiguadolç and Platja
dels Balmains are the two main nudist
beaches in Sitges.
R O U T E
/ /
S P A I N
A RUM THING: Sitges’ most famous
son is Facundo Bacardí Massó, who
went to seek his fortune in Cuba in the
1830s and made what is now a world-
famous rum. You can raise a glass to
him at the ever-popular Casa Bacardí.
BEST TIME: Visit in July or September
to enjoy warm summer weather without
the crowds of European holidaymakers.
BOOK IT: Iberia can fly you to
Barcelona every day of the week, while
Sure Travel’s escorted-tour partners
Insight Vacations, Trafalgar Tours and
Contiki Tours can show you the best of
Spain in three touring styles designed
to suit different budgets. Your Sure
Travel consultant will have all the
details, or visit www.suretravel.co.za /
call 0861 47 48 49.
© TREJO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
“
THINK THE RUNNING
OF BULLS IN PAMPLONA
– BUT INSTEAD OF CATTLE,
YOU’RE RUNNING
FROM MASKED FIENDS
CARRYING EXPLODING
FIREWORKS AT THE ENDS
OF STICKS
“
there is no requirement that she be a
virgin. Apocryphal stories about Saint
Tecla also say she escaped being eaten by
wild beasts – a sentence for striking a man
who tried to rape her – and was also saved
from being burnt at the stake for her
Main: Nit de Foc, the highlight of the Santa Tecla festival. Above: Sitges by day.
beliefs by a sudden storm.
This latter tale, I suppose, can be read
as inspiration for Nit de Foc, a night of
terror and excitement on the eve of the
festival. Think the running of the bulls in
Pamplona – but instead of cattle, you’re
running from masked fiends carrying
exploding fireworks at the ends of sticks.
Nit de Foc in Catalan means the Night
of Fire. And the night’s main event,
correfoc, translates literally to a fire-run.
Unaware of what was coming we
walked the squares of the town’s Old
Quarter, taken in by the romance of
the narrow streets and gothic-style
architecture in the dying light. There
were drummers. There were dancers.
There was an effigy to a phoenix and
another to Cerberus, the three-headed,
serpent-tailed hellhound of Greek
mythology. Both had fireworks coming
out of every orifice – which, in hindsight,
should have been a clue.
When darkness fell the terror began.
The drummers marched along a
designated route, followed by devils
who set off their fireworks sticks in the
crowds and gave chase to those who
fled. My partner, being sane, ran – like
everyone else. I, having that defect all
journalists do of running toward danger
instead of away, dropped to one knee
and started snapping pictures as all hell
broke loose around me.
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 25