Blogs from Figueres, Girona, Catalonia, Spain, Europe

The day before - as perceived by Nancy It was exciting to ride on the train from Prague to Spain but it wasn't totally full of fun. The first leg from Prague to Zurich went quite well even though the sleeping car was for 6 people not the normal 4 so we were unable to sit up and talk (the headroom between bunks was too low for sitting up). But basically I went to sleep soon after we started and slept till morning. The train station in Zurich was so lovely with a Christmas market and a fantastic crystal Christmas tree that the fact that the temperature was well below freezing INSIDE the station didn't really matter much. The ride through Switzerland was really great with beautiful scenery outside the window all day long. I ... read more

Ah, to be a child again There are so many things I would like to say about this museum. First it was so much more than I expected. Second I was totally enchanted. Third I ended up sad not to be able to stay longer and buy a copy of their magnificent children's film. The first part of the museum really caught my attention and held me for about half an hour. Someone had made a slide show of hundreds of children from the 1800's to the present with their toys. The pictures were so loving and so compelling. I loved to see pictures of children the age my parents would have been at the time playing with toys that they might have owned. Some I KNEW my mom had owned like the pictures of children ... read more

Figueres is the birth place of Salvador Dali. Figueres, Spain is very close to the French-Spanish boarder. Its primary claim to fame is it is the birth place of the artist, Salvador Dali. If you know anything about Dali, you know that he was ... well different. He must have been a 'pistol' (American expression meaning a kid who is a lot of trouble to control. Who does the unexpected at all times.) when he was a kid in elementary and high school for he certainly was a very unusual person as an adult. The Dali Museum is located in a building that replaced the building of the former Municipal Theatre. The Theatre was built in the 19th century and was destroyed at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Here Dali had a new surrealistic ... read more

We left Cadaques by way of the Parc Natural. The entire area is a coastal plain, with some 100 different species of birds having been spotted at one time or another. it turned out to be a very nice drive with no traffic at all. Our next destination was Figueres described as humdrum by Lonely Planet, except for the Teatre Museu Dali...which they say is worth every minute...good enough for us. Now I've heaard of and even seen some of Dali's work, but not prepared for this venue...it is wonderful! Salvadore Dali was born here in 1904 and although he had traveled quite extensively, went back to his roots to convert an old burned out municipal theater into his museum. It truly is a stage for his incredibly imaginative work, which is extensive...I don't know when ... read more

Saturday was more medieval towns and a stunning beach. I'm sorry to say I don't even remember the names of each town. But we took a picture of one town map so we know that one. Our main destinations were the Gala castle, where Dali's love of his life lived, and then on to Figueres to the Fundacion Dali. (this museum/theater is the largest surrealist object in the world!) And for beaches, we went to one with a big rock in the distance that we kept seeing from Begur. So for today, the pictures can speak for themselves! And this is just a tiny fraction of the pictures we took - as usual, there was a feast for the eyes every minute!... read more