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

The Fortress of Sant Ferran is the largest fort in Europe. Built in the shape of a pentagon the total length of the wall is 5.6 kilometers. The fort was begun in 1743 to protect southern Spain from the French. It seems they did not get along with each other very well in those days. At the end of the Spanish Civil War it was the last bastion of the Republican forces. As the end of the war neared,several portions of the fort were blown up. Munitions stored in the fort were exploded to prevent them from falling into the hands of Franco's forces, the Nationalists. When we arrived in Figueres, neither of us knew that the fort existed. I noticed it on a map at the train station and asked about it at the hotel ... read more

Disaster avoided --- just in time. Last night, after putting the berths down so we could sleep, the conductor collected the passports of everyone on the train. This was strange as the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, France and Spain are all parts of the EU and are part of the Schengen states. In our travels in Northern Europe no one had asked to see our passports when we crossed boarders since 2008. We had no choice and gave him our passports. The train was about fifteen minutes from Figueres, our first stop in Spain. In fact, we were already standing by the door with our luggage to get off when Nancy said, "Did you check the passports to be sure the conductor gave you the right ones?" "No," I replied. I had meant to, had thought ... 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