At the end of June my parents made the trip to Europe and spent the first leg in Northern France, unfortunately for details on that you will have to ask them, however I can give you an insight into our trip into Spain.
My parents came in to Toulouse on the 9th and rented a car the 10th to drive to Carcassonne where I met them by train. My dad was particularly excited to see the UNESCO world heritage sight that is the fortified medieval city.
That night we went to Bugarach for a big meal with Chris and the guests of the hotel. The next day we set off for Spain! The first stop being Figueres. Unfortunately nothing ever goes according to plan. To start Dad's GPS thought we should go the scenic route as opposed to the main road, and through the winding goat paths of the South we sauntered along. This turned out to be alright as it afforded my parents and opportunity to see the country side of my region. Including a drive by Bugarach Mountain and Gorges de Galamus which was particularly frightening that day as the wind was insane through the pass! Very cool experience. After that the serendipity ended as we got onto the main freeway and a semi took the wrong exit. The semi then chose to back up on the free way right into us. Of course having laid on the horn to no avail we had quite the headache our way with insurance and the car rental company. When I know its sorted out I'll pass that information on but for now I think the headache continues.
So after an adventurous drive we finally made it into Spain. With a few curses under our breathes and many back seat selfies from my end we finally arrived a little ruffled in our feathers but all in one piece.
Our main reason for going to Figueres was of course the Salvador Dali Museum which really is a must see and easily in my top ten for my entire European adventure. We chose to take a guided walking tour along with the museum tour which was well worth it as I learned a vast amount about Dali, his life, his beliefs, and his art. I can't say I ever was a Dali expert or will be but I do feel I have a much stronger grasp on his work.
So Dali actually designed his own museum prior to his death in his home town of Figueres. Dali loved drama and theatrics and so it is no surprise that the building he chose was the towns old theatre. Located next to the church Dali had both his baptism and his funeral in.
The front side of the museum is very "Dali" the yellow toned "knobs" along the wall are actually a traditional bread which was symbolic of life to Dail and on top are many spheres and eggs. The spheres represent atoms which make up all things. Dali was a religious man but he had a true fascination with both science and mysticism which comes out in many themes throughout his work. The eggs are a representation of the creation of life and are very common in his work. Unfortunately this truck ruined the overall effect of the front Facade but I hope you get an idea from the photos.
The next stop on the walking tour was a hotel whose front was also done by Dali, you can see the carnivalesque animals, clowns and various other additions along the verandas.
Following that was a restaurant that Dali frequented throughout his life. He said it was here he truly felt at home.
On the right you see my dad viewing some of the pictures.
This was Figueres first cinema and the sculpture in front was done by a good friend of Dali's.
On the left you see the first example of Dali's optical illusions. On the Right you see a tribute to the inventor of the Submarine who also lived in Figueres. The picture below on the left is actually the beginning of the street known as the "Genius Street" as it is where Dali, the inventor of the submarine and a famous spanish poet all lived. I would have to check on the names of the last two. On the bottom right you see a grasshopper gargoyle that Dali was deeply afraid of as a child, the grasshopper continues in his work as a theme of fear and death for the rest of his life.
Next we saw Dali's home, on the left was his first home up until around the age of 8 when his family moved into a nicer apartment just down the road (seen on the left). Dali began his work as an artist at a very young age although he later came at odds with his father because of the content of his work.
Finally we entered the interior of the museum which in itself is a Dali work of art. Staying true to the theatre he includes a golden audience sets a stage with plenty of lighting and windows giving dramatic effect.
This was his car, it rains on the inside.
On the left is a picture of Gala (his wife) staring at the see but it is an allusion and also appears to be the face of Lincoln.
Above on the left you see the top of Dali's tomb. (Yes he wanted to be buried in his own museum.) Below on the right you see his tomb from that "catacomb" of the museum. on the bottom left is a painting of Bach the musician as painted with ink and a squid. (Yes I mean the animal.)
Here you see a room which viewed in its entirety is the portrait of a woman. This photo only shows a partiality of the work. Dali believed that the human body was in itself a house, here he proves it in his own way.
On the upper left is a bathroom on the ceiling in the woman-face-room. On the upper right is Dali's ceiling with himself and Gala reaching up towards God.
After our stint at the Dali Museum we headed back on the road towards Barcelona where more art and more surprises awaited us.
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