Sep 1, 2006 - Figueres and the madness of Salvador Dali

There's not much else I can say about the magnificent Museo Salvador Dali in the tiny beachside town of Figueres on the north-eastern tip of Spain, other than if you are ever within pee-shooting distance, drop whatever else you're doing AND GO. It took me an hour each way by train from Girona, and it was worth every choo-choo, tug'a'lug, ding dong minute. It can better be summed up by photos rather than words, and frankly, when you see them you'll see what I mean, but this crazy larrikin's lifetime of artistic achievement certainly made an...

Jul 6, 2005 - Our first overnight train experience

The couchette experience was even better than I had hoped. Not that the actual sleeper car was all that great. It was so tiny with two sets of three bunk beds. Apparently we were not the only ones who couldn't get on the train to Barcelona because the train was filled with backpackers being re-routed to Barcelona through Port Bou. Including about 50 kids from South Korea who spoke little or no English. I must have really been excited about this train trip because somewhere between the hostel and the train station, I got really hyper. When...

Jun 2, 2005 - Dali, Dali Dali

Exiting Barcelona was heaps easier than entering. We went out toll roads all the way. Very expensive but also fast at 120 KMPH in Spain. Not quite as good as France where it is 130 kmph. Called back thru Figeures again and spent several hours in the Salvador Dali Museum. He set up this amazing tribute to his art before his death and it is the Museum (gallery) we have all enjoyed the most on this trip. I even splashed out and bought some replicas. We decided not to go back out to the coast to see his house but rather keep driving and head...

Feb 28, 2005 - Figueres, Spain (Dali Museum)

28th, Feb. 2005 I took an early afternoon regional train two hours north to Figueres to see the Salvador Dali museum early this afternoon. Figueres was his hometown and he built and organized the museum before his death. The views of the Mediterranean on the way were superb. The plan was to see the museum in the afternoon and take an evening train to Marseille. My guidebook claimed the museum was open everyday... which of course was wrong. And I was there on the day it was closed... of course. Luckily I found a reasonably priced hotel. This...

Feb 19, 2005 - Montserrat, Dali Museum, Cadaques

Montserrat was a surprise in the sky. We took a tram up to the side of a mountain to walk on some OLD stones. We took our seats at 12:30 to look at the basilica and wait for the boy´s choir at 1p.m. To our surprise, we were part of a wedding ceremony! The voices of all the singers were angelic in the church and the church itself was like none other either of us has seen. The views were far reaching and for some reason the light was always soft and warm, even in the middle of the day. Leaving Barcelona was a heartbreak, but after a long...

Oct 18, 2004 - Figueres, Spain

I came here because of the Salvador Dali museum. He converted an old theater when he was still alive in order to have a place in his hometown to show his work. When I got there I didn't have a map to go by so I tried to get some info on where things were. I was pointed in the general direction of the tourist office but overshot the area and walked about 20min. more than I had to. Got pretty sweaty and was glad it wasn't August. I got to the museum early because my hotel, the Pensionne Isabel II, was about a 1 min. walk away. By the time...