Salvador Dali had a special fondness for his birthplace of Figueras and a seaside resort, nestled like a forgotten land protected from the outside by precipitous drops along the edges of innumerable switchbacks, the small city of Cadaques where he made his home with his beloved Gala. After driving all the way to Cadaques the previous day, we backtracked to Figueras to look for him at the Dali Theater and Museum, a project founded and created by the man himself.
You can find Dali by looking for eggs.
The “and Theater” was not an error. Our Day with Dali led to respect for his genius as a self-promoting provocateur who was also exceptionally talented. His art is massively entertaining with layers of symbols and meaning. And, by the way, he’s buried in a very traditional crypt beneath the theater, being a devout Catholic.
Confused? Taking in the works Dali chose for his museum is mind boggling. They exhibit an incredibly restless exuberance that can’t seem to be either contained or adequately expressed. The place fairly bursts apart and is packed with curious visitors (even in October) as they make their way, trying to comprehend Dali.
So it was back over the mountains to find the heart of the matter, where Salvador and Gala called home,
A comfortable one-bedroom place by the sea,
Where he left us plenty of eggs,
And enigmatic images,
To ponder.
After we left the Dali home, we explored the coast
And then walked down into Cadaques in the midst of a torrential downpour
