Catalonia and the Dali Triangle

We began our Pyrenees trip by flying into Barcelona and spending two nights at the Mas Pau, in Catalonia, near Figueres. Once we found the hotel it was quite beautiful and pleasant, a nice restoration of a historic farmhouse. The restaurant there was fantastic and I had possibly one of the best meals I have had in my life, in a beautiful setting, half inside and half out, looking over the gardens.

What I didn't really realize until we got there was that this area is in the heart of the Dali Triangle, where Salvador Dali was born, returned to live with his wife and eventually died. Figueres is the home to an amazing Dali museum, that he designed himself and is also his final resting place in the basement. We tried to visit it during the day, but the queue was so long we decided to come back for the late night opening at 10. It was still crowded then, but it was worth it - the experience of seeing it at night was so unique and almost magical at times. I did not take nearly enough pictures there, mostly because it was dark. We were not able to make it to Cadaques, where Dali and his wife Gala lived and where their old home is now also a museum. I guess it is so small you have to book far in advance and we would have had to stay at least two more days for us to get in for a tour. The third part of the triangle is Gala's Castle in Pubol, which we did not see either. I did get a nice book though at the Dalicatessan and I am pleased I did get to visit the home of one of my favorite artists, a nice surprise.

Another very memorable part of Catalonia for me were the Caganers, a very odd Catholic tradition in the region. You have to read the link to believe it - I didn't believe it when I read it in the guidebook - but we did see some of these for sale in Figueres, in many different incarnations - George Bush, Saddam Hussein, Jesus, you name it. I wanted to buy one or two, but the ones we saw were very expensive, and I couldn't see myself paying 50 or 100 euro for a tiny squatting statue. I guess another thing I should have taken a picture of...

I guess this region and the nearby beaches on the Costa Brava were some of the first in Spain to be overrun with British tourists, and you can tell by the city of Roses (which doesn't smell so good, incidently) that we drove to one evening. It might have been beautiful once, the ocean still is anyway, but the town itself was an overcrowded dump with a number of shops and restaurants that rival my nearby Holloway Road.