We could not get enough of Catalunya. After gorging ourselves on Food and Art in Barcelona and slowing down in tranquil Cadaques we visited Figueres and Girona on our way back to Barcelona. The bus took us from Cadaques to Figueres. From the bus terminal we went to the city square and walked to Dali’s museum.
Dali himself commissioned this museum to himself before his death. Surreal, madcap, self absorbed and totally convinced of his own genius, Dali’s works are colorful and lively.
Who would paint his wife with one breast exposed? Great detailing on the snake bracelet.Before Rihanna there was DaliLook up the ceilingHe even designed jewelry
We went in the morning about 10am to the Dali museum and it was already fairly crowded. People could not get enough of this mad genius.
Aftee lunch we boarded the train and went to Girona. We spent our last night in Catalunya in Girona. Girona is very similar to Barcelona with it’s historic alleys and old buildings.
After our feast of Food and Art in Barcelona, we wanted to go off the beaten track a little and decided to go up to Costa Brava.
Costa Brava is Catalunya’s northeastern coast. It stretches from just outside of Barcelona all the way to the French border.
Cadaques used to be a sleepy fishing village, it hosted Dali and his swinging friends just before WW2 and now attracts visitors from all over the world who wish to enjoy its beautiful coastline and the peace and quiet of a small town. Mediterranean light is different from light anywhere else in the world, probably because light from the sun hits the Mediterranean at 45 degrees. Cadaques is a shinning example of this Mediterranean luminosity. Clear dark blue waters capped by a bright sky and wispy clouds. The white houses perched precariously on the cliffs. We imagine in the summer months of July and August there would be plenty of sun worshipers, but in the middle of October only a few brave souls were in the water.
The clear waters of CadaquesWe could stay here foreverWhite washed houses on the hill
We took the Renfe train from Passieg de Gracia in Barcelona before 10 in the morning. The train’s last stop was Figueres which we reached about 12, so we had to take a bus to go further. After a tapas lunch we boarded the 1pm bus. The bus from Figueres stopped along the way in the various towns among them Roses, which is equally famous as Cadaques. We reached Cadaques about 2:00 in the afternoon. We walked up from the bus terminal to the town centre. Cadaques was much colder than Barcelona, about 10C that time.
Cava, sangria, anchovies and the sunset
As we did not make any reservations beforehand we had to quickly look for accommodations. While walking around we bumped into a compatriot from the home country and she recommended Ranxho hostel. It was a good choice as the rooms while basic were very clean, the bed was comfortable and the sheets while mismatched smelled of laundry dried under the sun. The hostel is run by a family and we could see they take pride in their place. It was the cheapest room we stayed at while in Catalunya at €40. We planned on staying only one night but Cadaques was so beautiful we ended up staying two nights!
We had breakfast the next day at one of the places by the beach. We walked up narrow alleys and admired the holiday homes with white washed walls, wrought iron windows and colorful plant boxes. We followed the road down the coastline all the way to the little island off the coast, and just breathed the fresh ocean air feeling grateful to be alive and enjoying the beautiful sights. We even found time to walk up the opposite side of town to Port Lligat where Dali had a house.
Our lunch of spaghetti, steamed mussels and more chillies
When we got hungry we had lunch at the place next to the hostel where we had the largest spaghetti portion we ever had, with tapas and coke. For dinner we had our host Rita’s crepes. Yum yum.
