Saturday May 11, 2019

Must Be Their House

The weather has changed and we wake up to mostly cloudy skies. We have a little over a mile walk to the Casa de Dali. Tickets were bought months ahead as they only let about thirty people in a half hour. Our entry time is 1030 but our on line ticket says we must pick up our entry ticket by 1000 or risk losing it. It seems odd, but we decide to just walk and arrive before 1000. We are ready to go a little after 0900 and head out. We walk along the shore and then turn up a street that clearly points the way. The navigator had it all mapped out but it is a nice gesture when the signs confirm my route.

Small Chapel Above Town

We come to a very small chapel and convent where the street turns into a pedestrian path. We have been climbing up to this point and now we crest and start a slow descent. We can see the port/ bay that Dali lived off of and soon catch a glimpse of their home, which is obvious because of the two silver sculptured heads on the roof. In just a short but we make a short steep,descent to the water and the entrance to the Dali House Museum. It is only 0935 and we find a nice place to sit and wait with a few other early birds. I take the time to take a few pictures.

Dali’s Neighbors

There is a scenic house across the way with white adobe and blue shutters. The ticket office opens at 1000 and we do have to use our printed ticket to receive two admission tickets to the house.

Mr Dali

                                    We walk next door where there is a video playing about Dali. We can capture the gist of it but not the specifics as it is in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. What is the point of that? There are also magazine covers, both Spanish and otherwise with articles about his life. Our 1030 time nears so we go to the entrance and a lady lets us and 5 other people in. We did not realize that the house is a guided tour of sorts. She explains a few things and then gives everybody time to see two or three rooms, take pictures, ask questions and then we move to another area.

Polar Bear Bling

The room we first enter has a polar bear wearing bling around his neck and holding a lamp. Dali and Gala purchased this fisherman cottage before they had much money and lived in this one small space. Later they expanded and then eventually added the upstairs and did up the grounds. The next room has tiny chairs and stuffed swans. He used to feed and hang out with the swans outside his home and when they died, he had them stuffed.

His Workshop

We see the studio where he worked and another living area with a tooth lamp and a statue with an Adidas football by his foot. Everywhere you look is eclectic art and decorations. There are Windows with picture perfect views and of course a naked painting of Gala with the swans. One room has a mirror that is positioned so that they could see the sunrise in the mirror from their bed. We enter a room with closets covered in personal photos and magazine articles. Next to it is a circular domed living room that was for Galas use only. This pretty much completes the tour of the inside of the home and our guide releases us into the patios and courtyard areas where we can explore at our own leisure.

Broken Egg

There is a rhino dining room for dining al fresco and staying cool. One patio has a big cracked eggshell and then there is a tower with another egg on it. As we climb, we notice one of the tiled roofs has a third egg. He must have liked eggs. There are olive groves surrounding the house and in one of them lies a figure of a giant made from an old rowboat, tiles, and other assorted objects that were found on the property. Another courtyard yields another egg and tiny stone chairs that I have to test out.

Don’t Give Me No Lip

From there, we enter the pool area. More eccentricity with large snakes, several Michelin men, and a homage to Pirelli tires complete with a toreador fountain and a pink lips couch. He must have been in or designed ads for these tire companies. Maybe he designed the Michelin man. I guess we will have to google that. The weather is pretty breezy and we stowed our jackets in a locker with our backpack, so we exit and retrieve them. We walk around the shore to get a view of the house from across the bay.

Rockin the Stairs

We then decide to try a different way back which should lead us along the cove that Cadeques sits in. The road ends up being closed for construction but we find our way to it and walk without any traffic, people or cars.

CNC Rocky Trail

We make it the waterfront at Roses Beach, where we find a trail along the rocky coast. We can’t pass up a trail and take the path to see where it leads. The wind is blowing and there are quite a few wind surfers out. We also get a nice view of the town from here. We continue walking hoping to make it to an old tower that we see. As we round a bend, we realize that we will not get there as it is on an island with no way for us to see it unless we swim.

My New Home

On our side there is a cool old stone house whose porch begs me to sit on it. As I do and Carol takes a picture, it starts to rain lightly. We check the map, find a nearby road that will return us to the waterfront way, and head out. We reconnect where we started the path and then follow the water back into town. It starts to rain heavier as we near our hotel.

Kebap Lunch

We grab a beer in the store and two Kebaps at a place next to the store and bring it all to our room for lunch. We rest up, than shower and get ready for dinner. In three hours, the rain has passed and the sun has returned.            

Beauty in Cadeques

We walk along the water, find a nice place to sit, and people watch until it is time for dinner. The water is clear and we notice a whole colony of sea urchins below us. Dinner time arrives and we Take off to Lua for our meal.

She is Happy

We have red wine, a creamed cod appetizer, Tom Ka with chicken for our mains, and dessert of strudel and a chocolate sausage with pistachio. The food is all tasty but I do not think the portions justify the price. I like value for my money and this did not give me that feeling. Everything was fresh and this is a kind of resort area so maybe that is just the cost here. We return to our room and get ready for tomorrow’s trip to our last Spanish town.

Expenses
Hotel Octavia 78.40E
Dali House Museum 24E
Kebap Lunch 8E Cash
Beer from Spar Market 1.55E Cash
Dinner at Lua 58E
Walked 6 Miles