Close encounters with Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was one of Catalonia's greatest sons and he has made Figueras, his birth-place, famous.  The fact that it is a very lovely small city is almost irrevelant.  When you are here, you must go and pay homage to this eccentric genius and Dali has created a place where all visitors can do so.

The Great Masturbator created by Dali in 1929 during his surrealist period.  It is currently displayed at the National Arts Centre in Madrid.  The center of the painting has a distorted human profile looking downwards, based on the shape of a natural rock formation at Cap Creus.

This is the rock formation at Cap Creus where we were yesterday before arriving at Figueras.  We were aware that one of the rocks was the foundation of the painting and we carefully looked for it and identified it.

The Dali Theatre House Museum was built upon the foundation of a former theatre in the city owned by the Dali family.  The whole concept of the museum in its entirety was conceived and designed by Dali himself in the 1970s in order to offer visitors real experience of delving into his captivating and unique self.  It contains, certainly not all, but the broadest range of works spanning his artistic career.

This is the the Torre Galatea (Tower of Galatea) of the museum building, in honour of his wife Gala who was an inspiration right through his life.  Dali often decorated the top of buildings with eggs, the symbol of future life and filled the entire front with loaves of bread the symbol of nutrition.

The entrance hall of the museum.  It is hard to appreciate it from this photograph but the entrance hall is a very large space.

This is a photo of the boat you can see at the top, taken from several floors up looking down at the entrance hall.

This face is one of a large series and it is entirely made up of pieces of rock.

The famous red couch based on Mae West's lips.  It really looks like a couch close up.

Mae West's face as arranged by Dali.  You have to mount steps above in order to appreciate the head as a structure.

After the surrealist experience of seeing Dali's works, it is almost odd to get back to the prosaic, and a show a few photos of the delightful town of Figueras.  But Dali would have approved as, for him, while living in various houses all over the world, Figueras, Catalonia and the sea-side town of Cadaques remained closest to his heart.

A replica of one of Dali's figurines.

Dali's birth-place house.

And yet another wonderful paella, this one a mixed one.  Maybe even better than the last?

A more modest, but nevertheless delicious, take-way octopus salad from the supermarket.  These cost E3 and are great for a one person serve.  We have started having our main meal at lunch time as the restaurants all offer a Menu of the Day at that time but not in the evenings.  We then have a light supper in our hotel room.  Much better for the digestion.  And we had trouble coping with the Spanish habit of dinner at 8:30 or 9:00pm.