Northern Catalonia Excursion

Dear Readers:

When we last left off you were in eager anticipation of my big plan for the day. Well, a bit of asking around in Barcelona, consultation of Fodor’s and my own interests led me to … a day excursion to Northern Catalonia and the towns of Figueres and Girona. When I last blogged about routes to take through my Solo Walk in Spain, I contemplated a two to three day trip to the Pyrenees on my way to San Sebastian. As cool as that region seems – rich with natural beauty and hiking – my inquiries led me to realize that this detour was just not practical during this particular trip to Spain since the Pyrenees are a) not so transportation friendly and I would either have to rent a car (cha-ching) or spend too much time traveling by various combos of buses and trains b) a bit on the chilly side this time of year (more ski-friendly than hiking-friendly).

I got an early start on my day with another run through the park (Jardins de Joan Maragall) and then headed to the train station, which was a convenient 10-minute walk from Casa de Billy. I boarded the train and sent off for Figueres, a town just near the border of France and well known for their famous resident, artist Salvador Dali. I opted to lug my laptop with me since I knew I would be facing train rides totaling about four hours, and also wanted my novel, guidebook and snacks. The train ride was fine – I spent a bit of time scenery watching, catching up on work and schmoozing with an older Israeli couple seated next to me. Just over two hours later I arrived in Figueres. I had an image in mind of a pristine little village with rolling hills and a rustic Dali museum. When I emerged from the train station, however, I was met with a neighborhood that looked more like a semi-run down/dirty residential intersection in Israel. A bit disappointed, my inner navigator took over (helped along by a few signs) and I started off towards the Dali Museum. Fortunately, the scenery changed the closer I got to the museum and eventually the town I had in mind started to form. In fact, it was eventually replaced by some very narrow streets lined with shops and cafes that looked more like Rodeo Drive than a quaint Spanish village.

Tangent: My Interest in Dali

As the four of you who actually read this blog likely know, I went to an awesome program at Cleveland High School focused on the humanities. Students in the program follow a core curriculum that teaches about cultures and time periods through a combination of literature, history, sociology, philosophy and … art. On more than one occasion our studies focused on the work of Salvador Dali. While my teacher was a rather peculiar man whose idea of sound pedagogy consisted of daily frontal lectures and slide shows, for some reason the content stuck and my interest in Dali was piqued. He has an uninhibited way of dissecting human beings and objects in a way where I really appreciate his symbolism, but have a hard time looking at the art for an extended period of time. Many of his pieces are ones that I would never want to own and display (which is precisely the reason my Dali collection is non-existent). Those of you familiar with his work may feel similarly (or may leave me hanging). Anyway, given my fondness for his work I was eager for the opportunity to see one of his better collections in the town he often called home.

The museum was outstanding! It is housed in a theater that has been renovated and converted into a museum of multiple levels. I was surprised to discover the broad range of his works. While his focused was certainly on surrealism through painting, he dabbled in other types of art (classic portraits, pop art, etc.) and other mediums (sculpture, metals, costumes, etc.). There were a few pieces that I remembered from my studies, such as the museum’s featured painting Gala the Tiger, inspired by a dream his wife (and frequent subject) once described for him. I was most intrigued by a few particular pieces. First, and as mentioned, Dali loved to incorporate his wife into his work and approached her from so many different angles – literally and figuratively. One specific painting that stands out is called Gala Nude from Behind Looking in an Invisible Mirror. It is so life like, and in many ways not “Dali.” The second was a series of paintings inspired by the stories of Don Quijote the Man of LaMancha. These paintings (more like sketches) merged my love of Dali with my love of theater and the tales of Don Quijote. Once done with the museum I walked around the town a bit more, and eventually found a café at which I could have some wine (two glasses for $4!) and read my novel.

Back on the train I headed south (towards Barcelona) to the town of Girona, home to Jewish people during the 13^th/14^th century. This town was adorable. The “Old City” is separated from the new one by rivers that are crossed by any one of a number of bridges. I spent time walking the streets – up, down, curving – until I found my way to Call Jueu (Jewish area). The only remnant of Jewish life is a decent, small museum providing an overview for the history of Jews in Girona and also other places around Spain. I then wandered a bit, stopping for some berry frozen yogurt, gelato style. Eventually I sat down at a café in Placa de la Independencia, drank tea did a bit of work. So nice! My intention was to stay for dinner, but many places close after lunch and do not re-open until 8pm, cutting it too close to my comfort if I wanted to make the last train back to Barcelona at 9:15pm. So, my day ended with wandering to the Raval to find dinner, reading and writing back in Barcelona.

Tomorrow is my last day in Barcelona, and I’m excited to see the last couple of sites that sound interesting to me and re-visit a few of my highlights thus far.

For more photos from today – click here (Figureres) and here (Girona)!

Adios,

Zach