The ‘Empordà Dalinian’ triangle of Surrealism- the Salvador Dali trail of Catalunya

The day totally dedicated to Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí I Domènech, the painter who had taken surrealism to the next level. The city of Figueres holds the most important museum of Dalí. Apart from his most impressive works and personal belongings, this museum also houses the mortal remains of this surrealistic painter.

The small town of Figueres was the hometown of Dalí. The entire museum is created in a surrealistic manner. He himself wanted to create his own museum a labyrinth, which are to take its visitors in the world of a theatrical dream. The building was once the Municipal theatre of the city, which was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.

The first glimpse of the building had brought a sense of unreality. The huge red building has an egg on the top, with a number of uncanny breads pasted throughout the entire building. I was told, according to Dalí Pan y huevos (Bread and egg) is a symbol of alimentos(food). The entrance was located in the interior part of the building, accessible through a cobblestone road. We were very grateful that our tickets were arranged already, as there were a huge number of people awaiting outside. The timing of entry was mentioned on the ticket, and we had arrived just in the time of entry.

The interior of the museum was reflecting the same surreal feel, justifying the utmost desire of making his museum a ‘a great surrealist object’. Infront the main house there was a charming courtyard. The personal Cadillac of the artist is standing in the centre. The mortal remains of the painter lies in the main building, the former stage of the theatre. All through the museum, I could find paintings, sculptures and illusions created by Dalí.

One of the most intriguing part of this museum is the Mae West Room. In the centre of the room there was a lip-shaped sofa, infront of a bizarre fireplace and two paintings. A small staircase was kept across, from upwards angle the entire setup was creating the face of famous actress Mae West. Every corner of the building was packed with world of surrealism, but I was busy to find the original masterpiece of Dalí which had initially drawn me to this artist.

In an inside chamber, which also served as a bedroom I had found my object of quest. The painting of Persistence of Memory had made this painter famous in world of surrealism. Although the original version resides in Museum of Modern Art of New York City, the Figueres museum has one of its best replicas. The painting shows several melting clocks, a desert, sea and his homeland, the peaks of mountain of Cap de Creus. There are several interpretations of this surrealistic masterpiece, but for me it was a reflection of our life, which is getting melted over time.

The intention of Dalí was to make exit impossible from this museum. He specially designed the five-storied building accordingly. After making several rounds of searching for exit I could leave through the Curio shop. Yet, the surprise was not ended there. I was taken to the Dalí Jewel museum which has jewelry made of surrealist designs. The designs and crafting of these masterpieces were one of a kind. However, the time was short and we had to leave for our next destination, Púbol.

An enchanting medieval village, located in the La Pera municipality of Catalunya. This mystic village has become more mysterious for the presence of castle of Púbol. This castle was a gift for Gala Dalí, the wife of Salvador Dalí. The relationship of Dalí and his wife was as interesting as his work. This castle was one of the proofs of it. This castle used to belong to Gala Dalí, a powerful source or inspiration behind the creation of Dalí. Any visitor, including Dalí had to take written permission from Gala for visiting this castle.

Tragedy and mystery surround the castle of Púbol. Gala mostly used this castle to entertain her lovers, majority of them used to be much younger than her. Although, these acts had brought a dent in their relationship, Dalí was unable to survive without her. She had a heart-attack in her bed of this castle. Dalí got very much affected by her death and almost lost the will to live. In the same bed of this castle, he got burned by an accidental fire. It is also assumed, that he himself had started the fire.

The Gothic castle originally belonged to 11th Century. The prime intention of Dalí was to create a quiet sanctuary for his wife. The mortal remains of Gala are buried in the crypt. Salvador Dalí also wanted to be buried here, along with his wife, but his mortal remains was shifted to Figures after his death. The tomb of Gala is located on an underground chamber, in front of the main building of Gala Castle.

This castle is still maintained as a home of Gala, her bedroom, guest room, dining room, kitchen, garage have kept intact. These rooms are impeccably designed by Dalí, decorated with his original works.

The castle gave glimpses of ancient Spanish customs. Like the Salon of the Shields has two seats face to face beside the window. It used to be the love seats for the courting couple, where they can sit and talk, as touching wasn’t permitted before marriage.

The amazing collection of dresses are displayed over here, which belonged to Gala. These dresses can compete with any designer couture collection even in 21st Century.

A small yet amazingly designed chapel is located on the entrance of the main castle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t opened during our visit, but we could have a glimpse of the interior from its glass door.

The small village of Púbol was as interesting as Gala herself. The medieval architecture is spread all through the village, combining perfectly with its hilly cobblestone streets. In first glimpse, I felt like I had stepped back a couple of centuries.

Although the castle, museum and the other attractions were enchanting and they were starting to curb the hunger of adventure, it cannot eliminate the hunger for alimentos (Food). So, we head towards the only good restaurant of this village, Can Bosch.

A typical Spanish three-course meal with native wine were served in a Medieval setup. The restaurant also offered excellent view of the surrounding valley. The dessert included Spanish Flan, the native caramel custard. After a dose of Medieval lunch, it was time to leave for the last destination of the triangle.

Our next destination and the third jewel of Empordà Dalinian triangle was Portlligat, a seaside town of Cadaqués, Costa Brava. The name ‘Costa Brava’ is not totally unfamiliar to us, thanks to the amazing movie ‘Zindegi Naa Milegi Dobbara’. The beauty of this place has been attracting people for centuries, Dali is not an exception. In the Northmost part of Costa Brava, the small fishing village Portlligat of Cadaqués houses the artistic home of Salvador Dali.

Cadaqués is located on the the northernmost part of Costa Brava. The small village of Portlligat remained unspoiled until Dalí had created his home. The entire house is designed by him, reflecting his need of living a surreal life. His house is based on the edge of Mediterranean Sea, with the best view of coast.

Matching the village of Portlligat, the house is a whitewash one, with iconic eggs on the top. Everything inside the house is kept and preserved as used by the painter himself.

There are a sitting room, as well as a room to entertain some of his world-famous friends, and spending cozy time.

The bedroom of Dalí and Gala are set in one of the corners with a view. The most interesting object of the bedroom was a mirror. It was set with a special trick by the painter, so that he could see sunrise from his own house. He used to pride himself to be the first person to see the sunrise in Spain, as this house is based on the north-most corner of the country.

The sea-facing studio still has some of his finished and semi-finished work. The painting of Gala was definitely the one which had inspired the famous work, La Galarina. Through this painting, Dalí had once again brought reference of Pan (Bread) here. The hands of Gala are spread as basket, whereas one of her exposed breasts signifies bread. The mention of bread and egg has come several times in the work of Dalí, which signifies the native food of Catalunya.

The best part of the house is most definitely the huge swimming pool in the backyards of the house. The pool is specially shaped as one of the most important part of male anatomy. The poolside used to have a bar and it was especially designed for hosting parties. These crazy parties of Dalí were world-famous in his time. The famous celebrities of Dalí era used to be invited to these famous parties, and they felt quite privileged to attend them.

The charming house of the famous painter used to be small houses of several fishermen. The whitewash village still has a quaint charm, with one of the best views of the Mediterranean Sea. In the first glimpse, the village resembles a native island of Greece. The excellent beauty of this village was almost impossible to leave. Yet, I had to move on, to explore more of Costa Brava and the other interesting parts of Catalunya.