Who would live in a house like this? Port Lligat, Spain
Zagan the motorhome is waiting to see what happens at 8pm as the car park he is in at Port Lligat has a sign which says parking is from 10am – 8pm (N42.29560, E3.28678). Part of the car park contains a small, closed restaurant. Maybe at the magic hour it will spring into life and we’ll feast like kings – but I strongly suspect that might not be the case. It’s 6pm now, and the last car parked in here has just left.
Last night the sun went down over Empuriabrava turning the canals into mirrors, reflecting the empty apartments and battened-down boats. We both slept like logs in the peace and quiet of our free parking place, the view out of Zagan’s windows would command a premium at any campsite.
After breakfast we gave Zagan a good hoover out. I have no idea when we last did it, but he was sporting quite a lot of sand, and as it’s the first of the month we’ll remember now when it was done. We then drove down to the entrance to the canal system for Empuribrava as Jay was keen to see if there were any gates to stop the place flooding at high tide. Seems the Bay of Roses isn’t tidal as there was just a dog-leg channel to stop waves washing into the canals.
Got a wave from all on board – maybe they haven’t seen many people recently either!
As we walked along the canal side Charlie snuffled about as usual until he let out a yelp and stood with one paw in the air. Walking back towards him we spotted the fishing wire coming from his mouth and our hearts began to race. We picked him up and were very relieved to see the hook stuck in his paw. I gently removed before Jay started on the much harder task of getting Charlie to regurgitate the fishing wire he’d already swallowed, while we kept our fingers crossed there wasn’t anything on the other end too. Poor Charlie squirmed and yelped as Jay carefully tugged at the wire and after what seemed like an age the loop of nylon appeared. To cheer up violated pooch, Jay took him for a play on the beach while I walked the rest of the sea wall. Needless to say Zagan needs another hoover!
Hmm, not sure we’ll be able to convince any passing policemen that Charlie hasn’t been on their blue flag beach!
Susan and John from Travels with Hetty got in touch a few days ago and said that before we leave Spain we should go to Port Lligat, and even though it says you can’t park your motorhome pretty much everywhere, you can. I knew that Salvador Dali had a house around here, but didn’t realise we’d end up sleeping just a couple of hundred yards from it (hopefully, as we’ll see what happens at 8pm!).
Cadaques (or cad-a-kays as satnav likes to call it)
From Empuribrava we wound our way over the hills to Cadaques where we were greeted with big signs saying no motorhomes except in the designated car park or camp sites, how welcoming. We turned left and followed the signs for Port Lligat which is 1.5 kilometres north. As we made our way into the bay I spotted the Daliesque egg shapes on top of one of the houses and got a little bit excited. I knew Jay wouldn’t be bothered about visiting the museum as he didn’t really enjoy the Dali museum in Figures when we visited on our last trip into Spain, and I was a little disappointed with it too – but to see his house would be something different.
Dali’s house
After walking around drinking in the views (I can see why he chose to live here) we wandered over to the museum. The quayside and small beach either side of the house were lined with little fishing boats patiently waiting for their owners – a few lucky ones puttered in and out of the bay. Two hotels had sprung up nearby in the 1960’s, and the odd villa dotted the olive tree terraced hillsides, but otherwise the Dali house is pretty much the only thing here.
It was €11 for a tour, which to me seemed quite a lot, but then if we were both going in I’d have happily paid €5.50 each, so I figured why not! I paid up and was told my tour would start in 15 minutes. Jay and Charlie (who hasn’t suffered any ill effects from this morning) headed off to do their own thing while walked over to meet the guide. He glanced at my ticket, ‘English? Francais?’, and started to list his languages. Opting for English he said, ‘Good, this way please’. While the place was quiet there were about three couples milling around who I assumed would be on the tour with me, but that wasn’t to be – I had my own private tour.
Every home should have a polar bear in the hallway
As I wandered around the house the guide would point out things, then stand to one side to give me time to take photos and look around the rooms on my own – what a privilege. Dali had rented a small fisherman’s cottage here in the 1930’s, before buying it. As time went on he bought the cottages either side, and the house grew organically, ending up as the amazing place it is today.
Dali’s studio
The light and airy studio, where he worked on huge canvasses that could be lowered into the ground on a pulley system so he could reach the top without ladders, leads to small nooks and crannies of rooms; one for his models to prepare in and a darkened room where he experimented with light. The only bedroom includes a bird room for his canaries, a small cage for a cricket so he could always hear them at night, a small bathroom for him and a larger bathroom for his wife Gala.
Gala’s Oval Room
Gala’s bathroom lead to a dressing room, the wardrobe doors covered in photographs of Dali and Gala with famous people from Picasso and The Pope to Laurence Oliver, this leads to Gala’s ‘Oval Room’ which was designed for her to relax in.
At first I wondered if the place had been staged a bit, there were a lot of stuffed animals and rooms bursting with nik-naks, but later you get to see video taken of them in the house, and it is all there, just as it is now. The whole place looked like they would just come back at any moment and pop on their shoes (which sat beside the bed), or Dali pick up a brush and start working again.
This visit was, for me, so much better than seeing the museum in Figueres. While it was only an hour long, and even though the place isn’t full of his paintings – his work that I like best – I felt honoured to have a glimpse into his what were probably the happier times of his life.
Ju x
PS – There’s an observatory on the hill behind us, we’re hoping it’s here because there is so little light pollution and we’ll get some good star action tonight.
Dear Ju, that was eggstraudinary.
Sorry!
Dalí, one of my favourites … And what a blue sky!!! Great!
You mentioned sth went wrong with emails, wordpress … Well I did not receive this post in my inbox. Just saw it on facebook …
Hope things get solved…
Must get a pet cricket, cage would need heating here though !
I am really enjoying reading all about your adventures. The photographs are stunning and the words are wonderful. I can’t wait to find out what happened at 8pm? All the best to Charlie, he isn’t having the best of good fortune lately.
Hi Julie and Jason, It’s a wonder we didn’t cross paths. We’re staying in Roses at the mo and we cycled through Cadaques yesterday on our way to Cap de Creus – a rocky outcrop where you have almost 360 degree views of the coast line with it’s surrounding coves. It’s beautiful and well worth a visit if your still in the area. Tomorrow we’re moving on but Empuribrava is on our to do list and then hopefully the Aire at Sant Feliu de Guixols. PS – We’re the ones that have recently sold up and departed on our travels from Heanor!
Problem solved. I was just too impatient to get your post, I suppose. The email came in later in the evening on Dec 1st so all is good!
Hi Chris
Glad you got the email.
To fix the problem we had of exceeding the number emails we could send in an hour we’ve had to slow them down. They now go out within two hours from when we post our update.
Cheers
Julie
Wow, love Dali, seen where you are many times on TV documentaries about Dali,,,ok the weather in Uk very wet and miserable Cold, as of last week Colder,,you both are in a much better Climate by far..looks nicer by far…Are you both enjoying yourselves? and having a good time?
I’m so please you are enjoying Portlligat I first heard of the place in 1975 from my tutor at Farnham Art College who rented a cottage there for summer and he told me of Dali coming to the beach with his junk .. Throwing up an installation .. Leaving it on the beach got a day then destroying it with much pomp and ceremony… So now we have been and it’s not forgettable !!!!!
hi, me again just been out and about…not that cold over here today it’s 10°C in Lancashire and your at about 13°C…but you have the Sun, we don’t. Hope you both are having a great time I know your not on holiday but following your vids and post is giving me a glimpse of options for my future in a couple of years