Last Day: back to Cadaques and the Salvador Dali House

Doug dug the Salvador Dali Museum so much that he wanted to also see the Salvador Dali House.  So back to Cadaques we went.  But first we did some shopping in downtown Figueres.  We both bought some shoes and some ice cream.

 



Driving past Cadaques to the Salvador Dali House on the north side of town.



The house was whimsically decorated with all sorts of strange and unusual items



The house next door



Salvador Dali paints a painting of himself painting, using a mirror.



Some of the outside areas were gorgeous.



Olives



The guy definitely had a sense of humor as part of his artistic vision.



A giant teacup planter

He was apparently very proud to have invented the Michelin Man.



All seating must be shaped like lips, that's the rule.



Swans Squirting



Grrrrrrr!!!



A view from the upper terrace



Eggs Everywhere in Salvador Dali Land.



He's got a giant robot carcass made out of rocks, clay pots, an old boat, and driftwood decomposing in his backyard.

Doug found a friend.



On the way back to Figueres we decided to check out Roses, which is the next town south of Cadaques.  This view of the town of Roses is from up on a mountain overlooking Roses from the north.

One last walk around downtown Figueres to admire the buildings and the graffiti.  Tomorrow we fly back to DC.

 

Cadaques



Today was chosen to be a "beach" day, so off we headed towards the coastal town of Cadaques, about an hour from Figueres.

 



Had to go over some mountains to get there.

We decided to park near the beach and walk into town for some lunch before we hit the beach.



With all the blue and white, it sort of reminds me of Greece.



We decided to get the noodle version of paella, for a change.  We also got the black sauce, which I think is squid ink.  It was kind of smoky tasting, and very delicious.  It tasted better than it looks.  I enjoyed this one much more than the rabbit and chicken paella that we had in Valencia.  In general, I am not crazy about having to work so hard to eat my food, pulling things out of shells, and scraping things off of bones.  I prefer to just be able to stick my fork in there and eat it.



There's a small, very crowded beach right in the center of Cadaques.



And lots of boats out in the harbor.



After lunch we drove a little farther and found this delightful little beach.



After the beach we drove north for a bit.



Love these olive trees!



One last look at Cadaques before heading back to Figueres.



And one more last look.



The sky did something special on our way back to Figueres.

Santa Pau and Banyoles

We had taken the highway up to Olot because we were starving and wanted to hit the restaurant as soon as it opened.  On the way back to Figueres we opted for a more scenic route on a smaller road, which took us through the old volcano region to the small town of Santa Pau. 



I'm always thrilled to see the local animal life wherever I go.



Near the village of Santa Pau.



A temporarily dry river bed.



A map of the local volcanos



Old stone barns



Hydrangeas



Two views of Esglesia de Santa Maria, near Santa Pau

The final place we visited was Banyoles, which had a beautiful lake right on the edge of the town.

 



It was still pretty light out in Banyoles, even at 10:15 at night.