The day starts partly sunny and we have a nice view to enjoy on our terrace at breakfast. It is a cool morning and no one has ventured on the to beach below us, even though the sun has cleared the mountain, and now floods the sand with warm light.

We have decided to travel to Figueres, about 40 minutes away and go to the Dali Museum. There can be long lines there, but it is off season and a Thursday, so we figure we will be all right. They have built the museum in the center of the old town. So we must wind through narrow streets and city squares before we find a parking lot. The museum is a large red terra cotta building covering a city block. The roof line is adorn with giant sculptures of eggs and golden mannequins. The exterior walls are dotted with cream colored squiggles of bread? There is no doubt when you leave the parking garage that you have arrived at the museum.
Apparently, Dali was famous enough before he died so he could build this museum and create the permanent show himself. This, of course, makes it quite unique. There are sketches, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, et. al. This makes the museum a complete retrospective of his work. Most unusual to see.

This gets the museum off and running quickly. There are hundreds of works, too many to comment on, but most memorable are a large ceiling painted with a mural of what seems to be Dali and his wife ascending into heaven. One sees the couples feet as gigantic and cartoon-esque as the bodies rise away from your view.
A center atrium rising 4 stories displays a bonze statue of a nude, portly woman standing a top a antique Cadillac. Above it is a row boat suspended from the ceiling with blue bottom. The surface of the bottom is falling off in huge blue drops.


Another wonder is a large painting of a nude woman from behind. When you photograpy it, the woman disappears and is replaced by sort of a digtal image of Abraham Lincoln. There are many paintings of many subjects in many styles.
Dali was not to be caught in an artistic rut. One must see him as a serious intellect, despite his obvious self image marketing, which is typified by his handle bar mustache. Like all museums, it wore me out. But at least, the subject at hand was covered.
After the museum we drove to the Figueres train station to inquire about a fast train to Barcelona. But it was in a congested part of the town and we could not park. I hope we can find a way to train into the city before we leave for NH.
We returned to Roses for dinner and walked a section of the town away from the beach. It was completely dedicated to tourism with pedestrian streets, shops and restaurants. This place takes on a huge summer crowd and seems up to it. We settle on a place for dinner with street side tables. Ana got into a conversation, in Spanish, with a woman from Belgium. I think the first person either of us has met from Belgium. She surprisingly did not speak English, but Spanish instead. She travels to Spanish speaking countries for vacations, and had some interest in Puerto Rico, though she did not quite know where it was or much about the island. She mentions the nearby city of Girona as a place to see. This will be helpful later.
I am tired of the traveling pressure. Tomorrow I hope to take it easy. Visit Cadequez or go to the beach.





