"Bed and Two Bedside Tables Ferociously Attacking an Violoncello"

We had another early bus out of town that morning. This bus was early enough that it made some sense to wake up a little early and try to catch the sunrise over the bay. Unfortunately, it was cloudy. At least we tried.

From Cadaqués we took the bus inland to Figueres, birthplace, childhood home, and, now, site of an entire museum devoted to Salvador Dalí. My flight was at 4:30 that day and we made it to Figueres at 10:30; we had plenty of time.

On the walk from the bus station to the museum, we found the first sign of Dalí:



Brilliant!

As you read this post and see all the wacky crazy pictures, remember that this is Salvador Dalí:



I am a little bit jealous that he can do that with his mustache.

Anyway, the museum is called the "Teater Museu Dalí" or "The Theater Museum of Dalí". On the museum Dalí said, "Where, if not were in my own city, should the most extravagant and solid examples of my art remain, where else? The Municipal Theater, or what was left of it, seemed to me to be very appropriate for three reasons: first, because I am an eminently theatrical painter: second, because the Theater is in front of the church where I was baptized and third, because it was precisely in the lobby of the Theater that I had my first exhibition of paintings". The building was, in fact, a former theater practically destroyed in the Civil War in the 1930's.
Here it is:




Again, remember that Dalí designed the place himself and oversaw the construction.




The museum was really crowded; it seems to have become a bit of an amusement park almost. Still, it had a lot of crazy stuff and really interesting paintings.



Abe Lincoln?



Maybe not; look closer.



The Poetry of America:



The Mae West Room, an installation modeled after an earlier painting:


(I didn't take this one.)

We were here just the day before:



"Bed and Two Bedside Tables Ferociously Attacking an Violoncello":



Oh my oh my. There was a lot of other stuff there too, like holograms and sculptures, but I always feel weird taking pictures in an art museum.

I was really struck by the a powerful impression of humility in the following reoccurring image, though I'm not sure what to make of it the larger context of the works in teh corridor.




Overall, I was very impressed at the way Dalí had shown mastery of a number of different styles of art. In his later years this turned into some very inventive and very unique creative works, like his holograms or his reflective cylinder things, like in the picture at the top. He was a goof-ball, a genius, a weirdo, and a man with a great mustache; the kind of guy I'd like to read a little more about for, at the very least, a good laugh.

I laughed a lot at this museum.

From the museum we trained to Girona. I grabbed a tortilla sandwich (which had no potatoes!!) and caught a bus back to the airport. Mang-git decided to stay until early Monday morning to catch a cheaper flight back to Munich. I had class early Monday and didn't want to sleep in an airport, so I bit the bullet and took the slightly more expensive flight home.

While walking to the plane during boarding I uttered the word "endlich", which means "finally" in German, which ended up sparking a conversation with the German guy waling next to me. His name was Thomas. I would soon discover that he lives in Rotes Haus in StuStadt and knows Mimi, one of the girls from the program. Small world.

After the flight Thomas drove me back to Munich from the airport, which was really nice of him and a great opportunity for me to try and speak some German. I've gotten to the point where I speak very good "party German", a term I devised for the basic phrases one needs at a party like: "I'm from Cleveland", "I study engineering", "I've studied German since January 2007", "I like Munich, there's lot's of cool things here", "Beer and sauerkraut are my life blood", and so on. Beyond that it gets tricky. On a long car ride the conversation inevitably goes beyond "party German" to a place that's frustrating and difficult for me. On the bright side, it is good practice and maybe I'll get good, eventually.



Spain ended up being a really good trip and a solid adventure. I'd really like to go back and explore the country some more, especially if I had brushed up on my Spanish beforehand. It seemed like a really great culture and a really beautiful country. It's a shame that I had so often, in the past, brushed Spain off as a backwards and boring place; it certainly is not. Instead its a country full of wacky and impressive arts, siestas, and delightful landscapes.

¡Me gusta España!