Casa Museu Castell Gala Dali, Pubol, 1

We have been qualified Dali (Salvador and Gala) fans for some time. We both like the humorous stuff, and I particularly like the art history/parody stuff. We have been to the Teatro/Museu in Figueres twice (http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2010/02/gala-and-salvidor-dali-teatro-and-museu.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2010/02/more-dali.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2010/02/not-enough-dali.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/teatro-y-museu-dali-in-figueres.html) and to the couple's seaside home at Portlligat (http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2013/04/casa-dali-at-portlligat-1.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2013/04/casa-dali-at-portlligat-2.html). OK, maybe somewhat more than qualified. The third piece of the Dali trifecta is the medieval castle/fortified residence he bought for her as a retreat in the 60s. She is buried there and the castle housed his last studio, in the early 80s. She was his nearly life-long companion, muse, artistic and financial manager, and wife. It was a complicated relationship, no doubt, but he is unimaginable without her. In any case, our Dali set in Catalonia is complete.

Pubol is a pretty medieval hamlet, dating from the 11th century

In English, too

Gala

Courtyard

In the great hall

Spoon chair

Gala presiding

In her bedroom and bath

Living room, sort of, with a variety of Dali objects, allusions

Chess set

LPs--Tristan und Isolde was playing throughout our visit

Village view

Guest room; there were just the two bedrooms; at Portlligat, just one

Many photos of Gala displayed

Her gowns

Salvador never far removed from it all

Els Angels

So we are traveling again, in Spain, setting forth from Figueres and an aire in Quart, near Girona. See http://roadeveron.blogspot.com.es/2017/04/real-time-update-118.html for background. Our initial goal, after a few days of rest, relaxation, reorganization, and repair, was the Castle Gala Dali in Pubol. Guided by Garmina, our estimable satnav, and lacking a decent map (since remedied in the book department at El Corte Ingles), we found ourselves on a seriously winding mountain road that took us to a place--I swear I am not making this up--called Els Angels. It's sort of a high point on a ridge between Girona and the sea (Mediterranean). Apparently, there is/was a monastery there. Later, we learned that Salvador and Gala were married in the chapel at El Angels. It all makes sense, eventually. And under no circumstances, sans map or satnav, would I have wanted to miss Els Angels.

Thus

The Mediterranean from Els Angels

Seascape features of the Costa Brava

Girona, which we'd visit later

Figueres, where we had stored Le Duc

Pyrenees

Mediterranean sort of map of the area

There really were many cyclists, not motorcyclists, pedaling up the steep ridge;
Le Duc was in 1st gear much of the way

The chapel is on the left

Reserved For Parting Pix, Thoughts Re South America

Reserved For Parting Pix, Thoughts From Peru

Return To Middle California, Again, 2017

We were at Rebecca and Jeremy's less than two weeks: just enough time to get Le Sport out of storage, fit and rigged for camping (and back into storage), unpack, reorganize, pack for RVing in Europe, do medical and dental appointments, shop some, and spend some time with R, J, and P; and especially P. We were going to go camping, but heavy rains closed Big Basin State Park and we were forced to do our camping with P in the driveway.

She's become quite a reader, handling chapter
books now

No heavy rains in Oakland, so we went to Fairyland one more
time

Late March, all abloom

Now almost six, there's nothing she can't master
at Fairyland

Old favorite

New favorite; she must have done this for half an hour

Best of all, she was Mike the Magician's special assistant for
much of the show

Tasting curry ketchup; still the world's best
eater; not pictured but perhaps coming to
YouTube...bicycle riding without the training
wheels

Another embarquement photo, March, 2017

Rebecca compiled several over the years

Turning back east over the Pacific, 11 hours
from Frankfurt, and then Barcelona, and then
Figueres 

Last Day In Lima

After the Pilgrimage we spent the next morning packing and then flew back to Bean City, staying this time, not in the historical district, but in fashionable, suburban Miraflores, out on the coast, which you could easily mistake for San Diego. Another nice hosteria and some time to kill before our late departure for the States...so we walked along the cliffs to a shopping center and restaurant Marie had recommended. Great roast chicken. It was unlike every other day we've had in South America, but I, for one, very much welcomed the change.

Alas, to get to Miraflores from the airport
and back, you have to spent a couple more
hours in Lima's abominable traffic

But Miraflores is pretty nice

You can do the parapente thing in the morning

And surf later in the morning

There was even a nice Parc Guell wall to remind us that in
little more than two weeks, we'd be in Barcelona

Paddington Bear monument

Apart from the guilt, I could really like this place...we even
found a most agreeable supermercado in the shopping center

But Middle California beckoned...Moana was the airplane
movie...and we were ready for a return