Cathar Castles: Queribus

Queribus

Closer up

Across the valley, from Peyrepertuse

In the AM, with the Mediterranean in the background

Why we did only one of these chateaux

The French/Spanish border ran along here for some centuries, hence these fortresses high up on the limestone crags; they were also redoubts for the Albigensian "heretics"

Across the Pyrenees

So, still giggling from the Dali, we drove back east, crossing the Pyrenees just below where they peter out. Vicki had wanted to see one or two of the Cathar castles, so we skirted Perpignan and headed north up into the mountains.

Formidable mountains

Normally I don't do double rainbows, but this one was

close and brilliant

Lots of snow

Have to come back and see these in the summer

Not Enough Dali

Dali's copy of Rubens' copy of Michaelangelo's copy of ...

Velazquez is Spain's most revered painter;

the Prado guide says flatly that Las

Meninas is the greatest of all works of art;

so Velazquez comes into a full and fair share

of abuse at the Dali; this one is titled "The

Girl with the Pearl"

And this one "Landlord looking in to see

what the crazy painter is up to..."

And this one is the unfinished portrait of Gala, originally

designed to incorporate 1,000 mirrors...

Ceiling of the great hall, the Ascension of

Gala and Salvador into Heaven; alas, my

lens couldn't get it all, but do look into his

drawers...

Tapestry of "The Persistence of Memory"

Dali also did jewelry (what didn't he do?);

these are the very famous telephone earrings

The red heart inside actually throbs

Grave of the artist

Vicki on the egg bench; art appreciation is hard work

More Dali

Portrait of Picasso...the likeness is remarkable

"Soft" self-portrait

1947 was a good year for the Dalis, and for me

The very, very famous portrait of Abraham

Lincoln; enlarge, then stand up and start

walking back away from the screen...

Creation

I love this shot; most photo-editors will sense when

something needs to be rotated...but not necessarily in the

case of Dali; this is the inner courtyard, and there is so

much going on in it I hesitate to offer a description;

nonetheless, there is the 1947 Cadillac convertible, with

mannequins; the hood ornament is a very full-figured

lady; towering over it all, atop the Michelin stack, is a boat,

hanging from which are a hundred or so condoms filled

with blue paint...oh, had I rotated it, I would have lost the

Cadillac and the boat...

Gala, Dali's life-long muse, soul-mate,

business manager, wife

Original Sin

The very, very, very famous Mae West installation...well,

a copy; the original is in a MOMA, Chicago or NY, I can't

remember

Venus de M, with drawers

Closer-up of the boat above the courtyard

Vicki deep into art appreciation

Gala and Salvador Dali Teatro and Museu

Figueres is home to the main Dali museum. It had been the town's theatre, but was damaged in the civil war. Dali convinced the town (his home town) that if they gave him the theatre, let him have his way with it (!), he'd put them on the map. The rest is history. We spent several hours...the place is a complete and total hoot, especially if you have been touring Europe recently and have learned a little art history. For me, it was just the right combination of art, intellect, and bad boy.

So you're walking along this street in

downtown Figueres, apartment and office

buildings on all sides, you turn a corner,

and then this--the Dali Teatro--pops out at

you

Main tower and dome, and eggs, and statues...

Closer up

Yes, they are loaves of bread...a running gag, it turned out

In the courtyard, before you even go in to

the museum, the craziness begins...

Statue in the courtyard

Another

Adios, Barcelona

Our campsite in Barcelona, the Forum Park 'n Ride; not

cheap, not quiet, but close-in and safe

Misericord on the Barcelona Metro, seriously

We both had read Zafon's Shadow of the

Wind recently (I loved it); if I were spending

more time here, I'd read more of his work

and then use this handy guide to the town

We left Barcelona in the afternoon and got as far as Figueres,

staying at a supermercado that permits RVs; happy (if dead)

fish at the supermercado

Alcoholic cool aid; a liter for a euro; an important source of

vitamin C

Sagrada Familia

Friday morning we took the tram/Metro back
into the old city for a long look at the
Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi church that has
been under construction since 1882; no one
knows when it will be finished, but already
it is one of the great religious buildings, and,
when finished, it certainly will eclipse most
of the rest (Vicki calls it the Sangria Family);
the towers, 12 of them altogether, are about
100m tall

A glimpse of what the stained glass will

look like

Cranes everywhere

Jesus of the bridge...ascending (interestingly,

Gaudi's angels have no wings; he maintained

that the wings conventionally ascribed to

them could not have supported flight (no

dorsal guiding feathers?))

Love the fruit and vegetable look on the

spires

Ditto

As I said, they have no problem with rebar here

And still a long way to go...