Casa Dalí

We wake up early to catch a bus from Barcelona to the seaside Spanish town of Cadaquez. The ride takes us through highways, gives way to roads and roundabouts, goes through small towns, finally leading to the sea. We turn towards terraced green hills that wind around  and around, giving a peek of the sea below. There are plenty of olive trees and cacti growing in the hills and the terracing of the hills defines how steep they are. It’s a thrilling winding ride and arriving into town the white houses on hills against the blue sea is refreshing.

We find our little hotel and then walk to Casa-Museo Dali, it’s in an even smaller Costa Brava port town, Port Lligat, it’s just a 15 minute walk through this gorgeous place to reach it.

Excitedly we follow the signs for Casa Dali. We come to an amazing terraced olive grove overlooking the sea. Boats on the water and an island help complete the dream view! We see a couple of cats standing guard at the garden gate and looking down to the house below the grove we can now see the sculpture of 2 large silver heads and realize the cats are actually hanging out in Dali’s olive grove.

We continue down the road and down a cobblestone street reaching the shore and the front of the house. The house is in a bay and there are many little colorful boats along the rocky shore outside the house.

The home of Dali is actually a group of fishermen’s homes he bought one at a time and made into a surrealist seaside escape. We join our tour, with one other couple and we are lead into the house. It’s a full on tour, with commentary on the objects, architecture, history and insights into the life of Dali and his partner Gala. They obviously lived an inspiring life here.

The guide noted, Dali was obsessed with immortality, the symbolism is often found in his art and quite present in his home. Swans and bunches of yellow immortelle flowers are symbols used in the library. You absolutely feel he and Gala’s spirits are in and around the home, I can see why they would want to spend an eternity there!

We are guided from each amazing room to the next. The dining room was so beautiful!

While Dali’s art is beautifully strange and haunting his home is actually quite comfortable and almost kitsch with small collections, knick knacks and artifacts and funky or bright fabrics used on the simple furniture. The white plaster walls and striking ocean views give the place that effortless, relaxed feel only found in seaside homes.

Below are photos from Dali’s studio. The paintings were his last and everything in the home is left as it was when he was last there.

Below, the stairway leading up to the models room…

The Yellow Room…

Dali and Gala’s bedroom…

There are plenty of surprises too! A domed room designed by Dali for his dear Gala, the room is cozy and round, couches circle the room and have pretty pillows and stuffed animals placed here and there. The room has a parlor trick of it’s own! If you stand in the center your voice surrounds your head and fills your ears, you can whisper and a person across the room can hear you. It’s so fun!

I imagine great moments were shared in this little sitting room!

There is also a mirror in the yellow room that is placed so that Dali and Gala could watch the sunrise from their beds through the mirror…

More fun with mirrors at Casa Dali…

Outside in the gardens there are so many great sculptures and we hatched out of one!

Of course there are areas we cannot go into and I guess the mystery is welcome as Dali’s art gives the same sense of mysteriousness. Besides the places we do see are so delightful and inspiring as it is, I am inspired for a lifetime!

A simple pretty courtyard, is at the heart of the home. It’s protected from the wind and full with aromatic plants, it’s perfectly dreamy! You can understand why the visits are timed, if they weren’t people would just hang out there all day!

Dali was no stranger to good times and his pool is made up like a party palace, complete with a fiberglass hot pink lips couch, a covered area with thrones, taxidermy animals and big Moroccan pillows, fountains and water features, all surrounding the pool.

There is also a bbq area built into the plaster walls below the pool.

The pool area is the last section of the tour and we hang out for a long time, taking it all in and basking in the energy given off by the home.