The museum outside Dali's Museum
I’m back in Figueres, and after helping me solve the mystery of the non-stop night-time ding-dong, Anna has very kindly offered to show me the Dali Theatre-Museum and help me see what Salvador has to say for himself.
The museum was created by Dalí in the old theatre he used to go to as a child.
The first thing we’re going to have a look at is what Dali chose to put in the prime spot.
It's a monument to Francesc Pujols who was a well respected figure for his system of science-based philosophy. Dali didn't just want to honour him, but also promote his work and translated his defence of Gaudi works, which were controversial at the time, into French.
The monument stands on a thousand year old olive tree with a quote - 'Catalan thinking will always survive, even if they try to bury it.'
Above that, is the bust of Francesc Pujols on top of the bust of a Roman patrician. Patricians were the ancient Roman nobility and Dali thought that Pujols was like one of the greatest patricians ever, the Emperor Trajan.
Looking down on both of them, is an egghead resting on fingertips in contemplation, with a natty ruff - just like the sort of thing worn by Dali’s renaissance heroes El Greco and Valazquez.
And then under the rather fetching cloak are all the workers, without whom, nothing would get done.
This curious looking bobble on a stick is a hydrogen atom - or at least Dali's idea of it. Science fascinated Dali (if not some of its actual detail) and hydrogen bombs were a reminder of the power contained in the most simple and fundamental element. Eagle-eyed nerds might notice that it looks more like a representation of a carbon atom, which perhaps speaks more to our times.
In the adjoining square, there's another 'hydrogen' atom perched on an old fountain.
Dali’s interest in science and in particular, Freud’s theories on the subconscious led him to experiment with techniques to try and unlock his own mind.
He’d go to sleep holding a metal object, like a key or a spoon, over a plate so that when he let go of it as he drifted off, he’d get woken up and get access to his dreams.
Who knows, maybe he got the idea from listening to the bells of Sant Pere clanging away through the night.
But in any event, his persistence paid off with him creating his most famous picture, the Persistence of Memory after a late night encounter with a ripe camembert.
The three identical statues, each on a column of tyres are dedicated to Ernest Meissonier.
Meissonier was famous in his day for painting heroic and meticulously detailed battle scenes which all fell out of favour, particularly with avant-garde artists.
But he also created poignant works about the realities of war, particularly civil war.
The next statue is dedicated to Isaac Newton and his enquiries leading to the theory of gravity.
Not convinced this statue looks Isaac? Well this is how 19th Century visionary William Blake portrayed him.
The statue also has a something extra - a sixth toe
Dali reminds us that Newton wasn't the only one with an enquiring mind. Renaissance painter Rafael de Sanzio’s interest in the human form and physical anomalies made his preliminary sketches almost as interesting as his finished pictures
How many fingers?
Now let’s go and look around the other side of museum and see another side of Dali, which may just make our tummies rumble.
This is the outside wall of the Museum. Dali extended the old theatre to include a building owned by a local wealthy family with its tower.
The walls are covered in bread sculptures in the shape of a local tricorn bread.
If you are wondering where you may have seen something like this before, maybe it was La Casas de las Conchas in Salamancar?
And if you are wondering where you have seen bread like this before, maybe it was on Dali's head.
With bread on the walls and eggs on top, food is a big theme for Dali. But there is something in particular that these two things have in common.
They are both hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Contrasting hard with soft was a feature of Dali's work and he saw himself as a soft person that needed protection. Perhaps his cocky show-off style was his hard exterior?
And while we muse on that, we can join the queue to go inside the museum (make sure you've booked your ticket) - or go and get some grub first. How about these local specialities: panellets (at Easter), flaona and xuixos
from this nearby patisserie on Plaça Ajuntament. Yum.
Getting there
Getting to Figueres takes about 2 3⁄4 hours from Nimes, 3 hours from Avignon, 4 hours from Lyon and around 5 3⁄4 hours from Paris.
But why not take the slower route via Portbou which is around 20 minutes away?
Useful links
Tourist info: https://turismefigueres.com/en/
If you would like a personal tour guide who knows her stuff (Figueres and Girona) : https://annapersonalguide.com/