Dali8

A Daliance in Catalunya

22 July 2019

We left Narbonne and headed south along the foothills of the Pyrenees, the wind was atrocious, blowing a gale one second then stopping then blowing again and swirling around . Even though we weigh just over 400kg on the road, we were being tossed about like a feather. I felt like I was wrestling a crocodile just trying to keep the motorcycle within our lane on the motorway. It was challenging riding to say the least. Fortunately it wasn't too long a ride to our first stop for the day, the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain.

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Former theatre in Figueres, Catalunya, converted into a museum by Dali himself. His remains are also housed in the museum. The depth and breadth of work on display is astonishing and one can't help but admire the phenomenal quantity of extraordinary work completed by Dali and housed here in his own museum. An absolute privilege.

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Now that's how you do public open space, Plaza Mayor, Vic.

Fortunately the wind had abated by the time we left Figueres and it was a relatively pleasant if very hot ride into Vic. In many of the towns we visit we seek out the art, much of the old work is to be found in cathedrals and churches but we have also come across some fantastic contemporary murals.

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Public art, Vic.

The museum in Vic focusses on Roman and Episcopal art, with the latter collection very impressive and beautifully presented. The quanity of religious work there really makes one think about how churches were once the centre of community life and able to accumulate much wealth. I guess in the days before most people could read or write they could follow a storyboard, and be in awe of the size of some of these works!

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Enjoying the wonderful museum in Vic.

The weather has remained very hot, restricting our activities to the morning and evening, allowing us to appreciate the afternoon siesta when it is really just too darn hot to do much else.

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Vic cameo.

So it's time to seek out cooler climes and we're heading high up into the Pyrenees, to Andorra and some fantastic mountain scenery.

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Adios from Archie (de Triumphe) for the time being.

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