Saturday, October 2, 2021

Cadaques: Apartmento Union (Airbnb), Day 2 of 2

Walking Route: Two trips to Portligat and back, about 6 miles

Kayaking Route: Two hours up the coast and back, not sure of the distance

Kayak Company: Kayaking Costa Brava, https://www.kayakingcostabrava.com/

What a fun day! We had arranged to rent sea kayaks in Portligat, about a mile and a half away from Cadaques, for a couple of hours in the morning. It was an absolutely beautiful day, but the wind was forecast to pick up to 20-30 miles per hour by 2:00. 

We hiked over to Portligat and got our kayaks about 10:00, paddled up the coast for an hour to a point with a lighthouse, and then followed the coastline back down to Portligat. It was so fun to be back on the ocean in kayaks. Our boats had skegs, which we were not used to (we've always had rudders). We both had a little trouble fighting the skegs and ended up just lifting them and paddling without them.

Always before on the ocean, we have hired a guide or joined a tour. This was our first solo experience. There was no guide or tour because the season had ended September 30, and the company was offering just this one last opportunity to rent boats on your own because of the nice weather yet Saturday morning. At 2:00 Saturday, the outfitter shut down for the year.

When we turned the kayaks in, we were starving (of course), so we had a seafood lunch at the only cafe in Portligat, right on the beach next to the kayak hut. Then we walked over to Salvador Dali's house and lucked out. Normally you need to make reservations  at least two weeks in advance for a tour of the house, but we (I) had not done that. Unbelievably, two people had just canceled for the 5:00 entry, and we got their tickets.

We hiked back to Cadaques, cleaned up, rested for 20 minutes, and hiked back to Portligat for our tour of Dali's house and gardens.

Dali is not my favorite artist. I really don't appreciate or enjoy most of his work. But his house and gardens were amazing. We saw a video showing the development of his house and his life in Portligat, which were both fascinating. Dali had moved to this little village in the 1930s and started renovating a series of small fishing huts into his house. In 1936, he and his wife, Gala, left Spain because of the civil war. They returned in 1948, and they lived there until Gala's death in 1982.

On the outside, you can clearly see the separate huts that are joined to create Dali's home. Inside, the rooms are much larger than I expected and are decorated with color and humor but also restraint. They seem very comfortable and not at all cluttered or surreal. 

The village is really nothing without the Dali house. While the artist and his wife lived there, they had friends come to visit and were active with artistic installations and all kinds of celebrations and events. Now, the port has a coffee shop, a restaurant, a few shops, a kayak club, and a kayak rental. That's it.

We had an amazing day there.

Portligat is up over a cliff and down to a bay just north of Cadaques. It is just a tiny port village with sailboats and kayak rentals.

Dali's house and gardens are renovated old fishing huts, joined together, whitewashed, and beautifully maintained. Dali placed windows and openings very carefully to frame specific views like paintings.

Ken and I got a kick out of the two double beds in Dali and Gala's bedroom What luxury!

I hadn't really thought of Dali as whimsical, but much of the work he did on his home and gardens is more playful than the surrealistic pieces that made him famous.