A Journey Through Salvador Dalí
Diary // 2
I never choose books from recommendations or bestseller lists. I believe - if a book is meant for me, it will find me. Or rather, it will call me. Sometimes completely unexpectedly, passing a bookshop window, when my eyes catch a cover and something stirs in my chest. Before I even reach for it, I already know: I have to open it. That's exactly what happened with Sylvia Frank's "The Unseparables: Gala and Dalí."
It wasn't just a book. It was a journey. Into another time, other lives, a deeper understanding of creativity, love, and identity. Reading it felt like being beside them - in Gala's silence, in Dalí's madness.
Salvador Dalí. Something about him creates a trembling in me. Not just his art - but his courage to be himself. Misunderstood, laughed at, yet completely faithful to his inner truth. Such a sensitive soul living in real life. What fascinates me is not only his works, but what gave birth to them. What did he feel? What guided him? What inspired him to wake up every day and break boundaries? How did both he and Gala hold such certainty in his success, even during their hardest times?
Dalí was extraordinary. And precisely because of that - he didn't fit. Even in his own family he felt like a stranger, because his thoughts, his feelings, his inner vision were too vivid, too strange, too unbending to squeeze into any standard. Society saw him as a provocateur. He was simply free. Free to create, free to destroy, free to be.
Gala saw him - the real him. She believed in him blindly and with her whole heart. She saw a genius when the world still only saw an eccentric. She didn't just love him - she held him when everything around was falling apart. She was his safe space and the force that kept him moving forward.
Reading this, I began to ask myself - what inspires me? Which people, which places, which energy?
And so I started planning a journey and wanted to share it with you. I want to return to Spain - starting in Barcelona, but what pulls at my heart most is Figueres, the small town where Dalí lived. I want to feel that earth, those smells, the colours and light he saw. Maybe there, between the stones, the trees, the walls, fragments of his world still linger.
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3-Day "Dalí Triangle" Itinerary: Figueres – Púbol – Portlligat (Cadaqués)
Day 1 - Figueres: Gateway to Dalí's World
Teatro-Museu Dalí The most impressive surrealist space in Spain. Dalí himself designed and built this museum - it is a total work of art in itself.
Dalí·Jewels (jewellery exhibition) The neighbouring building holds a collection of jewellery designed by Dalí - extraordinary and largely unknown to visitors.
Casa Natal de Dalí (Dalí's birthplace) A short walk from the museum. Simple, intimate, moving.
Dinner recommendation: Restaurant El Motel (modern Catalan cuisine)
Stay: Figueres - Hotel Pirineos or Duran Hotel & Restaurant, where Dalí himself used to dine
Day 2 - Púbol: The Castle of Gala
Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol Elegant, symbolic and deeply moving. Dalí bought and restored this medieval castle entirely for Gala - and he himself could only visit with her written permission. You'll see Dalí's furniture, sculptures, and even Gala's car.
Walk through the castle gardens - strange, dreamlike sculptures of elephants and horses on spindly legs, just like in his paintings.
Lunch recommendation: La Vila dels Palaus (traditional cuisine)
Then drive toward Cadaqués / Portlligat (~1.5 hours)
Stay: Cadaqués - Hotel Playa Sol, a beautiful spot by the sea
Day 3 - Portlligat: Dalí's Home and Dreams
Salvador Dalí House-Studio in Portlligat Book in advance - visitor numbers are strictly limited and it sells out weeks ahead. This is the most intimate place of all. You'll see the flow of his creative life, strange objects, eccentric details, and the famous eggs on the roof.
Walk along the Portlligat bay and rocky shore The landscape that appears again and again in his paintings. Standing there, you finally understand where it all came from.
If you want more art: Visit the galleries in Cadaqués town
Dinner: Compartir — one of the best restaurants in the region. Reservation essential.
Reading this book before visiting these places will make everything come alive in a completely different way. :)