15 June

Cadaques. Cadaques is in the Spanish region of Catalunya. This region is just as fiercely independent as the Basque region and has its own language, Catalan. In listening to the daily speech of Cadaques, you will hear many languages. The people of this small town often speak Catalan, Spanish, French and broken English. Luckily for us, Cadaques is a small-town, coastal town with a laid-back vibe. We headed out this morning at 8:00 to walk to the Salvador Dali House Museum. Dali and his wife Gala primarily lived in Cadaques. They bought up several fisherman cottages on the coast and patched them together into a beautiful house over the 42 years that they lived there. In 1982, Gala died and Dali moved out to another home in Pubol, Spain. The house feels relaxed with spaces for work and entertaining friends. The house is cool in the summer heat and airy with lots of natural light filling each room. Cadaques has a friendly population of stray cats that we encounter at every turn. Each one likes a good scratch behind the ears. We got to the Dali House before they opened and saw one of the workers leave a small handful of food in three different places for three of the resident strays. Windsor, England has its population of swans to feed, but Cadaques has calicoes and tabby cats. You'll notice the steep, narrow, curvy streets in some of the photos. The streets are paved with flint rock that is stacked and arrange in alternating patterns to allow feet and vehicles to grip. The primary vehicles on these steep, narrow passages are scooters that are driven at alarming rates of speed. We've learned to listen for the 'Africanized bee' whine of oncoming Vespas to avoid tragedy. About 10% of drivers in the historic area also drive four-wheelers, which seem much more appropriate for the terrain. We enjoyed a free afternoon of strolling the historic area, visiting the church, and a bit of shopping from a lovely shopkeeper. We watched a bit of soccer during our siesta (Ukraine and France) and went for dinner on Carrer do Miquel, a touristy drag with restaurants, and bars. Our first pick was eventful. As I pulled out my seat in front of a door that exited out to the patio, a stray and panicked kitten scrambled out from my chair into the main dining area. I felt sorry for the kitty and understood that he had accidentally gotten in to the room from the door. As I sat, I saw a roach crawling on the wall. Andy and I did a mind meld and headed out the door as soon as the hostess departed. We called this event 'the kitty and the cucaracha'. We found another place to eat and then headed home.