Today we visit Figueres, the birthplace of Salvador Dali. He was born in 1904 and held one of his first exhibitions in the Municipal theatre, which is the centrepiece of the museum. The Theatre was burned in the Spanish Civil war and left in ruins until 1960, when Dali, along with the Mayor, decided to rebuild it. Dali is buried in a crypt below the stage.

“I want my museum to be a single block, a labyrinth, a great surrealist object. It will be a totally theatrical museum. The people who come to see it will leave with the sensation of having had a theatrical dream!” Salvador Dali.

And what a show! From the onset, the building exterior is stunning – bright terracotta and gold shades with huge eggs sitting on top – like a nest fully of bright shiny objects. The bearded man looks out at the queue waiting to enter this theatrical arena.

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The voluptuous lady on the car is the first sight that greets us. She is perched on top of the Cadillac-Rainy Taxi (only six exist – one belonged to President Roosevelt another to Clark Gable) This is the car that Dali’s wife Gala drove when they went from coast to coast in the United States. The car actually rains on the inside, soaking the mannequin occupants. The whole of this central area is covered with statues and works of Dali’s imagination.

When we walk around this stunning building, we are amazed at the vast amount of work that Dali created. Everywhere we look there is another statue, sculpture, painting or model. We enter the Mae West room, and initially are confused with the separate pieces that seem unordered, but then, as you ascend the stairway and look down, all becomes clear and we see the face of Mae West, in all her glory.

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At the end of the tour, we visit Dali’s jewellery exhibition. These are some of the most beautiful pieces ever created.

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We finish the tour and find a bar to have a drink and look out over the Pyrénées mountains. We raise our glasses to the life of Salvador Dali – Salud

NO VRUISE CRUISE NEWS AS PHIL IS STILL RECOVERING FROM HIS BREAK DANCING EFFORTS – HASTA MAÑANA AMIGOS