Catalonia & the Pyrenees Best - Discover Spain: Experience the Best of Spain - page 175

FIGURES TO CADAQUÉS IN DALÍ'S FOOTSTEPS
Few artists have left such an enduring impression upon the territory they inhabited
as Salvador Dalí. Your journey through Dalí's Catalonia begins, just as the great
man's life did, in (1) Figueres , an unexciting town that may have inspired Salvador
to seek refuge in a surreal world of his own making. It nonetheless hosts the mind-
blowing Teatre-Museu Dalí, the single-most significant legacy to survive Dalí after
his death. South of Figueres, charming (2) Girona , with its beautiful riverside set-
ting, fascinating old quarter and enviable array of sights, is one of the urban high-
lights of northern Spain and an ideal overnight base for the (3) Castell de Púbol in
La Pera. This mansion's foundations may belong to the Gothic and Renaissance
eras, but Dalí transformed it into a zany epitaph to his muse, Gala. Away to the
northwest, close to mainland Spain's easternmost point, (4) Cadaqués is where
Dalí spent much of his adult life. It is such a beautiful coastal village that you may
feel tempted to do the same. If you can't stay forever then make do with a stroll
through the blinding white old quarter and a hunt for the perfect nearby beach and
restaurant.
ZARAGOZA TO PARQUE NACIONAL DE ORDESA Y MONTE
PERDIDO LIFE IN THE INTERIOR
The underexplored province of Aragón may climb steeply up into the Pyrenees, but
its central and southern heartland is the soul of inland Spain.
Start in (1) Zaragoza , one of Spain's most engaging cities. By day it's a living
museum with weighty landmarks to Roman, Islamic and Christian Spain. But once
night falls, Zaragoza has perfected the art of tapas, which is a precursor to frenetic
nights that are famous throughout the country. The quiet evenings of enchanted (2)
Aínsa , the quintessential Aragonese hill village, are within sight of the snow-
speckled Pyrenees. Aínsa offers a radical change of pace and its central plaza is
one of the most impressive small town squares in Spain. Continue the rural feel in
(3) Torla , gateway to the sublime (4) Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Per-
dido , which is home to some of the finest hiking trails in Spain and the country's