Cap de creus from cadaques. Cape Creus - a place of power and a source of inspiration for Salvador Dali
The Cap de Creus Natural Park (Parco Naturale Cap de Creus) is located on the Creus Peninsula in Catalonia, near Lloret de Mar - this is one of the largest protected areas in the region. The park was created in 1998 and covers an area of almost 14 thousand hectares, of which a little more than 3 thousand hectares is the coast. Within the boundaries of the park there are two particularly valuable areas - in fact, Cape Creus with the legendary lighthouse of the same name, on which the film "A Dangerous Light at the End of the Earth" was filmed in 1971, and Cape Norfeu, a place of exceptional geological and biological importance, where traces volcanic activity over 10 million years old. As for the water area of the park, Cape Gros should be added to the above two capes - all three places are distinguished by a huge variety of underwater life.
One of the main and most picturesque sights of Creus Park are the amazingly shaped geological formations, which excite the imagination of tourists with their beauty and complexity. Someone sees in them real or mythical animals - lions, dragons, camels, eagles, cats, mice, while others understand that this is just the result of the work of water and wind for hundreds of thousands of years. The formation of the landscape of the park continues to this day.
Nature lovers will find a huge variety of flora at Cape Creus, including endemic species such as saxifrage and carnation, as well as Euphorbia, astragalus and underwater oceanic Posidonii, which are characteristic of these places. The fauna of the park is represented by no less interesting species - the Mediterranean tree frog, crested cormorant and brown grouper.
The most popular types of recreation among tourists in the park are diving and hiking. Throughout the park are laid interesting routes acquainting visitors with the rich natural, cultural and historical heritage these places, as well as with land and underwater archaeological sites.
On the border of sea and land at the easternmost point of Catalonia, Spain and the entire Iberian Peninsula in the Upper Empordà region is located nature Park Cap de Creus (Parque Natural de Cap de Creus).
The park is huge, it includes the Cap de Creus peninsula, part of the Werder mountain range, several resort towns: Llansa, El Port de la Selva, La Selva de Mar, Cadaqués. But first of all, when they talk about the park, they mean the cape itself - Cap de Creus - only 13,886 hectares in water and on land.
Whichever way you drive - from the charming town of Cadaqués or from the more modern-looking resort of El Port de la Selva - the road goes along a completely intimidating serpentine among blocks of solidified lava and terraces reinforced with small stones with olive trees. These "steps" were built not for convenience, but primarily to delay soil erosion - the scourge of the entire Spanish coast.
Gradually, the “cultural” landscape is replaced by completely wild thickets of some Mediterranean shrubs and alien lava fields, and finally, after driving along a narrow isthmus, we get to the cape.
The lighthouse has a small museum dedicated to the natural park and an information centre. There are a couple of small cafes nearby.
AT information center you can take a map of the park's trails, laid along the most beautiful places. But, unfortunately, the markings are not very good, where the paths pass sometimes it is absolutely not clear, so the scheme is needed first of all to find out about interesting places and roughly understand which way to go.
Many people don't try to look for trails - they just drive to the lighthouse, take a few photos, go to a cafe - and drive back. And in the summer they try to quickly find a cozy bay and retire in it. Which, however, turns out badly: coastal thickets at the height of the season resemble Moscow parks on a fine Sunday afternoon.
If you don't want to spoil the impression, don't go to the park in July or August, especially on weekends.
Detailed information about Cap de Creus can be found on the official website of the natural parks of Catalonia. There you can also download a brochure that tells about all the parks in this region.
How to get to Cap de Creus Natural Park
Usually, navigators, if this park is “filled in”, lead exactly to the cape. Finding it on the map is also not difficult - it protrudes strongly into the sea. From neighboring Cadaqués or El Port de la Selva, small signs lead to the lighthouse. It is almost impossible to get lost, because there is no particular variety of roads - you just need to go along the main one. From the French border to these places - about 26 kilometers, from Cadaques - about 8.
There is a medium-sized car park next to the lighthouse. They say that during the peak season there are no places. There are also several small parking lots along the road before reaching the lighthouse. All these places are unguarded and free.
If you have time, you can walk from Cadaques to the cape, following the signs - the road is incredibly beautiful and passes by bays that are not visible from the car window.
If you leave the cape, then in the park you can see many more interesting things. For example, medieval, built high in the mountains above the city of El Port de la Selva.
When you gather at Cap de Creus, dress warmly: the strongest wind, the legendary tramontana, knocks people off their feet and almost blows cars.
November 8th, 2011
And again Spain.
There is no time at all to sort out the photos from the spring trip and continue the report we have begun. I will slowly process the photos and in the end I will post the end, but for now I will share my fresh impressions of the autumn trip along the Costa Brava-Barcelona-Toledo-Madrid-Valencia route.
Costa Brava. In places Dali.
It was decided to dedicate this trip to Catalonia entirely to Dali. I have been passionate about it for a long time (by the way, I was born on the same day with Dali :))), and to him and surrealism in principle, so the plan for such a trip has been ripe for a long time. And how timely Vizeyr launched flights to Girona! :)
The Dali Triangle is the Dali Museum in Figueres, the house in Port Yigata, the castle in Pubol. And of course Cap de Creus. In this order, it was decided to visit all these objects, and at the same time take a ride along the Costa Brava and swim in the sea.
So Figueres
Figueres turned out to be a completely ordinary small Spanish city, in which the main attraction, of course, is the Dali Museum.
I forgot to order tickets in advance, but in principle it did not hurt, there was no queue, we calmly bought tickets and entered.
The museum, or rather the theater-museum in Figueres, was created as a gift from Dali to the city. The mayor once asked Dali to give him one of his works, Dali decided not to waste time on trifles and immediately donate the museum. There are many of his works, and Dali himself is buried there.
Dali wanted the museum to have no guides, so that the perception of his work remained unspoiled by the opinions of others. But nevertheless, the museum has a lot of groups with guides, mostly Russian-speaking. To be honest, it's a little annoying.
Dali's world is quite specific. The world of surrealism, the world of absurdity, phantasmagoria, dreams and funny decisions. The museum presents both works by Dali, works by other surrealists, as well as works and reproductions of Dali's favorite Velasquez, Vermeer, Millet, El Greco. In some places these works were completed by Dali himself, it is very interesting to look for differences.
Tombstone Dali
Some sources write that Dali bequeathed to bury himself under the floor of the museum so that people could walk on his grave. Others write that the crypt is located somewhere in the wall, next to the women's bathroom. Actually, from his grave, he managed to make a quest. :)
I started describing the halls, looking at photographs, but then I realized that I just need to visit this space and feel all the charm of Dali's madness and imagination.
A very interesting place.
I really wanted to stay in Cadaques, but because of a big pressure toad (in Cadaques, housing prices are 2-2.5 times higher), I had to stay in Roses, a nearby town, 7 km from Cadaques. A very nice, completely ordinary resort town, where 90 percent of tourists are French, in all stores the sellers say not “Ola!”, But “Bonjour!”.
Incredibly clean sea, and clean even after 5 pm, beautiful large half-empty sandy beaches, inexpensive restaurants on the beach, very calm and peaceful atmosphere
The next day we went to Cadaqués. A rather tiring serpentine leads there, it is difficult to drive more than 40 km per hour there, and there are a lot of cars. We drove into the city and the navigator, an infection, decided to spend some kind of vegetable gardens, as a result, a couple of times we almost drove into someone’s garage and even through the door, drove along some completely broken paths, steep hills, then to the center with a closed movement, miraculously found at least some kind of parking lot and finally breathed freely and went for a walk around the city.
I must say right away that I immediately understood why there are such prices for accommodation. The town is absolutely magical. A very real fishing Mediterranean town, without any of these typical high-rise hotels on the shore, with cobblestone pavements, boats and white houses with blue shutters and tiled roofs.
Unfortunately, it was on this day that the enemies decided to experiment with the camera settings, as a result, almost all the photos turned out to be completely overexposed :(, only a few remained, but I think something will be clear.
The only thing that can be considered a minus of Cadaqués is the lack of a beach (well, for whom it matters). City beach with pebbles and microscopic, only 10-15 people can fit there. But in the vicinity, on the way from Port Yigata to Cap de Creus, there are many small charming coves with crystal clear water, underwater world and in some places almost completely without people. You can walk there, you can rent a bike (by the way, very inexpensive, one and a half euros a day, even on Tarkhankut, in my opinion, it’s more expensive), or by car.
Dali House Museum
The Dali House Museum in Port Yigat is located about a kilometer and a half from Cadaqués. You can’t buy tickets on the spot, you must book in advance, then arrive no later than an hour before the start of the tour and pick up tickets at the box office and then wait in line. Some kind of hotel has already been built in the vicinity, boats take tourists from the pier to look at Cap de Creus from the sea, but in Dali's time, when there was no tourism infrastructure It was perfect place for life. Greenery, sea, sun, secluded location, just a paradise for life. Ah, what a place. As a teenager, when I read Dali's book with photographs of this house, I somehow imagined paradise in this way. :)
There are many different surrealistic installations around the house, a dilapidated boat on which a formidable sign “do not touch with your hands” hangs.
True, there are local residents inside the boat, who, it seems, cannot be touched either :)
Finally, our time has come and we were allowed into the house. They let in 8-10 people. The tour is conducted in Catalan, Spanish or English, depending on the preferences of tourists. Each part of the house has its own guide, they tell in great detail and interestingly, but no more than 10 minutes are given for each part of the house. This is explained by the fact that in the house all the objects and works of art are genuine and it is difficult for them to keep track of visitors.
The museum in Figueres is a place for the public, a theatre, a performance, an installation. But the house in Port Yigata is a space for two, for life, for love. It is a very personal space built for very specific people. The house is planned in a very peculiar way, there is not a single corridor, the spaces flow into each other. Dali's rooms and Gala's rooms - they are like a couple's relationship during the days of life - they meet and diverge, only to meet again later. Each has its own living room, dressing room and workshop, with its own special features, there are common areas, a bedroom, living rooms for receiving guests and just for two. There are no traditional "space-planning solutions" - there are spaces, multi-level, diverse, different and at the same time united by common happiness and love.
Hallway
Living room for guests
This is a private living room combined with a bedroom.
These mirrors are specially turned so that Dali can see the dawn on Cap de Creus from his bed, as he said, the very first of all Spaniards. Cap de Creus is the easternmost point in Spain.
Gala's living room. There is also a real Russian samovar.
Restroom Gala
Dali's workshop.
Here are some unfinished paintings.
When Gala died, Dali left everything as it was and left the house in Port Yigat for Pubol and until his death he lived there and never returned to this house and to these begun works.
Garden and pool
Dali's favorite objects are all around, which he used in all his installations - portraits and photographs of Gala, eggs, swans, tires, antique statues with unexpected decor, horn props, lips sofas and much more. Such a homey and cozy space. This house is like a favorite toy of the master and his muse, such a real little temple of personal happiness for two.
Cap de Creus
Cap de Creus is national park, and the name of the cape (cap is a cape), the easternmost point of Spain. The place is completely surreal and even alien. As it turned out, Dali painted his paintings from nature. On the way there, for some reason, all radio stations stopped being caught except for one of some Catalan stations with classical music and completely extravagant jazz. Driving a car to such music through desert surreal landscapes is a very special feeling, for a while it seemed to me that I was driving some kind of all-terrain vehicle on another planet.
I really regret that it was not possible to park and take pictures of the road. There is a very narrow road without any pockets and roadsides, sharp turns, there is absolutely no way to stop.
There are a lot of mysterious stone pyramids around, Dali also has them in his paintings. They can hardly be natural, because they are simply stacked on top of each other, but somehow I can’t even imagine what kind of person needs to climb stones and hard-to-reach places and fold these pyramids. They tried to convince me that these are the machinations of enterprising local residents, but I doubt it. No one takes money for viewing, no one lives around, from the nearest locality drive for at least an hour along the serpentine. Only aliens remain, there is no one else. :)
Magical place. A very beautiful nature reserve. And these places had a great influence on Dali's work.
The next morning, a trip to Pubol and Girona was planned. But some day was gloomy, everyone overslept, while they gathered and all that, then there was very little time left. And since there was only one evening and morning left for Barcelona, we decided not to gallop and leave Pubol and Girona for the next trip and go to Barcelona. Vizeir seems to be flying to Girona for now, so I think we will definitely go to Pubol.
Catalonia is something like that unusual place. Catalan land is rich in very special talents. Gaudi, Dali, Miro. Completely original forms, a riot of colors and phantasmagoric images. For some reason it seems to me that this is all because of the terrain. On the border of two great cultures and arts - Spanish and French, an unusual, original and completely unique Catalan culture arose. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world, in my opinion. There are many more interesting things in Catalonia and the Costa Brava, and I hope to definitely return to these places.
Just a two-hour drive from Barcelona, on the Costa Brava, not far from the city of Figueres, where Salvador Dali was born, there is a truly unearthly place - Cap de Creus or Cape Creus. This is the easternmost point of the peninsula, and you should go here for inspiration and a sense of blessed perfection.
There are piercing blue waters mediterranean sea come into contact with the stone dance of frozen rock, and the golden-emerald palette of plants blooming on the cape in the warm season turns the ascetic coastal landscape into a kind of patterned oriental carpet.
In the photo: Cape Creus, Catalonia, photo by Boris Paltusov
After taking just a couple of breaths of salty air, you begin to feel an incredible sense of freedom and understand that it is not for nothing that the Catalans consider Cape Creus a magical place of power. If you take a chance and make your way along the narrow steep paths to the bays, you can see flocks of shiny fish flashing in the water, embossed red corals and lazy sea urchins.
Alien landscape of Cape Creus, photo by Boris Paltusov
The alien character of the landscape is largely determined by Tranmontana - severe north wind, whose destructive gusts sometimes reach 150 km per hour. Today, Cap de Creus is a national park and reserve "Parc natural del cap de Creus", which includes about 14,000 hectares of volcanic rocks and sea bays.
In the photo: volcanic rocks, photo by Boris Paltusov
Special footpaths are laid along the many kilometers of the coast, they wind between rock ledges and bays with clear water. The path is quite difficult, because for a walk you need comfortable shoes and good physical fitness, and just 25 km from this place is the French border and the Eastern Pyrenees begin.
However, Cape Creus attracts not only lovers of alien landscapes, but also people who are not alien to art, because it was Cap de Creus that the great Salvador Dali often depicted on his canvases, for example, in the painting “The Great Masturbator” you can see the silhouette of a rock on Cape Creus.
The cliff that inspired Dali to write the painting "The Great Masturbator", photo by Mikhail Shugaev
“Here, in rocky granite, the most important principle of my theory of paranoid metamorphoses is embodied. These are frozen clouds reared up by an explosion in all their countless guises, all new and new - all you have to do is change the angle of view a little, ”said the artist.
In the painting by Salvador Dali "The Great Masturbator" you can see the silhouette of a rock on Cape Creus
It was in the bizarre forms of the Paleozoic rocks that Dali found absurd images for his future works. However, the entire artistic world of Dali, in one way or another, grew out of love for his native land, for its colors and light, and a two or three hour walk in nature reserve is a unique opportunity not only to see a very special flora and fauna, but to visibly and tangibly feel the symbolism of Dali's works.
Space rocks at Cape Creus, photo by Boris Paltusov
Layered rocks, geological faults, craters, caves and grottoes of Cape Creus “posed” not only for Dali, but also for Picasso and Gaudi. “This is exactly the place where the Pyrenees descend to the sea in grandiose geological madness to die in it,” Dali wrote about Cap de Creus.
Salvador Dali "Naked Figures at Cape Creus"
Locals often call Cape Creus the End of the World. Rocky bays are fraught with many dangers for sea vessels, not without reason in the seventies the film "A Dangerous Light at the End of the Earth" based on the novel by Jules Verne was filmed here.
The bays near Cape Creus are fraught with many dangers for ships, photo by Boris Paltusov
The observation tower on a high cliff was built in 1853, but the lighthouse has existed since time immemorial, according to legend, the legendary Hercules himself built it. This is a meeting place for lovers of beauty - the Catalans and the French often come here on weekends, just to admire amazing beauty dawns.
In the photo: Cape Creus is the best place to admire
sunrises and sunsets, photo: Boris Paltusov
Yes, Cape Creus is one of the best places on earth to meet the dawn of a new day or admire the sunset: the pacified sea, like a mirror, reflects the sky shimmering with all the colors of watercolor, and you involuntarily get the feeling that the past and the future have converged in this place to dissolve into an endless horizon line. As far as the eye can see - rocks, sky and water. In such places, you really feel that time flows at a different speed, and sometimes it seems that it has completely stopped its run.
Text and photo: Polina Dobrogaeva
To fully understand the work of Salvador Dali, one must visit his homeland in the small Spanish town of Cadaques, located on Cape Creus. Only by seeing the local landscapes can one imagine where the artist drew his inspiration from. Truly unearthly outlines of the rocky mountains, like cut heads of a giant cheese, amaze and fascinate. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell you in order what this amazing place is.
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Cape Creus is the easternmost point of Spain and the entire Iberian Peninsula. nearest major city is Figueres, a distance of 39 kilometers from which you can drive by car or bus.
On the way, you will have to overcome the pass and make the first stop in Cadaques, where the famous Spaniard Dali spent most of his life, living in a house with his beloved wife and his muse Gala. Tickets to their house-museum must be booked in advance and picked up a maximum of half an hour before the tour. Its cost is 11 euros. But you can get into the famous olive garden without an appointment for only 5 euros. You should know that in January the museum is closed to visitors.
natural landscapes
From Cadaqués to Cape Creus, only six kilometers remain, which in the summer can be traveled by a special road train. In another season, you can use the services of local taxis, but to get more pleasure it is worth walking this way. We immediately warn you that you will have to go along mountain roads, so you need to take care of the appropriate shoes. But it is worth mentioning that the climbs here are not steep and suitable for walking, that is, mountaineering skills are not needed.
After inhaling a few breaths of salty sea air, you begin to feel a surge of some inexplicable happiness. No wonder the Spaniards say that this cape is a magical place and has hypnotic properties.
Another positive aspect of walking is its cognitive nature, since this area belongs to the reserve and is called national park Cap de Creus.
It is impossible to remain indifferent, contemplating the reliefs of amazing mountains, which in some places look like melting cheese with huge holes. Since the rocks are of volcanic origin, you can find bizarre craters in them, which you would rather see in films about alien civilizations than about earthly life. Strong winds and sea surf have formed amazing caves and grottoes that beckon with their mystery and hidden secrets.
Flora and fauna of the cape
Worth noting is the variety vegetable world, sometimes represented by unique species of herbs and shrubs. Their rich color scheme turns the slopes into a colorful pattern. Here you can also meet representatives of the fauna of this region, which include wild cats. If you are very lucky, you can see a proud deer. On the peaks, falcons and eagles nests can be seen, while these proud birds soar in the air. Along the paths that lead directly to the sea, you can go down to the shore and see coral clusters in the water, schools of small fish and sea urchins.
Cape at the "end of the world"
And now the last hundred meters remain to the end point of Cape Creus. The trail goes up steeply here, so it's worth putting in a little more effort, but the reward for this final push will be simply amazing views. Around, as far as the eye can see, only water, sky and rocks. There is a feeling that you are experiencing the moment of the birth of the universe, when there is still nothing alive, only all the elements are intertwined together to create the miracle of life.
Impressions are also added by the wind, which blows here constantly and with great force. There is a legend that this wind can take away the mind, putting a person into a state of hypnosis. The entire walk takes an average of two to three hours, taking into account stops for filming and descents to the sea.
Ancient lighthouse
There is a lighthouse on the cape. According to legend, it was built by the mythical Hercules, and looking at it, you begin to believe it involuntarily. Scientists cannot accurately determine the date of the construction of this tower, but it is known for certain that it existed as early as the fifth century BC, and was restored in 1853, and in this form it can still be seen today. This lighthouse is working, as the rocky bays of the cape are fraught with many dangers for ships.
Restaurant Cap de Creus
At the end of the journey, tourists are in for a pleasant surprise in the form of the Cap de Creus restaurant, where you can eat deliciously and relax from the road at a table knocked down from boards and uncovered with a tablecloth, as sophistication and strict etiquette somehow do not fit with the landscape and atmosphere of this place. As a light snack, a cup of cappuccino, tortilla (scrambled eggs) and bread grated with fresh tomatoes are suitable. All this will cost about 15 euros.
For those who are more hungry, they will offer seafood dishes, several vegetable dishes, as well as something spicy from Indian cuisine. If you wish, you can rent a room located on the second floor of the restaurant and stay overnight. But in the morning everyone will be waiting for a spectacle of stunning beauty - dawn. Thousands of people come to the cape for the weekend to see it. It is impossible to describe this phenomenon of nature, so even for this it is worth visiting this “end of the world”.
Return trip
Those who do not stay at the hotel go on their way back by car on a perfectly smooth highway. It takes less time than walking tour, but the impression from this is not diminished.
In general, the journey takes about 6-7 hours, including a visit to the museum and a restaurant, but the impressions will last a lifetime.
