#264: Cadaques and Figueres (pg 268; Listed as Costa Brava in 2nd Edition, pg 263)

June 28, 2019

We took a high speed train from Barcelona to Figueres.  It took about an hour.  There are also slower trains that make more stops that take 2 hours, but are less expensive. 

Salvador Dali's Teatre-Museu Dali.

All the tickets have timed entry, so here we are waiting our turn.

There are 22 rooms inside the museum.  This big foyer-type room is at the front of the museum.  This painting was one of my favorites!  I can't even remember what this painting looked like with the naked eye (I think it was a woman, maybe?) but when you held your camera up to it, it distorted the picture to look like a huge portrait of Lincoln. It was so cool!

Dali painting himself, painting his wife looking into a mirror.  I love how all his works are playing around with and manipulating perspective.

This was cool too.  You didn't realize until after you walked through the doorway was a piece of art and that you became a part of that art as you walked through. 

This room was cool too.  We walked in and saw a red couch and a nose-shaped fireplace.  But then we waited in line......

And walked up some stairs that led to a big camel.  We looked through the legs of the camel....

And saw this!

All about perspective....

Salvadore Dali was born in Figures in 1904 and he died here in 1989.  He is buried here in the museum, the site of his first exhibition in 1919.

Walking around Figueres. Great downtown area!

And then made our way to the bus stop where we bought R/T tickets to Cadaques.

Oh man.... that bus ride is not for the faint of heart!  Our bus was packed and the only way to get to Cadaques is by taking a narrow, steep switch-back road for an hour and 20 minutes.  All three of my girls got sick and my 6yo started puking her guts out.  There are no bathrooms or bags on the buses.  It was a bit of a nightmare!

But alas we arrived!  And decided to have lunch here at the Maritim.

We chose this place because of these incredible views.

However, I wouldn't recommend it.  We sat there for a good 10-15 minutes without anyone even handing us a menu or take a drink order or anything despite the fact that it wasn't busy.  We were so thirsty and we figured if it was taking that long to even get a menu, this place wasn't for us, especially with four hungry kids who wanted to get in the water!

So we headed across the street to this place.  I can't remember the name, but it was much better!

And we bopped into the Bar Meliton where Dali used to play chess.

And then we hit the beach!

Verdict:  I talked to my husband and son about whether or not they felt this place deserved a spot in the top 1000 places to see before they died.  They both said no.  I'll admit, we had a bunch of rough spots in this day.  The museum was super crowded and we ended up losing my son for a good 20-30 minutes.  The bus ride, as I mentioned, was full of sick tummies and puke and totally packed on the way to and from.  It arrived back in Figures 20 minutes late and then we couldn't find any cabs to take us to the train station, so we missed our train and had to pay $150 to re-purchase more train tickets.  There was a lot of stress and anxiety and unforeseen expenses built into this day.  Even so, I'm going to give this a YES.  I loved the museum - it's the most interesting art museum I've ever seen.  I thought the downtown area of Figueres was great.  And while the beaches are terrible in Cadaques (there is no sand, just a bunch of ugly rocks not making it very pleasant to walk or lay on), the scenery felt so Spanish/resort/exotic/greek/whitewashed.  I loved it.  I remember sitting there soaking it all in and thinking "I don't think I know another soul who has been here.  I will probably never see this place again."  The whole Salvadore Dali tie-in was cool.  The combo of seeing these two towns together in the same day was cool.  It was just a totally exotically unique day, that I think earned it's place in the book.

#263: Parc De Montjuic (2nd Edition, pg 262)

June 26, 2019

Talk about a castle with a view!

Once inside the castle, we used my son's scavenger hunt book to find some hidden clues in places like the guard towers.

And we checked out all the view-points. 

And the prison cells.

I can't imagine the irony of staying inside a dungeon for weeks/months/years on end when all of this beauty is literally just on the other side of your wall.

We made wishes.

And then we found this awesome slide on the way back down!

Montjuic for the win!

Helpful info:  Cost: 5 Euro for adults in season, 3 Euro off-season.  Kids are always free.  Also, everyone is free the first Sunday of every month and every Sunday after 3pm.  Also, you can pay to take a funicular up and down OR you can walk up to and down from the castle for free! (Which is what we did)

Verdict:  I feel like I'm getting jaded.  Maybe 15 years ago, I would have said Yes to this.  Maybe even 10 years ago.  But my criteria now in doing this is that it has to be unique. And the thing is, I feel like I've seen so many castles with pretty views, that while we loved spending our morning here, there was nothing about it that separated it from any other other castles spread throughout the continent with impressive views.  So, I don't necessarily think that this particular one is a "must do" before you die.  But obviously there are people that disagree with me, because this was not listed in the original edition, but was added to the 2nd edition.

#262: Low Country Cuisine (pg 707; Revised Edition pg 868)

June 8, 2019

The book describes Low country cuisine in this way..... "The coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia are the home of low country cuisine, a harmonious belending of French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, and Charleston is its culinary capital."

Magnolia's is one of restaurants it specifically mentions and recommends, so that's where we headed!

We made reservations online a few days ahead of time and got a table right next to the window. Perfect!

My son ordered the Charleston Crab Cake with sweet potato fries and I ordered the Southern Cuban made with "Carolina BBQ pulled pork" and a side of potato salad.

And they also served us hot bread fresh from the oven and seasoned, whipped butter.  So good!

Here is a copy of the lunch menu (which is served until 3:45).

And a copy of the kids menu (which we didn't end up ordering from, but just so you have an idea of what is offered and prices).

Stuffed to the brim!  Here we are on the opposite side of the window from our table.

Aren't those boxed flowers so pretty!

Verdict:  No.  The food was delicious (aside from the potato salad.  I took a bite and it was crunchy.  I discovered that the "crunch" was that there was egg shell in my potato salad.  I could have sent it back, but I didn't bother.  I just didn't eat the rest of it.  Honestly, the bite I had, even without the egg shell was a mediocre potato salad.  It wasn't anything to write home about).  But the rest of the food we had was very good.  The ambiance is very nice and it does make the cut in terms of places I would recommend for people to eat while visiting Charleston, but doesn't make the cut in terms of something you need to experience before you die.

Cost:  We went for lunch, which is obviously less expensive than dinner.  Entrees are ~$15-20 on average (see menu above).  And then obviously appetizers, desserts and drinks are extra.  I would expect to pay close to double for dinner.  

#261: Spoleto Festival USA (pg 708)

Spoleto Festival: June 7, 2019

I took my son Tanner to Charleston to experience (among other things) the Spoleto Festival.

In front of the Charleston Gaillard Center.

In our seats and ready to go!

The festival runs each year for ~ 2 weeks starting around the time of Memorial Day and running through the first week or so of June.  This year it ran from May 23 - June 9th.  There were all kinds of arts performances which were performed at 10 different venues throughout the city.

Taner and I saw One Thousand and One Nights.  We saw the first (of three) performances of this beautiful dance.

It was performed by the Caracalla Dance Theatre.  They have performed all over the world, but this was their first time performing in the United States. 

Beautiful costumes and beautiful dancing!

Verdict:  No, this is not a "must do before you die" experience.  And clearly Patricia Schultz and/or editors agree and revised their opinion on this because they took it out of the 2nd edition.  I love the idea of an arts festival and Charleston is such a quintessentially charming city to host this great event.  I love that the board makes it their mission to make this an international, multi-ethnic event. It's an impressive undertaking and if the show we went to is any indication, the shows are appreciated and very well attended.  But there are many performances such as these throughout the country/world, so I didn't necessarily find this a unique experience.  Although, we very much enjoyed our night out ;)

Cost:  Prices vary depending on what show you attend and where your seats within the theatre is located.  We were in the "Gallery" (upper balcony) and ticket prices were $35/ticket plus a $10 processing fee, so it was $80 for the two of us, which I thought was reasonable.  It appeared that most tickets to most shows were ~$30-$100.

#260: Kentucky Derby (pg 633, 2nd Ed pg 795)

May 2019

145th Kentucky Derby

Eight months ago, our dear friends moved to Louisville.  I immediately called and asked if we could come out and visit them for the Derby!  They graciously said yes and several months later, here we are!

Walking down to the paddocks and checking out all the beautiful horses.

144.... soon to be 145!

We studied up on how to place our bet (name of track, plus race number, plus dollar amount, plus what you want your bet to be (Win, Place, Show, Exacta or Trifecta), and then horse number.

And then we waited for the races to begin!

Sitting in the grandstands with the famed spires in the background.

Looking at pictures is one thing, but let me describe the experience..... Everyone all around you is decked out from head to toe in their best duds - their fancy hats and bowties. Everyone is jolly and sipping on a mint julep.  You make your way through the crowds and study the beautiful horses and see the jockeys up close.  You peruse the program and review the history of each thoroughbred.  Then you go to the window and place your bet, and smile as the woman at the counter calls you darlin'.  Then you take your seat and the race begins.  As the horses make their way around the track and enter the final turn, you can feel the vibrations of their hooves and speed as turn the corner and then you see them racing full speed ahead.  All at once, the crowd rises and cheers for their horse.  It's such a multi-sensory experience.  The sound, the smells, the visuals.... and all of that mixed with an event steeped in history and tradition.  But you don't get that just watching it.  You have to be there to experience it.

Verdict:  The four of us that went together discussed this after the fact and we all decided the answer to this is Yes.  And the reason being is my description above.  It's unique.  There's nothing else quite like it.

Tip:  Consider going on Thurby (Thursday) or Fair Oaks (Friday) instead of Derby (Saturday).  You get the same experience with fewer crowds and cheaper tickets.  Also, if you're a novice horse racer like me, it's good to know that there are ~11 races/day.  They start ~1:00pm and run about every 30 minutes until 6 or 6:30 at night.