After spending a week at the artists’ retreat in France, my writing buddy Chris and I drove to the Mediterranean Spanish town of Cadaqués to meet Mr. Em in Jerusalem for a few days. Cadaqués is in the Catalonia region of Spain, on the Costa Brava. And oh my goodness, if you’re a Spain-lover like me, you need to make it here someday. I’ve been somewhat disappointed in Spanish beach towns, as they’re often packed with tourists, souvenir shops, and restaurants with greasy menus featuring photos of food. Cadaqués is totally different. First, I couldn’t get over the colors here. The azure water, the green cacti and olive trees, the almost electric yellow and purple flowers, the golden rocks. The sunsets! It’s those vibrant colors that likely attracted artists. Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso all spend time time in Cadaqués, and Gabriel García Márquez mentions the town in the his story “Tramontana.” We stayed in an Airbnb located in a building where Picasso lived during the summer of 1910. It had a great little balcony with a killer view.
And we had a lovely afternoon touring the house where Dalí lived and worked for many years, on Port Lligat, a tiny village on a bay just a short walk from Cadaqués.
I must have been feeling inspired by all the artists who’ve been in Cadaqués when my friend and I walked into El Taller de Tanokov art gallery and I fell in love with an oil painting from Elodie Loiseleur that perfectly captures the color and light of Cadaqués. It came home with me. (Happy birthday to me).
We also took a great (and windy) hike to the natural park, Cap de Creus, with plenty of stunning coastal views the entire way.
After three totally relaxing and beautiful days, we were en route to Barcelona for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament for Mr. Em in Jerusalem. On the way, we stopped at the Dalí museum in the own of Figueres. The museum was predictably trippy and as varied as Dalí’s work is.
Then, it was to a beach town called Castelldefels where I was stricken with a fever-turned-never-ending-cold while the husband played some frisbee.
All in all, a pretty great holiday. And Cadaqués will be a return spot for sure. I won’t be too far when we’re in either Morocco or Algiers.
Back in Jerusalem for a mere two months before our tour is over.
To Cadaqués,
Em in Jerusalem
The Next Dinner Party 
Yes, tourism is very important to Spain’s economy and you can see why tourists love it. But as usual it is a double edged sword. Having a quiet spot away from the tourists is a native’s best kept secret. 😉
I understand that! And understand the irony of a tourist lauding the not touristy feel of Cadaqués 🙂