So, I've read the name of the city as both Figueres and Figueras. What gives? Is one castellano and the other catalán?

I will be there in a few weeks for a short side trip from Barcelona to the Dalí Museum. Any suggestions or comments about Figueres? I've not been there before. We won't have a lot of time there, but...

One friend told me the pan con tomate es fenomenal.

Yes, Figueres is catalan and Figueras is castellano.

Which reminds me of the whole Girona/Gerona & Lérida/Lleida which always confuse me as to which is Catalán and which is Castellano.

Saludos, MadridMan/ BarcelonaMan

I liked the town and thought it worth the trip. The museum itself is good too, although I was hoping to see more of his paintings than are there. It´s an interesting building from the outside too.

Pan con tomate does what it says on the packet. So if you like Pan and you like tomate, then I guess you´ll like pan with tomate. Unless I missed something there.

Slightly off topic but this trend of place names in two languages can be confusing. I was once trying to find my way out of Pamplona towards the French border near Irun. I was on a motorbike too which makes map reading difficult. Thus I was hoping to see signs to either Francia or maybe Irun. After a while in sort of the right direction I arrived at a roundabout with none of the above but one to Iruña. Ah, I thought, must be Basque for Irun so followed it and ended up...... yep, back in Pamplona. Iruña turns out to be basque for Pamplona, not Irun.

unfortunately, when I was at the Dali museum last March it was so crowded that it was unenjoyable for me! It was my first time there and I was hoping to really enjoy it. Happily, my students loved it! I just like Spain without the "tourist traps" and tons of foreigners...it detracts from the beauty, in my opinion.
I ended up flying thru the museum and then taking a leisurely stroll thru the town and sitting in the town square for a coffee. But, if you are a real Dali, you should not miss it.

Girona and Lleida are Catalan, while Gerona and Lérida are Castilian. Fortunately, the differences between both languages are not so big as between Castilian and Basque (see Jamongris' story). The names of the province capitals where Basque is co-official are:
Bilbao (in C.)/Bilbo(in B.)
San Sebastián/Donosti
Vitoria/Gasteiz
Pamplona/Iruña.

But, hey, we are not unique. See the Belgian case, where a town is called Bergen in Flemish, and Mons in French.

Thanks for clarifying the name! I started to see two different spellings and became confused as to which one was the correct one.

As for the museum, I had heard that it was interesting even if it didn't have a lot of his major works. I like Dalí, although I don't necessarily know a lot about him. I will be reading on the plane over, I'm sure!

That's too bad it was so crowded, esperanza, and I'm hoping it won't be the same in a few weeks. I agree that it really detracts from the experience when there are so many people. I have felt that way in many other countries and even in my own city here when I go to exhibitions and it's packed! But, I am relieved to hear the students loved it and I hope the group I'm with feels the same way.

If anyone has any more comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

historiada~

you should go to Cadaques if you are going all the way to Figueres. It's a cute little coastal town very close to the French Border.

I too am going to Barcelona, too...no side trips though, I can't seem to escape that city!

And yes pan con tomate is really great...it's amazing how something so simple is soooo good.

Bon nadal!

Put a slice of Iberico ham and some drops of virgin olive oil on top of it, and you'll have a piece of heaven on your dish.

(drooling...)

I have heard good things about Cadaques, too, but unfortunately we're on a tight schedule and I don't think it's on the itinerary. Maybe next time.

I was just in Figueras last week and I had the confusion as well, but didnt think of asking which was correct. We also went to Cadaques, which is wonderful, and there (actually in Port Lligat which is 2 mintues away) you can visit the house that Dali lived and painted in for about 40 years. Its facinating to see where he lived and the landscapes that are present in so many of his paintings. If you can somehow make it to go there you will be glad you did! Its 45 minutes on a curvy mountain road to get to the coast but its beaufiful. you need reservations for Dalis house, just fyi.