Our plan today is to visit the Dali Museum and then head up to Montpellier. Just one quick day in Spain. 

We enjoy a continental breakfast at the hotel. It’s especially nice to have food so close when the kids wake up hungry. It helps motivate them to get ready in the morning when the food is just downstairs!

We check out of our hotel and load up the car. I am impressed with how easily the kids transition. I think they are getting more used to it. This is life now.

We park our car underground near the museum so we can feel safe leaving Oliver in the car. Don’t worry. It’s not very warm yet, and we left him with lots of water. We then have to wait in line for a while to get a ticket. We should have booked our ticket online. That’s always the best course of action to avoid ridiculous lines, especially when visiting on a weekend.

The Salvador Dali museum is a very special place. As I’ve mentioned before, surrealism is not my favorite type of art, but it’s fun to see with children. Because it’s unlike any other museum, it is a lot of fun to visit. Some of the art is meant to be appreciated from a certain vantage point, and waiting in line proves too difficult for Oly. We just skip those parts. There is so much to see that it isn’t a sacrifice at all. I actually think this museum is a bit too large for a visit with children. I prefer smaller ones where we can see everything and be out in under an hour. That said, it is very interesting, and we make it through every room despite some rough moments. It is super crowded. I don’t recommend going on a Saturday in July.

//Stefan Note: Its a great museam, but too many people today.

I’m really happy we got to visit this unique place, and we’ve really enjoyed our day in Spain, but we head out because we want to go to a beach on our way up to Montpellier.

//Stefan Note: ..and all the ladies swoon

We decide to stop at Collioure on the coast for lunch. Parking is not easy, but we finally get a good spot that’s an easy walk down into town. This town is absolutely charming. The buildings are old, the streets are narrow and pedestrian, and there are several old castles overlooking the sea. The beach abuts the old town. It’s enchanting. We ambience over food and pick a place overlooking the beach. The kids are so happy. It’s funny to see what water does to kids!

//Stefan Note: Thats me and Ll swimming out, above the brown umbrella

We sit contentedly for over 3 hours! We have a little lunch, then Lillian and Stefan go swim. There’s a dock out in the water, and they say they’ll swim out to it. I don’t think anyone but Lillian thought this would actually happen. Stefan swims all the way out there carrying Lillian! I can’t believe it. She is so happy. They say the water is chilly at first, but warms up quickly and is super nice. They sit on that little dock for a few minutes then swim back in. I am only able to capture a photo of them swimming out because they immediately sat on the opposite side of the dock from me!

When they return we order ice cream! They earned it. Lillian was so brave.

We finally decide we must head on to Montpellier to greet our Airbnb host. The kids are absolutely adorable on the walk back to the car. It’s wonderful when they play together like this. 

//Stefan Note: It is so nice being back in an Airbnb and not a hotel

We arrive at our Airbnb in less than 2 hours. It’s so comforting to be checking into an Airbnb again.They offer comforts of home that can’t be matched with a hotel. A full kitchen, a beautiful living space, and a separate bedroom for the kids. Not to mention the washing machine we haven’t had in over a week. Oly immediately find a comic book and cozy chair. I think he’s been craving alone time.

We are just outside the city center, so it isn’t super easy to grab a bite to eat. We are all tired and hungry, so I make dinner from the couple of pantry items I find in the apartment, pasta with cheese and frozen veggies. It turns out well and makes for a cozy night at home, which we are all relieved to be enjoying at last.