Lakes forests and mountain ranges replicate themselves all the way to the Arctic

Lakes, forests and mountain ranges replicate themselves all the way to the Arctic Circle and beyond, while a single road and railway line play tag with each other on their journey to Sweden’s border with Norway and Finland.
Saudi Arabia’s trackless southern desert of endlessly shifting sands is known as the “empty quarter” Sweden has an empty three-quarters. If the country had the same population density as the UK, 124 million people would live there Only eight million do. The atlas, which can sometimes mislead, gives an accurate picture of Sweden. In 1972, Dali himself painted some panels for the inside of two Iberia planes, and these panels are now displayed at the company’s head office.. Other well-known Spaniards who have been immortalised in the skies include Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, and the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. The films will be released on video in the summer, and will be available from the British Film Institute at 21 Stephen Street, London W1T 1LN (020-7957 8960; .uk)HIGH FLIERAs part of the centenary celebrations, an Airbus A340-600 operated by the Spanish airline Iberia has been renamed “Salvador Dali”. They will be showing in Edinburgh this weekend and will also run at selected cinemas in Manchester, Leeds, Northampton, Falkirk, Leicester, Cardiff and Bradford.

For accommodation close to Lavardens, contact The Gascony Secret (01284 827253; ).DALI ON FILMAlthough Dali is best known as a painter and sculptor, he also wrote essays, novels, plays and poetry and was involved in designing theatre sets.He worked with the Surrealist film director Luis Bu? on two films, L’Age d’Or, which they co-wrote, and Un Chien Andalou, both of which have been re-released by the British Film Institute. The nearest airport is Toulouse, served from a wide range of UK cities. These include a number of hand-written manuscripts, Dali’s birth certificate and his earliest self-portrait. The exhibition continues until 26 September.The only special exhibition in France to mark the centenary will be at the Chateau de Lavardens in the Gascony village of Gers (00 3315 6258 1061, ) from 15 May until 30 September The location is between Agen and Lourdes. From here it will move to the Philadelphia Museum of Art at Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 26th Street in Philadelphia (001 215 763 8100; ) from 16 February to 15 May next year.The Salvador Dali Museum in St Petersburg currently has a special exhibition containing items from the museum’s permanent collection that are infrequently put on display. The exhibition moves to the Dali Museum in St Petersburg from October until January 2005, and from February until May 2005 it will be shown at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen at Museumpark in Rotterdam (00 31 10 44 19 400; )An exhibition at the Figueres Toy Museum in the Hotel de Paris at 1 Sant Pere, Figueres (00 34 972 504 585; ), will concentrate on Dali’s childhood. This will run until 30 September and is open from 10am-1pm and 4-7pm Tuesday-Saturday, and 11am-1.30pm on Sunday.A major retrospective covering all aspects of Dali’s career, from his Cubist-inspired paintings to his surrealist work, will be on display at the Palazzo Grassi ( ) in Venice from 12 September until 9 January 2005.

It then transfers to the capital’s leading modern art museum: the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia on the Paseo del Prado in Madrid (00 34 91 467 5062) It will be here from 22 June until 29 August. Among these is a touring exhibition of around 400 of his works, which is currently showing in Barcelona at the CaixaForum, 6-8 Avenida Marques de Comillas (00 34 93 476 86 00). It opens 10am-8pm daily except Monday and admission is free.The exhibition will continue in Barcelona until 23 May. The trips start at £598 per person, including flights, car hire and half-board accommodation.HOW IS THE CENTENARY BEING CELEBRATED?A number of events are to be staged around the world to commemorate Dali’s life and achievements. Return fares start at around £50.The Triangle is included in an escorted tour put together by Magic Travel (0870 888 0222; ) in conjunction with the Tate Gallery; Tate curators will accompany the trip that leaves on 28 May The eight-day tour also includes several days in Barcelona. Prices start at £750.Inntravel (01653 617906; ) is offering four-night breaks to Catalonia to celebrate the centenary, with two nights in each of two attractive hotels close to the Dali Triangle – the four-star Hotel Can Xiquet in remote Cantallops on the edge of the Albera Natural Park and the Castell d’Emporda, a Gothic fortified manor house with sweeping views over the surrounding plain. This is a small airport close to the attractive city of Girona, itself 25 miles from Figueras.

Entrance is €5.50 (£3.70).HOW CAN I GET THERE?It is easy to get to this part of Catalonia – usually known as the “Dali Triangle” – by flying to the region and hiring a car. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ) flies daily from Bournemouth, Nottingham East Midlands, Liverpool, Prestwick and Stansted to a destination known to the airline as Barcelona (Girona). Although Dali never lived at Pubol during Gala’s life, he left his home in Port Lligat after her death and moved into the castle.Before she was buried in the castle’s crypt, Dali drove her body around the estate in a Cadillac that is now parked in the garage. He left Pubol for Figueres after he was badly burned in a fire in the property, never to return. The Gala Dali Castle House-Museum in Pubol (00 34 972 488 655; ) is open from 10.30am-6pm daily from 13 March to 14 June and 16 September to 6 January; and until 8pm daily from 15 June to 15 September. He intended her to have somewhere to entertain her friends and lovers – and, occasionally, her husband, although he would visit only when invited.From the outside the castle appears traditional, apart from the elephant sculptures in the garden with their long, giraffe-like legs; inside it is very much a Dali creation. His paintings adorn the walls, as do a number of trompe-l’oeil effects, and he also designed much of the furniture.