So, something magical happened to me today, and I wanted to tell you all about it.

October 28, 2016
Museu de la Tècnica
‟And, by the way, I never made it to Dalí Museum. This was surreal as it was.” – a story by
Museu de la Tècnica
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I’m driving from Barcelona to the edge of Pyrenees, but my friend tells me to detour to the little town of Figueres, for the Dalí Museum.
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I don’t know if I care much for Dalí, but why not?
The drive starts off on a wrong wheel when I realize I made a reservation for tomorrow.
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It fortunately there was another car with automatic transmission. So I drive up, and park next to the museum.
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As I am walking towards it, I see this sign pointing the other way, saying “Museu de la Tècnica,” with a cute gear icon.
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I don’t have internet because of another earlier snafu (bad SIM card), but I had the foresight to save offline Google Maps.
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But Google Maps returns nothing for the museum, so I don’t know where it is exactly. I follow the sign’s directions the old-fashioned way.
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I walk and walk. The cute downtown slowly disappears around me. At some point the signs stop talking about the museum.
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The entrance is so small I could easily miss it. I was just lucky that it was on my exact path.
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But small museums are amazing, too, and I didn’t have any expectations anyway.
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And literally, the first thing that greets me is a Bar-Lock typewriter. A glorious one, with a gorgeous cover…
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…and a non-shifted keyboard. And, one can touch it! So I do, immediately.
I am typing on a Bar-Lock!!! This was already worth it.
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I check in with an older gentleman, and pay the 3€ entry price. (No donation box as far as I could see?!)
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He doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish; he tells me something I interpret as “don’t forget about the second floor.”
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I start with the first floor; it is pretty simple, kind of what I would expect from a little regional museum.
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Second floor is filled with old clocks and sewing machines. It is kind of cool, but I go through it quickly.
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Then I see that the stairs go up, still. There must be another floor.
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As I am going up, I see some posters of typewriters, but I don’t make too much of it.
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AND THEN I SEE THIS. I don’t actually have a good photo, but the third floor is five rooms filled with HUNDREDS of typewriters.
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I have never seen so many typewriters under one roof. Not even close.
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At this point, I literally have tears in my eyes. I’m not kidding. This feels like a miracle.
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I don’t even know what to do. There is tons of stuff here. Eventually, I compose myself.
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Then I type on the first Sholes and Glidden, from 18-whatever-the-fuck. This is where QWERTY started, and I AM TYPING ON IT.
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I type on a few early index typewriters for the first time in my life.
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I find the dual Imperial I talked about in one of my Ignite talks. I never thought I would see it in person.
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There are like 2.5 old grainy-ass photos of it on the internet in total AND NOW I AM TOUCHING IT WITH MY OWN DIGITS.
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Best yet, I have this place for myself. No one else is here.
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This kind of feels like a dream.
Not figuratively: I have had dreams like this, finding an awesome place that I didn’t even know existed.
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Eventually, a lady comes by and she tries to explain some things to me, which kind of works…
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…although the most I understand is her telling me “comprende” again and again. To which I smile and nod.
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At some point, it occurs to me that she is not explaining anything. She’s just trying to kick me out… the museum closed a while back.
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From the brochure she gives me on a way out, I realize I was insanely lucky. This museum is not usually even open on Thursdays.
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I will share a few more out of hundreds of photos I took, but the story ends here.
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What a crazy discovery. I have actually researched places with typewriters. This never came up!
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I also asked my Airbnb host for technical museums specifically. She just rolled her eyes. (Over email.)
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To think I could have so easily missed it…
And, by the way, I never made it to Dalí Museum. This was surreal as it was. :·)
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Okay, more photos.
Check out the most beautiful Shift key ever.
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Shhhhh. Don't tell PC manufacturers they can brand their spacebars.
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Who has two thumbs and used them to shift this vintage Franklin? THIS BRO.
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I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON HERE, BUT IT IS AWESOME.
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This portable typewriter has been used in the field during World War I.
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This is some sort of a cypher machine from Germany. Like a proto-Enigma.
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A demo typewriter with parts carved out to better demo what used to be the future.
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A crazy rare (two copies!) Hansen writing ball using the Moon alphabet, an alternative to Braille.
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WHAT IS THIS IS EVEN, AND WHY DO I FEEL IT IS SENTIENT.
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These guys are really not that great at counterfeiting.
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What happens when you press a key (interactive!). So much more complicated when you try to make your typewriter quieter.
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Speaking of complicated: Japanese and Chinese typewriters.
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And last, but not least, the iconic eraser (eraser crumbs within the machine are deadly!).
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I have tons more photos, but I think this is enough. :·)
Parting thought:
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Now I am going back to some castle in the mountains that is sketchy af. If I don’t come back, please remember me through this thread. 0_O
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