Dénia

Dénia and Gandia were cities to the north of Alicante that I wanted to visit. I didn't get to Gandia this trip, maybe next time, perhaps using a ferry from the Balearic Islands. Although the tram line to Benidorm turns into a train line and continues to Dénia, it would be a long journey due to the many stops. However a search showed that I could take a bus there; it would only stop once, at Benidorm.

I had also booked a Segway tour in Dénia. The two Segway tours I did in Gozo and Malta have turned me into a Segway-addict.

This is the guide I got. I was the only person on the tour that day so it was very informal. Perhaps he had been drafted at the last minute, he was a bit late arriving at the shop. We used a mix of Spanish and English to communicate.

The beach to the south of Dénia, Playa las Rotas, is rocky and eventually runs into a headland.

There are many holiday homes here. I suspect when those rich people want to swim it will be in their own pools. They will enjoy the sunshine and breezes, and in the evening they will dine by romantic light in the seaside establishments.

One of the restaurants.

As you can see, not very good for swimming, no sand.

But maybe a bit of wading. This is looking back at the city.

There is a sizeable marina so it's a port of call for leisure sailing. I didn't get any pictures of that, I would have had to ask the guide to stop to let me take photos. Dénia is also a ferry port.

After that I visited the markets, where the usual array of stalls can be found. At this pastry stall I bought a snack of a couple of light and tasty ensaïmadas. 

Cheese, smallgoods and fruits. I never tire of looking at the variety of produce of a place.

Deli and smallgoods.

Fruits and vegetables.

Flowers.

But most of the fruits and vegetables were sold outside.

The largest pomegranates I had ever seen.

I bought a half kilo of deep red Raf tomatoes, a Spanish variety. They have an unusual shape, with deep furrows. They were somewhat tastier than the usual smooth varieties.

Then I visited the castle on a rocky crag overlooking the city.

It's an official site so a nominal entrance fee is charged.

What remains of the old buildings.

The mountains of the hinterland.

The port of Dénia.

Panorama of Dénia harbour

Time for lunch. I looked around in the old city but nothing took my fancy. An online guide mentioned Dénia prawns, a delicacy because they are caught in a deep trench off the coast. There was one restaurant serving it, but it was very casual, no tables (at lunchtime), no menu, no reservations, just grab a seat when you can, and order.

I had to wait until someone vacated a spot on a window sill before I could order. This is what I had. The prawns was full of flavour so I didn't regret the expense.

There isn't much more to Dénia. It has lots of upmarket places on the main pedestrian mall catering to tourists, but the city has a hint of being a haunt of those who can afford the seaside houses.

The bus stand didn't have any waiting room so I was glad when my bus arrived and I could sit down. On the way we went through the huge Benidorm bus terminus with a supermarket upstairs again. I'm sure that reflects the tourist traffic through it.