September 2017 - Weeks 3 and 4

Saturday 16th to Saturday 30th we were on holiday in Spain. A week in Javea and a week in Denial sped by but we had a fantastic time and reminded ourselves why we like that part of Spain so much; great climate, fabulous food, sandy beaches travelling for miles, plains strewn with palm trees and bougainvillea and a backdrop of blue-green mountains, the friendliest people you could wish for, history, culture and stylish architecture and, what’s more, it’s clean and quiet.

Our flights were almost on time and smooth despite Spanish airport workers strikes, French traffic controllers strikes and the Ryan Air debacle. Our Javea flat was in a fantastic position at one end of Arenal beach, so just a short stroll to the beach with its promenade and crescent of bars and restaurants. The standard of the restaurants is fantastic and for the most part they are not too expensive. We ate paella (of course), pasta, pizzas, fresh fruits and calamari. Not to mention the bread, cheeses wonderful Riojas and the ubiquitous English breakfasts. Oh, and the Drambuies were huge and cheap which is a bonus by anyone’s standards.

Then on to Denia, a much bigger town with a large resident Spanish community, a pretty historic centre, a castle, great up-market shops, fab restaurants and to-die-for noisy and confusing cafes selling wonderful coffees and pastries. The sandy beaches run north for miles and miles. Never mind the swimming, this is a walker’s paradise. Denia has real charm and character and feels truly Spanish despite the large immigrant (or should I say Expat) community. Our flat there was once again perfectly placed with everything we wanted within an easy walking distance.

Most days we drove out exploring the coast and its villages and towns. We didn’t take to Calpe (a mass of skyscrapers and tatty tourist restaurants and shops, and you would hardly know you were in Spain) but Moraira was charming, though very small. Further inland we went to Gandia (impossible one-way systems and road works and building work) and Oliva (quite nice but lacked real character AND we got a parking ticket). We tried unsuccessfully to work out what to do with the parking ticket. We couldn’t find a traffic warden, all of the tourist information offices were closed (for the whole of our visit) and we didn’t fancy visiting the police station. The car hire company told us we had to sort it out online but if you can find a website to do that on, you’re a better man (or woman) than me!