Spain 2008-November 28-30th

Denia, Javea, & Valencia

Doug found a very nice Marriott resort on the Mediterranean coast in Spain, in a small town called Denia. So on Friday morning, Doug, Brent, Kelly & I loaded into the Picasso car and headed for the coast. Friday was the girls last day of school, so Lara, Bryce and Joc took the train down after school got out. Denia was about a 4.5 hour drive, but it was interesting to go through the countryside, see the different landscapes, the small towns, and the industry. The giant bulls on the side of the road are advertisements for a Spanish Winery with the label "Toro." They are all over.


We arrived in Denia after a few small mishaps with the GPS unit, and unloaded our luggage and took off for the bar.

We even enjoyed the spa in the hotel for a bit, relaxing our travel-sore muscles in the jacuzzi and steam rooms. After that, we headed into Alicante, about an hour south, to have dinner and collect the girls from the train station. Alfonso had given us recommendations on what to eat, so we had the Arroz a la banda, which is a traditional rice dish with shelled seafood. It was excellent!!!


The next morning we drove about 15 minutes from the resort to Javea, a beautiful town on the coast where the British have their winter homes. We had breakfast, walked, took pictures, and stopped for hot chocolate. I even scaled a (miniature) lighthouse. The town was gorgeous, the sea was turquoise, and the clouds added to the beauty of the pictures.


Later that evening, after relaxing in the resort, we dressed up and headed out for dinner on the beach. We had only a slight delay, where Lara pulled herself over when the Civil Guard was just waving us through the intersection. Unfortunately, they were quite upset that we had 7 people piled into a 5 person vehicle, so Brent, Doug and I walked the remaining 4 blocks to the restaurant. Again, the food was amazing. We had Arroz a la Banda again, Arroz Negro (died with Squid Ink) and Fiduea, which is the traditional rice dish, but with pasta instead.

The next day we headed out to Valencia, where Doug, Kelly & I caught the train back to Madrid, so we wouldn't wind up in jail for having too many people in a car. The train ride was very nice, with a different view of the countryside. I tried to take pictures, but got quite a bit of reflection from the inside of the carriage. Once we arrived in Madrid, we had to take 3 more local trains, and then the light rail back to Boadilla, where Brent was waiting for us with the car.