It was a beautiful morning to start the day. May be the heat wave was over? As we drove south towards Denia we again noticed the change in the scenery. More palm trees now, and more lush growth than I expected. We were heading to Denia after good reports from friends who were here a few weeks ago. Thanks to them for maps etc which have been very useful. Denia is another town with a history of various cultures - Iberian, Roman, islamic and Christian. Its historic centre is surrounded by lots of apartments, a huge marina and holiday accommodation. There was also a ferry terminal for travel to Ibiza or Majorca. We were surprised just how many large cities there were along this Spanish coast. It is like the Queensland Gold Coast over and over. Some towns are attractive, but some look as though they are high rise only.
Mountains south of Oliva
Denia
Denia is attractive. Its castle ruins sit on a hill by the sea and give great views in each direction. The Montgos Mountains to the south give an interesting backdrop with their folded appearance. The town has lots of modern shops and attractive eating places. We had our lunch by the marina and wondered again how many boats there are in the world and what percentage get used at all.
Denia Castle remains are on a 60m hill above the town. Originally a Muslim fortress, it was rebuilt by the French in the 19th century when they occupied the town. It was a great place to look over Denia.
Walking up to the castle
Castle wall Denia
There were very good views from the castle
Montgos Mts
Ferries for Ibiza
Up we go
The castle was built 11-12th century
Dome of the Church of Assumption
After our walk in Denia we were on the road again.
Gorgos aquaduct
Olives and grapes growing with a mountain backdrop
We diverted to Calp after we saw an unusual rock formation right on the water with apartments built right to its base. A beautiful bay of very blue water lay just to the north.
Calp
Russian Orthodox Church as we pass by
Benidorm highrise
Further south we passed kilometres of land that looked as though it had been mined - there were lots of concrete factories. Best to pass that quickly. Last interesting view before our stop for the night were the salt pans at Santa Pola. Kilometres of sea water in shallow enclosures and mountains of salt. It's a big industry here.
Santa Pola salt pans
And then our stop at Guardamar del Segura. Not far from the beach and a beautiful temperature.
This featured blog entry was written by jannettek from the blog Time to travel.
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