Denia is a small town on the east coast of Spain. It is the perfect vacation spot as it has something for everybody, be it beaches or mountains, peace or parties, history or shopping.

Being a beach bum, I headed straight for the beach as soon as I arrived. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Mediterranean waters beckoned me. It was only when my skin began to wrinkle that I was compelled to get out of the sea. To take a little breather, I stopped by the beach bar to get some food and fresh orange juice.After a much needed relaxation at the beach, I decided to walk around the town’s main street Marques De Campo. I quickly learnt that people in Denia take siesta seriously and that all the stores were closed from 1pm to 5pm.As it was too hot to go back to the beach, I decided to indulge in a siesta myself. After all, when in Spain do as the Spaniards do!

When I finally arose from slumber, I walked to the hill-top castle located in the centre of Denia. The castle dates back to the 11th century and houses an archaeological museum. The best thing about the castle is the view of the sea and town once you get to the top.

I then decided to undo all the good I did walking up to the castle by treating myself to paella for dinner. Paella is one of Spain’s most famous dishes and there are said to be over 200 varieties of paella. After much thought, I ordered the seafood paella made out of rice, vegetables and every kind of seafood imaginable.

With my hunger satiated, I proceeded to the Marina where the nightlife of Denia resides. I found Republic, a lounge that happened to have a live salsa band playing that night. I stood there mesmerised by the dancers. A local lady named Maria took pity on me standing and decided to teach me the ropes of salsa. I happily danced the night away.

The next day, I woke up determined to hike to Montgo, a mountain in Denia. However, my resolution slowly dissolved and I chose to do a shorter route that would only take me halfway up the mountain. Huffing and puffing, I finally reached my destination, a cave located in the mountain. It was a warm, clear day and the views were breathtaking. There was a sea glittering in the sun in front of me and a towering mountain behind me. I felt a sense of peace wash over me as I took in my surroundings. Exhausted from all the activity, I returned to the beach where I spent the rest of my day.

By Priyanka Shewakramani Mumbai (India)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 5:39 pm and is filed under SPANISH STUDENTS, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.