A Weekend in Dénia
Sorry, this is a slightly erroneous header … I’m in Dénia for a whole month but I started my time hanging out with Sagrario who was very kind to drive me here, which, after five months in one place was a godsend, mainly because the amount of food I had accumulated was impressive. She has spent a lot of time here over the years and knows the city well, so I knew that meant she will be the perfect guide.
Dénia is not a large city–population of around 40,000 people–but because of its location, it is a very popular destination for residents of València. It’s located about an hour and a bit south of the city so close enough for people to get away for the weekends, and many have their summer homes there. Because of its beaches, marinas, and many amazing restaurants, the population in Dénia swells over the weekends, holidays and in the summer, though, thankfully, not from as many foreigners as you’d think. No, those guys go to Benidorm, on the other side of the Cap de la Nau (that easternmost pointy bit of peninsular Spain), and the one place I have absolutely zero interest in visiting.
On the way to Dénia we drove through the coastal flats that are the breadbasket of the region, but every time I looked west, there was another mountain range, and, of course, another castle on top of a hill. I never get tired of seeing those. One of the benefits of travelling with someone else is that when you notice something, you get inside info about it and that is something I never got on the train. On the other hand, there is no train to Dènia from València, so there is that. Had the weather been a little better I would have taken more pictures that didn’t suck, but I did manage to capture the Face of the Moor, the skyward facing mountainside that is the gate to the province of Alicante.
The place I have rented in Dénia is a whole house, at the edge of a little plaza, just a block away from a marina, but don’t expect much. I rented it because I wanted to have a little time all to myself for a little while, and the idea of not being always in just one room really appealed to me. And having it all to myself also meant I could have a guest along.
When we got to the town, it was jammed packed with people, this being the Thursday before Easter Friday, and the start of not just a long weekend but a whole week of school holidays. Undaunted by all the people, we set out on our first walk about the old town. I didn’t take many pictures then, thinking I’ll have lots of time to do so later when there are fewer people on the streets. One thing we did do was go to the fish market where fresh catch is sold every night at 6pm. We bought some great filet tuna steaks and some massive prawns this area is known for and Sagrario prepared a wonderful dinner for us. We also christened the new place with a bottle a lovely cava (I may have made a hole in the ceiling with the cork but I’m sure nobody will ever notice since the place isn’t exactly tip top shape in the first place).
The next day we headed out to explore the town itself. Our main goal was to visit el Baret de Miquel, a Michelin-star level restaurant (Don Miquel had refused it when the star was bestowed on his establishment). We tried making reservations but it’s one of those places you need to book 3-4 months ahead, and we certainly did not have that kind of time. What we did get to do, however, is take advantage of a mid-day special time when most of the regular (though ever-changing) menu is available for la hora de vermút, from noon until 1:30pm, without the need for reservations, i.e. first come, first served. We couldn’t say no to that! The place was a ways away from the centre, which was fine as Sagrario is quite knowledgeable regarding all the other great restaurants around, the main shopping streets, and, of course, the Mercado Municipal. She certainly made sure I would know where to go and what to do during my long solo month. I wasn’t too worried, and I definitely wasn’t going to go hungry! At el Baret we got a little table by a window and as we perused the menu, I also took a good look around. The restaurant isn’t large, but it is decorated with many original and very decorative touches, such as the hanging boxes and glass balloons. There are also many vermouth bottles everywhere — I’d say they take that very seriously 😒.
We ordered a number of things to share and what came, with the exception of one item, constituted one of the top five meals I’ve ever had in my life, especially the cuttlefish rolls. The only thing we were both not sure about was the bocadillo de calamares which was definitely not a sandwich but clearly a unique and very stylized version thereof, and deep-fried to boot. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it definitely wasn’t quite what we had expected. The rest of the meal was heavenly and I vowed to come back either for another hora de vermut or for the menú del día that changed every week and was available as take-out. Feast your eyes on this!
After this amazing meal, we had to go and walk it off, and walk we did. First we explored the south marina, i.e. the new one, with its many leisure boats and restaurants. There we decided to rest a little and have a cool drink while watching boats come and go. Then we walked down the waterfront path that leads up the coast through modern residential areas to a remnant of an old fishing village where the little white houses are perched on the edge of the sea. This is a very popular area for tourists and locals alike, and the restaurants there serve fresh fish and seafood daily. Unfortunately we were still too full to dine there and while I’d like to think I’ll come back to eat there again, I think that visit may have to wait until I have someone to share the meal with. The setting simply calls for a shared experience. Just beyond this village there was a lookout point with a couple of benches and large rocks people could sit on, all in the shadow of a couple of large palm trees. Since this was some distance away from the city, we decided to spend a bit of time relaxing. We each picked a bench to lie down on, I took out my Kindle and used my bag for a pillow, and we settled to rest in the warm breeze while the sound of the waves lulled us both to sleep.
Eventually the clouds started to look a bit more ominous so we headed home. The walk back felt much longer than I would have liked, funny how that works. Later that evening, Sagrario introduced me to a type of fish I would have never in a million years thought 1) existed and 2) were something I’d actually enjoy eating. I have heard of and very much enjoyed eel, of course, but I had never seen baby eels before. Now I search for them in every supermarket! These are called angulas and when fried with a little garlic in oil and served with fresh bread, they are an awesome dish, despite looking like worms. I’m told they are a delicacy in the Basque Country so I look forward to having fresh ones in Bilbao once I get there in June.
Sagrario stayed with me the whole weekend, and we passed the time walking around town, eating great food, spending time at the beach, and talking. Well, she did most of the talking. A former model, bar keep, lecturer, social worker, still a world traveller and host, and just an all around amazing human being: she has done it all. And I got to hear about her adventures all the while thinking her life is a book in the making. To some of you I’m the adventurous one … trust me, I have nothing on her. My life has been boring as heck in comparison (not that I’m complaining!). I feel very lucky to call her my friend now and I was very sad to see her go back to València. I will now embark on living alone again … at least for a little bit.
