Denia...
Denia can be described as an attractive
city with parks and gardens full of typically Mediterranean plants. Flowers and tree lined
avenues offer shade, during the hot summer months. The area surrounding the port, known as Baix-la-Mar, has shipyard buildings which date back to the late 16th century but the most
interesting feature of this quarter is its layout which still conjures up images of the life
of Mediterranean sailors of times long since gone.
Denia is situated in the centre of the
Valencia coastline - about 100 kilometres from both Valencia and Alicante. Denia Castle is
the most interesting building in the city and has now been fully restored. The castle still
has Moorish remains to be found on the east side. If you are interested in Costa Blanca
as a whole,
you may know that it begins at the Denia coastline on the Mediterranean. Attractive, in a rugged, rocky way, Denia
has two very different types of coastline: in the North, the beaches are flat and sandy but
to the south, the foothills of the Montgo mountains extend down to the beach forming a rocky
coast with numerous bays and coves. It is claimed that Denia was founded by the phocaens, who
named it Hemeroskopeion, meaning "that which is seen in daytime". A temple built to the Goddess
Diana once stood on the same land as that now occupied by Denia Castle. It is probable that this
is the source of the name Denia. The castle is now a public park and also hosts the local
archaeological museum. There are numerous other points of interest to be found in this ancient,
attractive city. During the War of Independence, the French made the castle their stronghold,
holding off the siege laid by Spanish soldiers for five months. Obviously made of "sterner stuff"
than they are today. If you are contemplating a move to this area or a holiday, the wide sandy
beaches are ideal for children and/or holidays. These beaches are found to the north of Denia
among which the best are, Les Marines, Les Deveses, Les Bassetes, Les Bovetes, and Els Molins
Bay. The only rocky beach to the north of Denia is La Almadraba, here the water is quite deep
with the sea bed made up of rocks and pebbles. Local fisherman catch octopus and squid from this
beach. Denia is somewhere you need visit yourself before being able to decide whether or not it
was an area in which you would want either a holiday or retirement home. Steeped in history, the
city and surrounding area has a lot to offer and many foreigners live there quite happily. It
cannot be described as a particularly cheap part of the Costa Blanca or having an OTT infra
structure. If you wish to live inland and buy a property to renovate, the North of the Costa
Blanca may prove difficult in that land available in any quantities is being snapped up by
builders for development. If your hope is to buy a farm type property you will have more success
in the south of the Costa Blanca, Costa Calida and Costa de Almeria. Farm type properties are rarely
near the coast for obvious reasons.
Learn the Language...
Learning to speak Spanish will give you tremendous advantages...
It will also give you pride and confidence so even before you get here try to
learn the basics. There are several methods, some claim to be fast but
that all depends on you, not the course, so choose what's best for you.
Our useful links page carries a couple you might consider as a starting
point.
Spanish PDQ is from Linguaphone and is a fun, holiday-style course aimed at beginners wanting to
learn basic Spanish. It uses proven teaching methods and has a strong focus on
essential vocabulary, so you will quickly be able to handle a wide variety of
everyday situations. At less than £30 it's a bargain.
Denia
from the Fortress
Learn to speak, read and write Spanish to an elementary level.
Learn 500 essential Spanish words and phrases.
Perfect your accent by listening to native Spanish speakers.
Focus on the vocabulary that you need.