We went to Gandia today, which is an upmarket Spanish town and resort. There are hardly any expats here and you can certainly feel the difference. Sunday is a big day out for the Spanish people and the promenades and squares are packed.
Gandia is situated in Spain’s main orange growing region and produces some of the best tasting oranges in the world. It was an important commercial and cultural centre during the 15th and 16th centuries but it is best known for being home to the infamous Borgia family. There is still a very busy commercial port in Gandia today. In Gandia city amidst the modern shops, boulevards and parks you can find fantastic examples of Spain’s history, most notably the Ducal Palace and Gandia Cathedral.
The beaches are beautiful, miles of white sand and you can see right across the bay to Valencia. We walked along the promenade for 40 minutes and we still could not see to the end, so it clearly went on for miles!
There was a ‘Galleon’ moored in the port, which was very interesting. It was very small and looked original but I have not been able to find any information on its history. It seems that it was placed in Gandia as a tourist attraction. It was brought from Seville, where it was previously used in the filming of several TV programmes. Children are invited aboard to learn various seafaring skills and to learn what it would have been like to live as a pirate. Not sure if that is a good or bad idea, answers on a postcard please!
A Spanish Adventure 