The Road to Denia

There is a perfectly good flight from Cologne to Alicante. It takes three hours, costs less than the fuel for this, and lands you ninety minutes from Denia with your spine intact.

That would be the easy way, if Denia were the goal. It isn’t. It’s the safety net — the point where I can decide whether the rest of the plan is worth it.

I have never done a tour like this, and I have no idea how it goes. Putting a milestone in the middle, where the whole thing can be called off without being called a failure, struck me as the responsible move. Out of character, but responsible.

Why this route

The real target is the Algarve, in Portugal. I like the sea. I like mountains rather less, at least from the saddle.

So the scenic way it is: reach the Mediterranean by the fastest road that doesn’t involve paying tolls, then follow the coast south.

There were other reasons. A friend I met at Burgas Coliving this year was staying at Wonder House, a coliving I’d been curious about, which makes one visit and one field trip out of a single stop.

My friend Laszlo lives in Altea, and visiting him is always fun. And the Co-Co Coliving has been on my list for a while.

Good enough reasons to take the quick way to the sea and then dawdle along the coastline to Denia.