clairedavieswriter

It turned out to be quite hard to take a rest day in Mérida. Those pesky Romans just left too much interesting stuff behind. The whole set, in fact, commensurate with the status of Augusta Emerita (from which the name Mérida derives) as the capital of Lusitania and a hub for communication with the rest of the Iberian peninsula.

We started with the 433m long Circus, which was so well preserved you could almost hear the thundering of hooves and the rattle of wheels:

And we appreciated the inclusion of Astérix in the information panels, to illustrate the colour-coding of chariot teams

Next up was the Amphitheatre, not quite on the scale of Rome, but still easy to imagine packed with spectators

And, possibly most impressive of all, the Theatre, which, having been in use for over 400 years, until the 5th century, then disappeared under 8 metres of earth for 1,500 years, before being rediscovered in 1910.

And let’s not forget the Temple of Diana, just casually sitting in the middle of an ordinary residential street:

Or the 2,000 year old bridge across the river Guadiana, from which we spotted 21st century terrapins basking on rocks, and curve-beaked Glossy Ibis flying overhead, their feathers shining an iridescent blue-black-green in the sun.

Modern day Mérida has plenty of charm too. We enjoyed the feel of the south (even though the morning air was still cool):

And a sense of humour is always a good sign

Oh, and the food was delicious – we even found something vegetarian. In short, if you ever find yourself down this way, Mérida merits a visit. I just hope that when we get back in the saddle tomorrow, our legs forgive us all the walking