Tuesday 20th February 2018
About 50 minutes drive south from Cáceras is Mérida. The town was founded in 25 BC and is home to some ancient Roman remains, all within walking distance of each other.Heading out of Cáceras, we joined the A66, which was a super stretch of motorway. The landscape in this area of Extremadura is much greener and fertile than most we have encountered in Spain. We discovered that the technical term for this land type is ‘dehesa’.
The presence of animals made a welcome change, as did the vast swathes of oak and cork trees which covered the land. We also spotted a couple of storks nesting in some most unusual spots along the route. One in a nest next to a junction and another on the top of a pylon!
On arrival into Mérida we found a great spot to park the car close to the Aqueduct of Miracles, Acueducto de los Milagros. It’s not difficult to miss as it rises over 25 metres into the sky!
Although only a relatively small section of the original aqueduct remains it is definitely worth seeing.
Those Romans certainly knew how to construct impressive practical structures. An unusual addition was the large number of white storks nesting on the very top of the columns.
From here we headed through the streets of Mérida south towards the Guadiana River and the Roman Bridge, Puente Romano. We entered onto the bridge where it is annexed to the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortification built in 835.
The arch bridge is the longest surviving bridge originally built in the 1st century, at the same times as the foundation of Emerita Augusta, present day Mérida.
Our only negative comment of the experience was the cleanliness of the area around the river. In particular the litter floating on the river and some disrespectful dog owners.
After a slightly longer than anticipated walk, past the Estadio Romano we reached the site of the Roman Amphitheatre and Theatre, the Roman complex of Mérida, another world heritage site.
This was to be the highlight of our trip to Mérida .
We followed the recommended route along some of the original Roman road, taking us into the amphitheatre.
From here we made our way into the magnificent and breathtaking Roman theatre.
A fitting end to our day trip to Mérida. Perhaps next time we might even manage to catch one of the live performances held here during the classical theatre festival in the month of August.