I made a leisurely start to the morning, enjoying the comforts of my room, but the streets were still deserted when I stepped into a nearby bar for coffee. Today I planned to see a little more of Roman Merida, prepare for the next few days and relax prior to a long walk tomorrow.
I wandered down to the Roman bridge that we had crossed yesterday and visited the nearby remains of the Roman city walls and some later Muslim additions, added for their own defensive purposes. It was then a walk along the river, past the albergue with this morning’s short queue for their limited beds already forming (including a couple of familiar faces to me) then on to the Milagros Aqueduct where I saw a nearby bridge and remains of a grand city fountain. Once again I followed the river, now tamed and bound by man and concrete, and reached another aqueduct, turned into the city, and shortly after was at the large expanse of the Roman Circus (think Ben-Hur). In reality little more than the outline of the structures that comprised the Circus exist but it is enough to appreciate the size of it which in itself is breathtaking.
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| Two thirds of Circus |
It felt strange walking in the city and not towards a particular destination with thoughts of where I might stay and where I might eat. And more than once I checked myself because I felt I had lost something; carrying a rucksack has also become an ingrained part of my daily routine. Tomorrow though I am back on the road so I needed to stock up on dried fruits, nuts and water and do some planning over a bar lunch before heading back to the hotel to relax away from the heat of the afternoon sun.
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