Caceres to Merida, Spain …Roman ruins …Iugula! Verbera! Missus! …Kill him! Beat him! Pardon him!
Categories France & Spain Road trip 2025....on the road yet again, Spain 2025, 2024, 2017September 27th
Another nice day as we prepare for our drive to our next destination, Merida. We had quite enjoyed our visit to Caceres and our stay at the Serenpidity AIRBNB, which was arguably the nicest one we have stayed in on this trip. Today’s drive is quite short, only about 75 kilometres or about 1.5 hours.
Our check-in at the Suites Capitolio is not until 15:00, so arriving in Merida, we had some time to kill. Now you may ask why we would want to visit Merida other than to say that we had been to Merida in Mexico and Spain…the truth is, we like visiting historical ruins. Merida, Spain, possesses some significant treasures. Our goal is simple: to see as many of the major sites as time allows. First up was the Roman Circus, we found some free parking (unusual event) and followed the Aqueduct and adjacent park where the locals were enjoying Saturday with their kids to the ticket office.
Although not much remains, the scale is impressive as it is over 400 meters long and about 96 meters wide with a capacity for up to 30,000 spectators. It is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman circuses in the world. It was used for chariot races and even naval games. On top of the observation platform, it was easy to imagine the wild scenes which played out on the grounds below us:
The circus is located in a very local area and after a short visit (there really is not much to see), we looked for a lunch spot, settling for Ginara Bocas & Tapas, grabbed a table, got the once over by the locals and the very pleasant waitress worked with us on figuring the menu > she with her phone us with ourss, all turned out, tapas were very good and while not scenic it was pleasant enough in the ‘hood.
Afterwards, on our way back to the car, we saw a lineup outside Pollos Asadores Kikiriki and made a command decision to have BBQ chicken Spanish style that evening…in addition to chicken, they sell various other prepared products, the fries looked and smelled so good we could not resist having a few on the way back to the car. The dark green item in the pic below was a mystery vegetable (not bad)… altogether we had a good supper made even better with a couple of cold cervezas…
Experience when travelling is a huge asset, and knowing the drill as to how to access these apartments and nearby parking made the process rather simple > no human contact at all, everything via codes. The Suites Capitolio apartment was super clean, well-equipped, with a giant comfy bed and a central location. What more do you need?
September 27th
We woke up to a greyish sky with the forecast calling for rain by midday…as we only had today to visit the various sites, we put the pedal to the metal …the entrance to the ruins was about a 10-minute walk, and the line up was super short. We had modulated our expectations given our previous experiences in Italy, particularly in Agrigento. It is a large site, and we found the ruins quite mesmerizing.
The Theatre in the distance and the Amphitheatre up close and personal… the rules explained in the center image below. Built in 8 BC for popular spectacles like gladiatorial contests and wild beast hunts, it could accommodate 15,000 spectators…and yes, women did attend, enjoying these events as much as football today!
Turning away from blood sports, the Roman Theatre is one of the better-preserved theatres. It was built between 16 and 15 BCE and could accommodate an audience of 6,000 for theatrical performances, a decent size, as the one we saw in Taormina, Italy, held 10,000 spectators and was considered large. The venue hosts various productions during the summer months; unfortunately, we were there too late in the season…that would have been a neat experience.
There was a fair bit to see, with the theatre being the most interesting…
Concluding our visit, the horizon was not looking promising…
…and we made our way back to the apartment, passing the Temple of Diana as the sprinkles turned into bona fide rain…not that this would stop Annie from reading the info sign:
Back at the apartment, we worked on drying our wet gear and some blog work while intermittently checking to see if the rain was abating. By 16:00, it was drizzling, and we decided “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, and headed towards the Guadiana River and the Alcazaba. On the way, we passed by the Plaza Espana with its lovely fountain for a quick look…
…and onwards to the Alcazaba, which was interesting both inside and out…
We lucked out as the weather now turned favourable with the rain a distant memory…we were virtually alone as most people probably gave up…it was enjoyable just wandering around checking out the site:
The ramparts offered panoramic views of the Guadiana River and the Puente Romano, some 792 meters long and now pedestrianized
We felt energized by the turn in the weather, and since Annie was interested in visiting the crypt of St. Eulalia’s Basilica, we hustled down there.
It is an interesting site with tombs piled on tombs dating back to the Visigoths. The guardian insisted we also visit the Basilica (separate ticket), and we were glad we did…
Whew, it had been a long and busy day, but we could not resist dinner out. The Taperia Volterra opened at 18:30 which seemed to fit the bill…we sat down at a window table (a bit chilly outside) looked at the menu and called the waitress over…before we could order she told us that the resto was open but food service would not begin for another hour….yikes…some dithering and we found a workaround: a bowl of olives and a bowl of potato chips accompanied by a bottle of Viva Publa White {we could not face wandering the streets to find another place}. A wise decision as we watched as the place filled up with the usual animated and chatty locals … when it came time to order we did go a bit overboard: mixed meat hamburger on brioche + fries, pork tenderloin + fries, an irresistible meat lasagna and lastly a “timbal de calabacín” which is a Spanish dish where slices of zuchini are used to line a mold, forming a timbal then filled with cheese etc. It was a rather unassuming place, but they could certainly deliver! A delicious meal, and the bill came in at a modest 33 Euros. A fitting end to a very successful day!
Tomorrow we will be heading further south and the start of the “vacation” part of the road trip…