Day 4 Zafra to Merida

 Thursday April 18th

The Roman remains are amongst the largest in Spain and have UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

However, when I went to visit this afternoon 1t was 17€ to get in and 35 C. I promptly decided to save my site seeing for my day off in Caceres tomorrow.

Last night I decided that I wanted to watch Manchester City play Real Madrid in a spanish bar. The only one near my hotel was heaving but didn't do tapas - crisps or olives. A beer and olives 1.5€

The match was exciting and when Kevin de Bruyne equalised I let out and unrestrained YES announcing my allegiance to the whole bar. Extra time and then penalties. Luca Modric missed with Real's first penalty and again an unrestrained YES. Unfortunately after that it was SI SI SI and Real won. The Spaniards were jumping up and down but good naturedly. most had been drinking soft drinks. I got back to my hotel at midnight which was not the best preparation for today but today has been very good.

I was packed up and on the road by 08.30. It promised to  be an "easy day" but I have had them in the past turn nightmarish so I was careful as I left Zafra. It was very unattractive and industrial. Getting out of towns is always harder than getting in so it wasn't long before Google and Cicerone had me lost.(nothing to do with me) Fortunately the first person I asked was good at directions and he set me on my way perfectly. Todo recto (straight on)

the N630 was much  busier today, like a normal road but there was still a metre an a half hard shoulder and the traffic was careful to give me room. 

That was as exciting as it got. The road was fairly flat and Roman straight and I was able to make good time between the three towns en route. Villa Franca de los Barros sounded alot more interesting than it was. I stopped for coffee but whn I hadn't been seved after ten minutes I decided to take my custom elsewhere. Which turned out to be two toens further on. I spent the next 15 kms or so trying to get my tongue around Almendralejo. (Al mend ra layco) It was a huge disappointment. 3kms of industrial  chimneys and agricu;tural suppliers. The one coffee outlet was unattractive so I carried on.

I wasn't tempted to take any photos which may tell its own story. Torremejia was next and I had almost given up on coffe altogether when I spied a touring bike outside an otherwise empty cafe. Pauline would definitely not have stopped. It ensued that the owner of the bike haiked from Elgin and he had started in Santander and was nearly at his destination of Seville. We had a brief chat about what was to come for each of us before heading off into our separate distances. When I tried to explain to the cafe owner the coincidence of two Scots meeting in the middle of Extramadura she seemed unimpressed - obviously it happened nearly every day. (or maybe it was my Spanish)

An hour later I rolled into Merida over the very long Roman bridge

and it took me a while to find Hostal Pompeya because all of the streets in the centre are having work done to repave them and there are closures etc. Google was not my friend so I used my sense of direction and eventually found it.

I have wandered this afternoon but it is very hot so I have installed mysel in a Plaza Major terrace to read my book and people watch and sip a gin and tonic.

Later when it had cooled down I took a trip on the little yellow train.

The commentary was in Spanish only which limited my understandind of which century what was constructed but most was by Augustus Caesar which means 1st century BC.

The tour was interesting and couldn't have been covered on foot even without the searing heat.

They were determined that you were not going to see their Roman theatre without paying the 17€ entrance fee.

The site was surrounded by a high hedge. This was the only chink I could find.

Accomodation:    Hostal Pompeya Merida    19 Calle Parejos, Merida, 06800, Spain    pop. 60k

Booking.com    8.1    €35    

Nice room with private facilities and AC (necessary today) but marks off for no desk to write this blog. Plus marks for the receptionist pushing my bike for me to a position just outside my room while I carried my panniers.