Tuesday 4th March 2025 – Merida, Spain

Jane read the Michelin guidebook and decided that Merida would be a good place for a stop. There seemed to be lots to see in the town, especially Roman archaeology.
It was a relatively short drive and we arrived before noon. The aire is on the edge of a car park and long-distance coach station and comes with all the services (electricity optional) at a price of €18 per 24 hours. The aire is in an ideal position, close to the centre and within a five minute walk of one of the major sights. There were only 3 spaces left and it was obvious that it would soon be full.
Also at the car park is a tourist information office and we were able to obtain a map that was clearly marked with all of the sights in the town. They also told us about a combined ticket costing €17 that would give us access to the 7 major sights and the two museums are free.
We set off on the short walk to the Roman theatre and amphitheatre where we bout the combined tickets. The amphitheatre was very impressive and in a good state of preservation but the theatre was spectacular, with the massive screen behind the stage in excellent condition and it was easy to imagine all of the niches full of huge statues. This site was very popular with many coach parties on guided tours. It was very encouraging that these were exclusively Spanish – we are too far from the sea for the cruise ship groups.
After another excellent Menu del Dia at a local restaurant (€15.90 for a very good 3-course meal with bread and wine/beer), we visited the Casa del Anfiteatro, opposite the amphitheatre. This is a recently renovated site that is covered with a huge roof that protects the treasures underneath. The villa was of a very high status and had beautiful mosaics and frescoes. Whilst little remains of the frescos, the mosaics are in very good condition. Signs, in Spanish and English, were very informative and the site was very well presented.
We visited the Portico del Foro and the Temple of Diana on or route to the Alcazaba. It was become clear that there are Roman remains everywhere and the map showed sites all over the town. The Alcazaba is of a different era but still had strong connections to the Roman period, incorporating the Roman wall and being next to the Roman bridge over the Guadiana River.
Walking back through the centre, we heard some drumming coming from the other end of a side street. It turned out to be a parade associated with the Canaval Romano that was taking place at the moment. There were some excellent dancers followed by their drumming band marching with all of their instruments on a huge metal frame on wheels. There was also a vaguely religious section with a bishop at the front, followed by a very large fish and a bunch of weeping ladies dressed in black lace. Subsequently, I discovered that they were heading for the ‘Burial of the Sardine’ ceremony that marked the end of the carnival and, presumably, the fish was the ‘sardine’ in question.
We returned to the van but I really wanted to see the city by night so I set off after darkness fell. I headed to the opposite side of the city and the Roman bridge. On the way, lit decorations above the main streets had been put there for the Carnaval Romano. On the way back I popped in at a concert being held in the Plaza de Espana. The group, Camparsa de Jesus Bienvenido ‘Las Ratas’, consisting of a dozen people, came on stage dressed in Georgian-style clothes and seemed to be very popular. One of the fun aspects of touring is coming across events such as this.
Photos: The Merida Roman amphitheatre; And its magnificent Roman theatre; Part of the 735 square metres of mosaics in the Casa del Anfiteatro – this one shows the treading of gapes in the grape harvest; The Temple of Diana; The ‘Sardine’; The marching drummers; The Roman bridge over the Rio Guadiana; View of the Alcazaba from the bridge.