Friday 7st March 2025 – Orgiva, Spain

We headed east from Merida as the forecast for the west of Spain was awful and south of Granada looked much better. However, as we approached Orgiva in the Alpujarra Mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the forecasts for the area deteriorated. We have had poor weather ever since we arrived in Spain and it is much cooler and far, far wetter than normal for this time of the year.
There were many more olive groves on our route to Granada, thinning out as we entered the Alpujarra Mountains. The road took us around Granada and we started the twisty descent to Orgiva.
We spent some time in Orgiva, known as the Glastonbury of Spain, in 2008 when we were on our 14 month European Sojourn. We really enjoyed our stay then and had always planned a long stay on this trip. We had the idea of lots of walking, excursions up into the surrounding villages and, for me, bike rides. Looking at the weather forecasts it was clear that it would actually be a case of hunkering down. Rain was forecast every day for at least another week and that was definitely going to cramp our style.
We arrived at Camping Orgiva and it was just the same as we remembered it. There was plenty of space and we chose a pitch with views of the surrounding mountains. They are lovely views, providing that they are not obscured by low clouds!
Photos: We past three wind turbine blades being transported on the motorway – they are enormous!; Just a few of the olive groves on the route; Our pitch at Camping Orgiva; A view of the mountains from the campsite with lots of low cloud and is that snow that I can see?

Thursday 6th March 2025 – Valdepenas, Spain

 I returned to the museum to see the last parts and, arriving just after it opened, I had the place to myself.
I tried to find a book in English about Merida and/or its mosaics but without success. The museum shop was closed and was likely to be for a year or more. The shop at the amphitheatre/theatre had nothing except for a small booklet. It was suggested that I checked a few shops down the road. I had seen them before and they weren’t displaying any books. There was however a mosaic shop, Mithra Mosaics, that was open and I went in to see the owner. She spoke no English and I speak no Spanish but she indicated that she made all of the mosaics on display in the Roman manner and even collected the marble from a Roman quarry a few kilometres away. I explained that I was also a mosaicist and she gave me a guided tour of her mosaics and the reproduction Roman jewellery that she also made.
Walking back to the aire, I stopped at the tourist information office where there was also a small exhibition about Roman life in Augusta Emerita and Roman life in general. Small but beautiful, it was very interesting and very well presented with information boards in Spanish and English. I particularly enjoyed the interactive video with Marcus Gavius Apicius, the Roman gourmet who produced a famous cookbook. The video character beckoned me over and invited me to ask one of a set of questions by pressing a button. The answers were fascinating, especially the complex process of serving wine that involved large amounts of honey and spices. The exhibition was excellent, really interesting and informative. I can’t help asking myself why Bath, a very important Roman site in Britain, couldn’t do the same thing. The answer, of course, is money and the importance given to history and tourism.
Merida is a wonderful place to visit if you are at all interested in history and archaeology. We were very impressed by the city and would highly recommend people to visit.
We set off for an aire at Luciana near Ciudad Real. There were long, straight roads on the plain but with an early surprise - paddy fields. We hadn’t realised that Spain produced rice but there were many flooded fields ready for rice. Then there were olive trees and miles and miles of fruit trees. There were very few villages, just a scattering of fruit processing buildings. We arrived at the aire in Luciana only to find that the parking area was full of weeds and a sign at the entrance told us that the aire had been closed down. Consulting our ‘All the Aires of Spain and Portugal’ book from Vicarious Books, Jane found another aire in Valdepenas, about another hour further on.
Olive groves had taken over from fruit trees and they dominated the views left and right. We passed a massive olive processing facility set well back from the road but the olive aroma wafted through the van.
We arrived at the aire in Valdepenas that is set in an industrial estate, not quite the same as the village of Luciana. There we would have taken a stroll around the village streets and park but this aire was quiet and would provide a good stop for the night.
Photos: The Charioteers Mosaic; Detail of one of the charioteers; The Scenes of the Nile mosaic; The huge Boar Hunt mosaic – the figurative centre; The geometric design above; And the geometric design below; Some of the mosaics in the Mithra Mosaics shop.

Wednesday 5th March 2025 – Merida, Spain

The tourist information map showed 26 historic sites, almost all of them from the Roman colony of Augusta Emerita, and we had a lot to see today.
We started with the Roman circus, just a short walk from the van. This horse racing circuit with a ground plan of 440 metres by 115 metres and its stands could hold 30,000 spectators. The remains of lower part of some of the stands are still in place, together with the central ‘spina’ that ran down the centre of circuit. The race consisted of seven circuits and the progress was indicated by a mechanism housed on the spina. The starting blocks for the race are also preserved. A museum explained more about the circus and the races and it also had a viewing gallery on an upper floor that provided a good view over the site.
Just across the road from the circus is another popular venue for the Romans – a public bath house. This was conveniently located next to one of the four aqueducts that brought water into the city. The remains of the aqueduct were impressive.
We moved on to the crypt of Santa Eulalia church where there were many Roman and Visigoth graves. Then it was the Roman Aqueduct ‘Los Milagros’ that is one of the best preserved examples in Spain.
Walking via a Roman bridge over the Rio Albarregas and a Roman monumental fountain, we arrived at the Archaeological Area of Moreria. Everywhere in the city that they had cleared sites for redevelopment, there was evidence of archaeological excavations revealing Roman ruins. The same had applied to the Moreria site but the finds were so significant that they had left them exposed and built the flats above, raised on pillars so that the ruins were preserved. It was fun to see the intersection of two preserved Roman roads in addition to extensive remains of Roman houses (including mosaics) and houses that had been converted for industrial use in the post-Roman era. A very interesting site and they are still carrying out excavations.
We moved on to the Visigoth Museum but that turned out to be rather disappointing – old fashioned and not very interesting. We spotted later that they are intending to build a new museum and I am sure that there will be more exhibits and much better presented. However, I suspect that it will be some years before the museum is ready.
The Casa del Mitreo y Columbarios is another magnificent Roman villa with mosaics and wall plaster still visible.
We saw many other sites but the main one that we had left to do was the National Museum of Roman Art. We didn’t know quite what to expect but it turned out to be fantastic. It is a relatively recent, purpose-built building, the outside clad with reproduction Roman bricks. Entering the museum was a real ‘Wow’ moment. More reproduction Roman brick pillars rose up to arches at the ceiling level with three exhibition floors below. Huge finely-carved statues, many from the theatre stage façade, were exhibited on the ground floor. There were many stunning exhibits but the ones that I loved were the mosaics. Huge, intricate mosaics, both geometric and figurative are mounted on the walls, sometimes covering all three floors and visible from each of them. There was so much to see that we ran out of time when the museum closed at 18:30. I decided that I would have to return the next day to finish – not a problem as entrance was free.
Photos: The starting blocks of the circus; View from the far end of the circus showing the central spina; The ‘Los Milagros’ aqueduct; A villa at the Moreria site; The Roman crossroads at Moreria; One of the mosaics at the Casa del Mitreo; The ‘Wow’ initial view of the Museum of Roman Art; A second century AD statue in the museum.

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.