Merida – The Roman City in Spain

Ancient Roman architecture

Merida is the small but beautiful capital city of Extremadura, Spain. It’s a city that takes you straight to glorious heart of ancient Spain. Friendly folk, engaged in their lively banter in cafes on the narrow streets, Roman ruins scattered across the city, the rich aroma of roasted meat in the air are captivating to say the least. The Roman bridge across the river, the aqueducts, cafes nestled in ancient Roman ruins add a historic and timeless charm.

The ruins of a Roman amphitheatre

Gearing up for a performance at the Aqueducts

I visited Merida in Aug 2011 and stayed with a Spanish family for all of 7 days. Such a culturally rich experience. Had a wonderful host family and even managed to pick up a bit of Spanish. Ignacio the younger son could speak English, which was such a help, considering practically no one in the town speaks English. Made our lives so much easier.

Most of the locals here work in Madrid and come back home during the Summer holidays. It’s a sparsely populated town and its practically a ghost town on Sunday especially in the afternoons. People adore their siesta and wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Ignacio, the younger son of my host family.

 

Friendly locals offering me some mouthwatering pork

Beautiful narrow lanes

Pretty houses

A deserted town on Sundays

 

Quaint roadside cafes – quintessential Europe

Roman Trojan entrance

Cafes comfortably nestled in the ruins

Mérida is very small, and the best way to experience it is to walk through the town. Although, the summers can get quite intense, every street has a nice little watering hole to help you along your way.

Merida was my first trip outside India. And even though all my trips are amazing and unforgettable, this city along with my host family will always be amongst the most meaningful journeys.