Out the door by 0700 for an early start to our uphill day. Very soon we found the second Roman bridge to the northern side of Merida and beside it were massive structures which formed the viaduct two thousand years ago. They are towering giants silhouetted against the first glow of the morning sky. Our early start was sabotaged as we gazed up in awe and lingered longer than intended. The luminous dawn backdrop gave the tall towers an eerie and majestic aura. Eventually we dragged ourselves away and crossed the old Roman bridge. It spans about 200 metres, built in a similar style to the much longer southern bridge. Crossing the bridge, eyes still fixated on the amazing aquaduct, was our grand finale departure to our unforgettable stay in Merida.
We had breakfast at a bar where on one wall it showed the viaduct columns at a time in winter when they were covered in snow. Such a rare event in Merida; 'Professor Google' informs that snow fell twice, once in 1983 and again in 2010, so presumably the photo dates to one of these two exceptional years.
The city of Merida spreads north with high quality apartments and town houses several kilometres along the roadway. The camino became a shared walk / bike path adjacent to the highway but separated by a guard rail. A good walking surface that kept leading us on a gentle incline. Eventually we passed through fields of wheat and olive groves. Some kilometres later we came to a lake/reservoir (Proserpina), a delightful sight for early morning pilgrims. The anticipated coffee shop was not open and so we continued our journey north.
We read on the way that the reservoir is one of three the Romans created to service Merida. This one is 18 metres deep and holds millions of cubic metres of water. It flowed at 150 litres per second along the 30 kilometres of aqueduct. As we walked beyond the lake we found more water management walls and natural and carved block rock walls diverting waters from pastures to the lake. It appeared the Romans had carved the base stone to create a gully and built walls to contain the flow.
Moving onwards, the landscape became “natural “ bushland. Our track continued to rise gradually. Now on a bitumen road with very few vehicles, and later along a dirt track suitable for 4WD or pilgrims. The rolling hills were crested in rock outcrops and scattered old trees. There were cattle - some black, some white. Again as we reached a crest and began a rare descent, we noticed some fields had been planted with grape.
We came to an attractive village (El Carrascalejo) the centre of which was a dark stone church. It contained an immaculate albergue / cafeteria which serviced not just the pilgrims but locals as well.
There were few pilgrims on the road today. One Hungarian who we chatted with for a while, and surprisingly, a French man who had started (from Seville) the same time as us. We have crossed paths with him quite regularly, but given that we have had two rest days since Seville, we really expect all other pilgrims to be well ahead of us (or finished like Wolfgang and Eric.).
Another two kilometres brought us to Aljucen, a small village of 245 people. It is here that we are staying tonight. Our accommodation is a casa and right next door is a tiny convenience store, owned by the landlady of the casa. Needless to say, we used both her casa and her shop. The village has a small kiosk (more like a cafe) and a bar. However, the kiosk closes one day a week - just our luck that day is today! And there was no sign of life at the bar!
Our accommodation is superb. Bed comfortable, hot water plentiful. A winner.
Today was so beautiful to experience, such an instant and dramatic change from the endless flat plains south of Merida. These hills are incredibly lush and picturesque.
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