Day 11: Mérida to Aljucén

Last night was a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the culinary excellence of Seville. Tim and I alighted on a very attractive bar-restaurant on the Isabel II bridge, opposite the little chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that I'd visited with Andy on day 1. The highlight was a large chop of ox beef which was 60 day aged and cooked expertly to medium-rare. It was a really marvellous piece of meat. Together with an Extremadura red wine, it was the perfect thing to eat, considering we had missed lunch and dinner. The view from the restaurant, across the Guadalquivir towards the Giralda was truly beautiful. 

The late dinner and the early start meant that sleep was short and tiredness reigned as we left the Hostal Jentoft, conveniently located near to the bus station at the Plaza de las Armas, to take the 7am bus to Mérida. It was a two and a half hour drive covering the distance already walked on the first ten days. The bus itself was surprisingly empty as it went through towns previously visited. On arrival in Mérida, we immediately took the very long and low Roman bridge across the River Guadiana. Mérida, the ancient Roman city of Emerita Augusta, founded by the Emperor Caesar Augustus, boasts some of the most complete Roman architecture on the Iberian peninsula, particularly its amphitheatre. I had seen it previously, and had a greater need: coffee. Having satisfied that need, and found the co-Cathedral locked, we went to the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I was expecting Mass, but there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, so we spent a half hour there in prayer before moving off to find the continuation of the Camino.

Leaving Mérida behind, the way rises on an uninspiring but not busy road. The road which used to be the main road North, but has since been replaced by the motorway was marked by derelict former bars and restaurants that used to feed off the passing trade. At the top of the road, one could look back towards Mérida or ahead to the beautiful verdant countryside and the Roman reservoir of Proserpina. Descending to the bank of the reservoir, the beauty of the view and the sunny warmth of the day conspired to make it a very pleasant place to stop and enjoy the silence. The Roman engineering skill, building a reservoir to supply the city of Mérida with water via the now ruined aqueduct, at the turn of the first century, is something to wonder at. 

The pathway of the Camino rises from the banks of the reservoir through dehesa farm land and sandy paths towards the small village of El Carrascalejo. Its ancient church tops the town, from which we descended onto the final 2.5km to our stop for the night at Aljucén. Staying in a Casa Rural (like a B&B without the second B), we were welcomed to the town by the exuberant owner and nearby bar owner. Mass, dinner and a little brandy will aid the sleep which, I hope, will set its up for tomorrow's longer walk of about 20 miles.