Sign in with Facebook
Merida-What a surprise
"Not Madrid"
Originally planning to stay just north of Madrid, an online weather check showed that after weeks of sun and high temperatures our stay was going to be marred by rain and thunderstorms. So after a quick look at where the Spanish sun was going to be shining i made a decision and booked a hotel in the Extremaduran town of...Merida!
"From Madrid airport.."
The jouney out of the Madrid area was not as bad as i feared and soon i was on the A5 road that goes south west through spain, and ultimately on to Lisbon.
The road itself was quiet-it was a Sunday and going South-and of a decent standard, being dual carriageway for its length. A note of caution though, i kept around the speed limit which was a wise move as there are regular Guardia Civil units catching speeding motorists. Also we passed the scene of a very serious-undoubtedly fatal-rta to which the ambulance had not yet arrived. However on the whole i felt the road safe and with adequate service stations.
"Merida"
On arriving at Merida our hotel was well signposted, as were some of the other higher standard establishments so an earlier fear of never finding the place was allayed.
The Melia Merida was a really good 5* hotel and a lovely constructed building, i believe it was crated from uniting 2 former hotels, whatever it was more than centrally situated right on the plaza espana.
The modern city of Merida is nothing special however its rightful fame lies all around it in its amazing Roman sights.
A good way of seeing these sights is to buy a ticket for 10 euros that will enable you to visit most of the main attractions, and over the course of a few days too.
Another must is the Roman museum, which although not on the 10 e ticket costs only around 2.50 e or so. This is an amazing museum and contains most of the original remains found in the town, and extremely well set out in what is itself a delightful building.
