Roman Ruins at Merida

Troy wanted to see the Roman ruins at Merida, so we stopped on our way back to Madrid from our southern vacation.

The arena had a part that would have been covered.  I don´t know how many people it would seat, but this city must have been huge!  It was the Roman capital in Spain at the time and one of Rome´s major cities.  It is a sleepy, hot place now and not even the agricultural center of the region.

A sign said not to go down, so of course they are daring each other to go down.  Wyatt went down.

The judge sat here.  Pontif maxim.  Winston went up and sat.  I am sure these transgressions say something about their character but I can´t think what.  Wyatt does love the stage and Winston does think he runs things.

I don´t know what I was so emotional about here, but I was probably saying something like, ¨Wow, this was here when Paul was alive!¨  I remember.  It was a plaque commemorating a restoration in 1986.  I imagine that before conservation and all that the local kids would have had the run of the place, as if it were their own backyard, if the kids were my age and had been kids here in the 70´s, for example. 

Stunning.

Also stunning, with original bricks.

This headless torso makes me want to see Troy in a toga.  A droopy, low-slung toga.

Again, stunning.

Winston is taking a break.  We were all pretty tired.  I complain so much about unhelpful Spaniards that I have to tell about the helpful ones.  Wyatt was missing as we were leaving, so I told the lady at the gate that we might have to go back in to find our missing kid.  She thought he was little, and I reassured her that he was not too little.  We found Wyatt right away and I looked back to see her craning her neck after us in concern, so I waved to her that all was well.

This was intriguing:  a boneyard of fabulous bits that have been dug up but not yet put back together.