Last Post From Merida

While everything we went to up to near the end of our visit to Merida was incredible, the last few things we saw did not fit that description, so this will be brief.

On the way back from the Roman Circus, the Roman Aqueduct, and the non-Roman Stork, we tried to find the other Roman Aqueduct.  It's possible Carol had spotted and pointed it out, but it was quite a ways away.  Since GPS misled us, we gave up and went to pop by the Basilica of Santa Eulalia.  

While the church dates from 1230, built on Visigothic remains from the 4th century, it is Romanesque with Gothic influences.  It's modestly interesting.  We first went to the crypt, which was found during excavations from 1990-92.  There are remains of tombs from the late Roman, Visigothic, and post-Reconquista. 

It was the first Saturday in May, so it was also First Communion for a bevy of eight and nine years. . .and their families.  We had to hurry up the stairs from the Crypt to the church.  There wasn't much to see, but what we saw wasn't much.

One more view of the stork

that I meant to put in the

previous post.

The bell tower of the Basilica.

The crypt.

Part of the ceiling of the church.

Ditto.

From there we went to Trajan's Arch.  Named after Trajan, it is believed to have been built long after that Emperor was dead.  Apparently many decorative pieces, such as marble plaques, cornices, reliefs and sculptures have been lost to the years.

We borrowed Trajan's Arch for a selfie.

From there we went back down by the river to check out some more Roman ruins, but they are desultory at best, so we spent fleeting moments there before going off to find lunch.  (Notice no pictures of the last Roman ruins?  There's a reason!)

We then went in search of lunch, stopping at a 100 Montaditos (100 sandwiches).  There was a 100 Montaditos near-ish Nationals Park in DC for a short time, and apparently there are five in the Miami area.  They are popular in Spain -- not quite the Subway sandwiches of Spain, but they are a chain (with around 350 shops in the country).  The sandwiches are small, taste only so-so, but at least you get what you pay for, as the food is cheap.

I was going to write at some point that it's impossible to have a bad meal in Spain, but the 100 Montaditos of Merida proved me wrong.  

Anyhow, despite this underwhelming ending to our 24 hours in the city, Merida is great and ended up being our favorite place in Extramadura.