adopting a new lifestyle

We arrived at Hotel Velada in Mérida in the afternoon, and after settling into our rooms, headed out to see some of the old Roman Ruins. First we stopped by the Roman Forum, built in the 1st Century AD by Claudius. The forum, along with a temple and the famous Arch of Trajan archway which served as an entry point were a part of the Roman city, Emerita Augusta, established in 25 BC.

Temple for Diana:

Arch of Trajan:

We arrived at Los Milagros Aqueduct by nighttime, which was both very cool, but somewhat of a shame (because of my camera). It was beautifully lit and the color of the sky was unreal..it just sucks that my camera doesn’t do night shots all too well.

Last stop was Puente de Lusitania, designed by (you guessed it) Santiago Calatrava. We didn’t walk all the way across, but enough to see the arched truss.

We ended our night in the main plaza of the city, and ordered a modified rendition of a hot schnacolate (schnapps + hot chocolate) from a street vendor who simply added rum into our hot chocolates. Best €1.50 spent in Mérida. After, a few of us went to dinner for Arielle‘s birthday before heading back to the hotel.

In the morning, we made our way over to the old Roman Bridge, constructed in the 1st Century BC:

We had some time before heading over to Rafael Moneo’s Museo de Arte Romano, so we sketched:

Moneo’s museum was very interesting. He chose bricks for the outer composition that overtime would deteriorate to give a more rustic feel that would eventually blend into the historical context of the ancient Roman city. On the inside, tall arches with cutaways for walkways merged the idea of old and new, historical and modern styles. Friday’s are free, so in we went to avoid the freezing cold (and eventual pouring rain).

The exhibit displayed many ancient artifacts such as currency, sculptures, mosaic works, glass, and a giant Roman column:

During construction in the 1980’s, an old Roman street was discovered and incorporated into the design where visitors can walk along it as they pass to the underground crypt.

Although our entrance was free, it was a shame we visited on that particular day. During normal visiting days, you can pass underground to the Roman Amphitheater which is located adjacent to the museum. Here’s a very rough section without the underground crypt:

When it was time to leave, it was already pouring outside. We had noticed hundreds more visitors inside trying to escape the rain. We walked all the way back to our hotel, got on the bus, let our socks dry, and headed for Sevilla.