TRAVEL REPORT
by Diane Putnam
REPORT ON Extremadura Trip, 27th March – 2nd April 2006.
This trip took us to one of the least explored areas of Spain, and most of the places are not really geared up to mass tourism yet. The places we visited were Don Benito, Trujillo, Caceres, Guadalupe and Merida.
We stayed in Don Benito, and went for a guided tour of the Museo Etnografico where we saw a really diverse display from threshing machines to sewing machines, barbers shop to print shop, butcher, baker, drug store, cobblers and much more. Everything had been collected from the area of the very small town, Don Benito. In the afternoon we went for what was to be our first climb of the week up to see the ruins of the Castillo de Medellin, and then exploring the lovely village nearby.
Next day we drove to Trujillo and had a guided tour of three hours within the city walls, mostly uphill. There are several palaces in the main square, and a unique feature of the very well preserved buildings in Trujillo is the corner balconies. We then had a very well deserved break for a leisurely lunch in one of the many cafes and restaurants in the main square.
The following day we had a guided tour of Caceres inside the walls. A feature here is the skewed arch, The Arch of the Star, linking the Plaza Mayor with the intra-wall city; this designed so that large vehicles could get through to the narrow road adjacent to the wall. Another interesting building contained an underground water deposit from Roman times, only discovered when the water levels were allowed to drop and uncovered arches and pillars to this 500 cubic metre water deposit area below.
Friday and Guadalupe. This contains the Royal Monastery of immensely rich and extravagant proportions. We joined a party of school children for a guided tour in Spanish around several of the museum rooms containing garments, magnificent choir books and paintings, The rooms all adorned with much gold leaf.
Our final day in the area and what was, for me, the best. The ancient town of Merida, with its ancient Roman ruins. The Theatre still looks magnificent, and I imagined myself sitting there watching a performance. We tested the acoustics as I spoke/sang and Keith listened from the back. The amphitheatre is still well preserved, and was used for gladiatorial combats and shows involving wild animals. Best not sit in the front row here!
We then went round the Roman Art Museum where remains of original statues are held, along with numerous artifacts of Roman times. It is truly amazing that such sophisticated developments like plumbing have not changed a lot over two millennia. A guided tour of the outer part of the town followed including views of aqueducts the hippodrome, with some free time before we went back to the hotel.
On Sunday, we had an unexpected treat. Jose, our driver, left us for a couple of hours in Toledo to explore and have lunch. Toledo was and still is on my list to make a much more detailed visit in the future. This made a most welcome change to motorway cafes. We then drove to Calpe and the finish of our trip.
The following photos were taken by Diane Putnam - please click on the thumbnails to view.
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