After a pleasant breakfast, each carrying a sandwich provided gratis by our host, Steffan and John and I set out this morning from Torremegia for Meridia, a pleasant 16 km stroll after yesterday's long hike. It was more interesting too. After seven or eight kilometres beside the highway the track meandered across some fields towards the town. A fellow on a quad enticed us to take rooms in his apartment. Disappointing.
We walked into town across the river on the longest Roman bridge still in use, 780 metres, now open only to pedestrians and cyclists. Better built than the old blue bridge, I guess.
Steffan and John are staying in Merida tomorrow, so I'll be pressing on alone. I shall miss them.
Steffan is a good bloke, quiet and thoughtful. He is in between jobs, and in between girlfriends, I believe. In the morning he performs the most elaborate stretches. I once apologized for interrupting him while he was praying to the east, but no, he was just preparing for the day's walking.
John is an entertainer. He regqles us with stories of his aventures with Art, his partner. Art is on the Camino as well, virtually, by means of Google Earth.
"Zoom down on the Main Street," says John, on his new cellphone "See the hostel. See the table in front? That's where I'm sitting."
"But there's a woman at the table," says Art.
"It's not live, you fool," says John. "That's where I am, sitting at the table."
John is losing weight. He knows this because he can whistle, something he can't do back in Canada, probably to Art's relief. John says he will catch me up. I hope so.
Merida is very pleasant city, quite touristy because of the Roman ruins. The old city merges comfortably into the new, and as you stroll around you are likely to come upon a gate, an arch, or a temple.
No comments:
Post a Comment