Day 21: San Pedro de Merida to Merida to Sevilla. 14km.
We left at our normal time of 8am but with the change of the clocks it was only getting light as we headed along the trail. We saw the sun rise over hills to the east. It had been raining again during the night so we had our wet weather gear on when we left, but the clouds were clearing and it was dry. Again it was warm and we had only gone a short distance then off came our rain jackets.
There was just one arrow in town pointing along the Avenida Merida but no more and we were nearly out of town. I was starting to doubt the route we were taking and stopped to consult Cicerone and examine an info board on the edge of town. We decided to carry straight on anyway and immediately there was a Camino Mozarabe plaque. We should have just had the confidence to just keep going and not wast time worrying; we have come all the way from Grenada without betting completely lost.
The first 7km to the town of Trujillanos was again on the Camino Agricola running beside the A5 motorway. It was fast going and we were soon at the slip road running from the highway into the town. The waymarks directed us into the town but we could have continued on the road bypassing the town. There was a bonus by going through Trujillanos, on the tower and ledges round the top of the church were several stork nests. They all has storks in them and a couple of them had pairs, some of their mates had now arrived.
When we rejoined the road again it was at a roundabout above the next motorway exits. The A5 now continued west and to meet the Ruta de la Plata motorway north of Merida. Instead of following the minor road beside the motorway the Camino took a more direct route to Merida. It was a wide packed earthen road that exited the roundabout. It was been roughly 7km to Merida but we were able to see the white of the houses of the city in the distance. With the finish now in sight I must have got my head down and pushed hard as Moira was complaining that she was struggling to keep up. It was a flat route and well waymarked, though we didn't really need any now, through mixed farmland. We reached the outskirts of Merida at 10:45am very fast for 14km.
We were soon in a busy shopping area and there was a Camino Mozarabe notice board with a map. We photographed each other at the finish and examined the map for a route to the information office. It was on the Camino route and the waymarking was excellent through the city. Soon we were recognising things from our last visit, the Roman stadium for chariot racing, the ancient aquaduct with more nesting storks and the Santa Eulalia basilica before reaching the tourist info. The woman there was very helpful, she supplied a street map and indicated the bus station, she then researched the computer for bus times to Sevilla; there were two handy ones, at 12:30 and 1 pm. It was now 11:30am so there was plenty of time to make the first one.
It was a pleasant walk through another busy shopping area to the river passing the remains of the Roman fort and the well preserved Roman bridge over the river. We crossed further up the river by a more modern white arched structure. The bus station was on the other side of this bridge and once we booked our seats on the bus we made for the cafe. We had a beer and tapas for lunch and then we waited for the bus to Sevilla. It was about 10 minutes late and we spoke to woman from Grand Rapids Michigan who was doing the Via de la Plata. She had hurt her knee and was busing a stage to give her injury time to recover. Moira gave her some hints on places to stay along that Camino.
The bus was fairly full when it arrived but we had seats reserved. It called at a couple of towns on the way to Sevilla but it ran mostly along the motorway. Although we we late in leaving Merida the driver made up the time and got to Sevilla on schedule. It had begun raining when we left Merida but now in Sevilla the sun was shining and it was very warm. The bus arrived at the bus station beside the river and I took a photograph of a street map to find our way to the hotel that Moira had reserved on Booking.com. It was in the Triana district of the city and close by on the other side of the river. We crossed by the bridge next to the bus station and by using the map on my camera we soon found Hostal Noche de Triana. The room was our normal standard but the prices are crazy, the standard charge is E60 for a double room, on promotion (whatever that means) you get it for E45, but online with Booking.com we only paid E30.
At 5pm we went out to find the way to the bus station where we catch the bus for Conil in the morning. On the way we called round at the Indian restaurant where we had a nice curry the last time we we here. Unfortunately they have gone Spanish and didn't start serving dinner until 'coho', 8 o'clock. We carried on over the bridge and along the river front before turning into town. At the tourist information office near the Cathedral we got a street map and directions to the bus station. It wasn't far away in the Plaza San Sebastián. The bus in the morning was at 9:30am and we booked seats on it. It was a gentle stroll back to Triana via the Cathedral and along the narrow back streets. On the way we stopped at a bar for a drink. The price of a glass of red wine was bit expensive at E2:50 and the glass of beer I received was about a quarter of a pint.
When we were in our room again and had the WiFi password we were able to listen to the BBC radio. It was the news then the comedy panel game 'Just a Minute'. At 'ocho' it was of to the Indian restaurant for dinner. We shared a chicken curry, a lamb Madras, some nan bread and rice. It was really nice, the best curry we've tasted in Spain and we had a few when we were in Benedorm. The restaurant is called:
Golok, Indian and Mediterranean Restaurant and Tapa, 5 Calle Callao, 41010 Triana. Tel 632 23 39 83. If you are ever in Sevilla and like curry don't fail to try theirs.
When we came out of the restaurant it was raining, fortunately the hotel wasn't too far away. We got to bed as soon as we got in to our room and watched some old TV comedy on YouTube before getting to sleep.
