Cacares, Merida, & Badajoz

In central western Spain there are three cities that are very interesting to visit: Cacares, Merida, and Badajoz.  Cacares has an awesome citadel.  It seems plain, lacking any color or embellishment in its stone walls, but it has a very medieval feel.  While in Cacares, you can visit the Aljibe, a very old Hispanic-Arabic cistern.  It is very beautiful to walk down into the cistern and see the light reflecting off the water.  Otherwise, you can walk around and see Cacares' many towers (the citadel has 30) and churches. 

Next on our way to Portugal was Merida.  Merida is known for its Roman ruins.  The ruins in Merida are spread throughout the town, and you can spend a lot of time visiting all of the sites.  There is a very interesting aqueduct. It is not as impressive as the one in Segovia, but it is very different and maybe even more asthetically pleasing.  There is also a very beautifully intact Roman theater (except for one theater I saw in Greece in 2012, this is one of the best preserved).  The ruins continue all over the city.

Finally, our last stop before leaving Spain is Badajoz.  This city is right on the border.  In Badajoz we stayed with this young hippie who lived with his father and grandfather.  These three men were histerical.  They would all have this huge lunch and pass out on the couches in the living room.  They were really lovely men and were very wonderful hosts.  Badajoz is a nice city, but not as interesting as Cacares or Merida.  Nonetheless, it is a nice city to walk around.