Day 42: Medellín to San Pedro de Mérida

Day 42, Medellín to San Pedro de Mérida, 22.9km
After a fiery sunrise this morning, we left Medellín by crossing the Río Guadiana on the medieval bridge. At the other end, we learned that it replaced an older bridge, possibly from Roman times.
We saw another ancient bridge on the way, after a short detour. The bridge over the arrroyo Caganchez may date back to Roman times, and was probably repaired in the 1560's.
On the way to Yelbes, we passed the junction in the Camino towards Santa Amalia.
A network of irrigation canals crosses this plain in all directions. The background noise on our walk today was the sound of water pumps irrigating this fertile plain.
Arriving at Yelbes, a small village founded in 1964 and asleep on this Sunday morning, there is another junction in the Camino. We can turn right and continue towards Torrefresneda, or go straight on towards the Río Búrdalo. The first option involves crossing the Río Búrdalo on the carretera N-430, on one of the most dangerous stretches of road on the Camino. The second option involves wading across the river, until a footbridge is built later this year.
This fording was actually one of the highlights of the day. First I crossed without a bag, to see how deep the water was, which was just below my knees. Then I helped my darling across to the other side. Two Spanish cyclists also made the crossing, one of them having to carry his electric bike on his shoulders.
San Pedro de Mérida has a church built on an ancient Visigoth basilica, and it's probably the only thing of interest in this little town on the Autovía del Suroeste.Read more