At the Mediterranean.
Gaudí also designed a number of houses in the city. This is the roof of one of them.
Barcelona also has a very large and colorful market.
To celebrate April's 24th birthday, we went to a small town in Southern Spain called Mérida, which is known for its Roman ruins.
The Romans were one of many people groups who, at one point in history, had control of Spain. Here are the ruins of a Roman theater where classical theater productions are still given in the summers.
The "Coliseum" of Mérida
A temple to the goddess Diana, who interestingly was the goddess of the Ephesians while Paul was living in Ephesus.
Here is one of the many excavations going on in the city. This particular excavation is a Roman mansion. The pillars you can see were originally part of an inner courtyard in the mansion.
Many of the ruins had mosaics covering the walls and the floors. It's amazing that these works of art have lasted over 2000 years.
Here they've excavated so many mosaic tiles they don't know what to do with them except pile them up along the side of the road.
We can't forget the Plaza de Toros (the bull ring!). Notice there are two ticket windows-- one for "Sol" (or sun) and one for "Sombra" (or shade). It gets so hot here in the summer, trust me you would pay the extra for a seat in the shade!
April caught enjoying one of her favorite Spanish past times--desayuno ("breakfast") with tomato on toast, coffee with milk, and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
A Roman bridge still used today for pedestrians.
The Romans weren't the only ones in Mérida. They were conquered by the Moors (the Muslims). Here are some shots of a Moorish fortress built at the bank of the river to protect the city.
Next stop in Spain--Córdoba. Join us for a couple-days-worth of photos.
Here is a series of shots from the Mosque in Córdoba, which contains a mixture of Muslim and Catholic archetecture, revealing a bit of Córdoba's intriguing religious past.
