Mérida is built on two rivers. The big one is the Guadiana, crossed by the famous long bridge, and the small one is the Albarregas, a stream that curves around the northern and western edge of the old town and has been bridged since Roman times. The Roman bridge over the Albarregas is a modest structure of granite arches, nothing like the length of its big cousin, but it did a job: it carried the road out of the colony toward the west and the north, and it still stands. A few steps from it the old streets give way to a park with trees, a place where locals walk dogs and children ride bikes.
Roman engineers needed bridges of this kind everywhere. A province like Lusitania depended on its roads to move soldiers, officials, taxes, mail and wine, and the best of them, such as the Via de la Plata, which ran from Mérida to Astorga in the north, were paved and surveyed with remarkable care. Small bridges like this one reveal the quality of the work, with big dressed stones fitted with a precision that has held for two thousand years. In winter the Albarregas can rise, and in summer it nearly dries up, so the arches often stand over a trickle.
The area is easy to reach by bike, and the road beside the river is pleasant and quiet. Ride out along the stream in the morning, when the light is soft, and you will see birds, including storks and egrets, along the banks, and fields of tomatoes and corn in the surrounding countryside. Summer heat is intense, so early starts and plenty of water are crucial. In spring the banks are green and the air smells of mint and wet earth.
Mérida has fuel and food in abundance, with Calamonte and Esparragalejo as small neighbouring towns, and supermarkets on the edge of the city. If you want a local snack, ask for a tostada with olive oil and tomato, which is served in nearly every bar for breakfast and is usually far better than it sounds. A break under the plane trees by the river in the middle of the afternoon is a very sensible thing to do. Then you can continue to the baths at Alange, or north toward Cáceres, with the sun lower and the air cooler.