Gill wakes grumpy from lack of sleep around 7.00am half expecting to hear more bus engines roaring through the camp site… but they don’t. We breakfast and walk about 10 minutes to the Teatre Romano, it costs us €6 each entry (as we are over 65).

There is no Roman town, Roman houses or mosaics, but the oval amphitheatre is in good condition and we wander around the seating area and arena. The Roman theatre, has been restored to make it suitable for holding plays, operas and performances. We wander round the semi-circular seating area or cavea, typically organised in three horizontal sections, corresponding to the social class of the spectators. We sit high up on the top row (where women and children were relegated to… well out of the way of the men).

The day is very hot again, about 34°C. We look down on the stage with its fully restored high back wall in stone (scaenae frons) with elaborate Porticus, or rows of pillars supporting balconies above from where I imagine Juliet would be calling to Romeo below on the semi-circular stage. As we sit, taking in the vista, a man from the group below, takes centre stage and sings, his voice is weak at first, his friends call for him to sing louder… he does and his voice soars to us at the top of the gallery. What an experience.

We walk down the tiered seating to the lowest and most important seating area (nearest to the orchestra and stage), and sit and take in the atmosphere… and there is plenty to take in. It is not difficult to close your eyes and imagine being back in Roman times, it is quite an experience.

We walk back to the Hymer and have lunch, service the Hymer and pay for our night of camping. The automated ticket machine wants to charge us for a car, we have to find the attendant who is fine and charges us the correct amount (about €3 less)! We drive the short distance to Parque del Río Albarregas (about 20-minute walk) and park at the side of the road.

As we walk into the park we see immediately the tall arches of the Roman Aqueducto de los Milagros. Built of granite with 38 double red brick arches on pillars, it is spectacular. Twenty-five meters (82 ft) high, it spans the width of the park (830 metres). It was built in the first century AD to bring water to Mérida from the Lago de Proserpina (reservoir) about three miles away. We take photographs and marvel at the skills of the Roman architects.

From Mérida, we take the E-803 north to Cáceres, it is 80km. We find the small autocaravan site at Valhondo Park with 12 tightly packed spaces, reviews warn people that the spaces fill early in the day, so we are not surprised to find it is full by the time we arrive at 6.00pm. There is plenty of parking on some ‘rough ground’ at the back of the tennis courts, which is clearly used as an overspill, so we go and join them. There are about eight of us there. We settle in, drink wine and make stir fry. We realise we are tired (after my lack of sleep last night) and Mr C. has done all the driving so we go to bed early.

We lie very still with just a thin sheet over us, it is very hot! I listen to the singing of 50,000 football fans, mostly out of tune and realise there is a football match tonight. It does not really disturb me as it is not too close, the carousing continues into the night and I hear the nee’nah of police cars, all in a nights work for them. I wake again in the middle of the night, I think I am dreaming of owls until I realise there is a very loud t’wit-t’woo and it is very close by.

It wakes Mr C. too and we listen to its chorus, we think it is in the tree just above us. It calls out and talks to us for about an hour, while its almost constant t’wit-t’woo keeps me awake, it is also a very restful and relaxing sound. The next thing I realise, it is morning