[00:00:05.

050] - Speaker 1
For this week's podcast in English.com, we're talking about a short road trip we did recently.

[00:00:10.870] - Speaker 2
Yeah.

[00:00:11.240] - Speaker 3
We drove southeast to a town called Merida in Spain. And there were two reasons for the trip. One
was to do some bird watching.

[00:00:21.460] - Speaker 4
Yes.

[00:00:21.880] - Speaker 1
And the second one was to see some ancient Roman monuments.

[00:00:26.420] - Speaker 3
So we drove first at the Portuguese Spanish border. That took about 2 hours.

[00:00:32.270] - Speaker 4
Yes. And that's where we saw our first.

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Roman bridge, which crosses the river between.

[00:00:38.100] - Speaker 4
The two countries, spain and Portugal.

[00:00:41.130] - Speaker 3
And that's also where we saw the vultures. Now, the area is famous for vultures, and they are
enormous.

[00:00:49.450] - Speaker 4
They are enormous. They have huge wings. And on the end of these wings.

[00:00:54.390] - Speaker 1
It looks like they've got really long fingers.

[00:00:56.600] - Speaker 2
Yeah.

[00:00:56.920] - Speaker 3
And they flew really close to us. It was great to watch.

[00:01:00.420] - Speaker 4
You could actually hear their wings flapping. It was amazing.

[00:01:04.870] - Speaker 3
And then in Spain, we stopped E in a place called Alcantara for lunch. Now, this is interesting, because
the name Alcantara comes from the Arabic, which means the bridge.

[00:01:18.010] - Speaker 4
And yes, of course, there was another Roman bridge there. A bigger one than the first.

[00:01:23.210] - Speaker 2
Yeah.
[00:01:23.530] - Speaker 3
Because the river is wider there.

[00:01:25.180] - Speaker 4
Yes, it's a very famous bridge. And then after Alcantara, it was about.

[00:01:30.880] - Speaker 1
One and a half hours onto Meredith in the afternoon.

[00:01:34.420] - Speaker 3
And yes, Meredith has a Roman bridge as well.

[00:01:39.540] - Speaker 4
And I think it's the longest.

[00:01:41.960] - Speaker 3
The world's longest.

[00:01:43.530] - Speaker 1
The world's longest surviving Roman bridge.

[00:01:46.630] - Speaker 4
Is that right?

[00:01:47.380] - Speaker 3
Yeah, it's about 755 meters long.

[00:01:51.970] - Speaker 2
Okay.

[00:01:52.290] - Speaker 3
But the holiday wasn't just about bridges.

[00:01:54.370] - Speaker 4
Richard no. We wanted to see some Roman monuments, didn't we? And Merida has some of the best.

[00:02:00.780] - Speaker 1
Roman monuments in Spain.

[00:02:03.530] - Speaker 2
Yeah.

[00:02:03.960] - Speaker 3
Now, this includes the Roman amphitheater, where the gladiators used to fight. I'm glad I wasn't
around then.

[00:02:11.320] - Speaker 4
It seemed a bit grim, didn't it? And next daughter, the amphitheater was the Roman theater as well,
wasn't it?

[00:02:18.030] - Speaker 3
But there were loads of other things to see as well. There's a Roman arch, there's a castle, temples. I
mean, I thought Meredith was a nice town as well.

[00:02:29.100] - Speaker 4
Yes, and nice squares as well, with fountains. Nice places to have a drink, have something to eat.
[00:02:35.120] - Speaker 3
Nice to see the Storks as well.

[00:02:37.160] - Speaker 4
Richard yes.

[00:02:38.560] - Speaker 3
An interesting museum, too, with lots of mosaics, which I like.

[00:02:42.640] - Speaker 4
It's probably one of the most famous Roman museums in Europe, I think.

[00:02:48.790] - Speaker 3
Two nights of Meredith and then the return trip. And this time we stopped in Elvish, about an hour
away. But that's in Portugal.

[00:02:58.530] - Speaker 4
It's right on the border, isn't it? And you know it's right on the border because it's famous for these
huge fortifications that are there.

[00:03:05.800] - Speaker 3
Yeah, it's one of those forts which is in the shape of a star.

[00:03:12.670] - Speaker 4
Yes, but it's a lovely little town as well, isn't it? Very nice.

[00:03:16.080] - Speaker 3
With an amazing aqueduct.

[00:03:18.530] - Speaker 2
Now.

[00:03:18.750] - Speaker 3
That's not Roman. That was built in the 16th century, but that was fantastic.

[00:03:24.200] - Speaker 1
So, in all in all, fantastic trip. Quite a bit of driving.

[00:03:28.360] - Speaker 4
Lots of walking and lots of interesting places to see.

[00:03:32.310] - Speaker 3
Yeah, and good weather, too.