The parador, in southern Estremadura, is in an eighteenth century convent. Its origins are evident, the rooms, while not exactly monastic cells, are not precisely spacious, the decor, with tiles the most salient element, is anything but lavish. It's intimate, comfortable, but could not be called luxurious. There are, however, a beautifully proportioned courtyard and lovely gardens in the French style and an outdoor pool. The reason for staying in Merida, however is something else entirely. As Emerita Augusta it was the capital of Lusitania, the wealthiest Roman province in the Iberian peninsula. The Roman ruins are exceptional in their state of restoration, there is a theater, an amphitheater and a circus, altogether a complex unmatched anywhere outside the Italian peninsula. In addition, there's a magnificent Museum of Roman Arts, the finest in Spain.
Zafra is just north of the border between Estremadura and Andalucia. The parador, a fifteenth century Mudejar fortress, is the former residence of the Dukes of Feria. Hernan Cortes stayed there immediately before departing on his voyage to the new world. The atmosphere is one of quiet opulence in the midst of a spectacular turreted castle. Here too there's a lovely courtyard where one can enjoy a quiet aperitif. There is an outdoor pool. The surrounding countryside is an evocation of the vast empty spaces that were so typical of the region in the middle ages. Vascos de Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific, was from nearby Jerez de los Caballeros. It's no great mystery why the majority of the conquistadores were natives of Estremadura, it's hard scrabble country that doesn't offer many opportunities for a gentleman to make a living. But driving through it can be an enchanting experience.
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