The Via Appia Antica is the old Roman Appian Way, which ran from Rome down to the port of Brindisi. It was the most important of all the Roman trade routes and is the only Roman landmark mentioned in the Bible. The stretch close to Rome is now part of a nature and archaeological park and we’ve chosen to come on a Sunday as it is closed to traffic.
We got off the bus and picked up a map at the visitor centre close to the church of Domine Quo Vadis, where legend says St Peter met the risen Christ then set off The Appian Way was an important part of early Christian Rome and its verges would have been lined with pagan and Christian sites, including underground catacombs of the early Christians. Roman law forbade burial within the city and most Romans were cremated, but for some reason, the Christians chose to dig tunnels out of the soft tufa rock. We would have taken a look, but one complex was closed for the day and the other shut for lunch as we arrived … Italy!
We kept walking and reached the remains of the Villa and Circus of Maxentius, where it was possible to make out the starting gates for the huge chariot racetrack.
Further along we came to the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, converted to a castle in the C14 but now just another ruin in the fields.
Everyone was was out on a Sunday – families for a short stroll, walkers with purpose, lots of people who had hired bikes and dog walkers – all enjoying a sunny day and a breath of fresh air so close to the bustling city.
From here on the road goes through proper countryside and parts of the road are still made of original Roman slabs.
The verges contain bits and pieces of ancient shrines and tombs and it all felt quite atmospheric and we stopped on the way to eat our sandwich and watch people passing by.
We walked on to the Villa dei Quintili, a huge suburban villa built by an influential Roman family and wandered through the ruins then made our way back to the city.
Luckily we passed Billy’s reminding us it had to be gelato time and today I thought my amaretto cherry and fruits of the forest combo was the winner!
Later we went to SinFraso Bistro for dinner where salad and mixed seafood pasta for me and bruschetta and burger for Chris brought us to the end of the day.
We arrived at the bus station to find we had been listed for the 2.30 bus rather than the 11.15 as booked, possibly due to a computer error, but we weren’t too sure, but this is Cuba, so had to wait! The only consolation was the bus was quicker, so we only arrived two hours later than expected. Marilyn was there to meet us beside the church …
Marilyn cooked for us one evening and produced a lovely spread with lobster for me and spiced pumpkin for Chris. Generally the food in Cuba has been simply cooked, mostly pork, chicken, fish and shellfish served with rice, beans, salad and some sort of root vegetable. In most places vegetarian means just eating the side dishes, and while Chris has not gone hungry, it did become a little monotonous after a week or two. Fortunately, in a handful of places he had a real result with several inventive dishes and also managed to find pizza and pasta. There are few green vegetables here, just cucumber, some green beans, the odd bit of green pepper and the occasional lettuce leaf but salad is usually served with shredded white cabbage instead. In fact, the more I think about it, I’ve probably had more mint in mojitos than green vegetables!
… The Havana Libre, once the Havana Hilton which was the largest hotel in Havana when it was built …
We had to be up early for our bus which left at 08.00 … not the best plan after having spent too good an evening with ron the night before! The road took us across to Guantanamo, close to the Bay and controversial US military prison and Naval Base. Quite why tourists want to make a 25km detour to get a glimpse of a base another 20km away across the bay with binoculars is beyond us, so we will not be making a stop here! We then went along the rocky southern coast for a while, before turning inland and up over the mountains, travelling quite a long way round steep switchbacks.
In October last year, Baracoa was hit by Hurricane Matthew, with winds of 140mph and 16ft waves.
The road was pretty rough, and took us over several bridges over inlets and we continued to see more broken palms and debris in the fields.
The bridge over the Toa was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew and a temporary one has been constructed until the bridge is rebuilt.
We arrived at the bus station by tricycle for our first time on a Viazul bus … a long journey of 5.5hrs … so fortunately the bus was comfortable and the roads reasonable!
As for Iglesias Nuestra Senora de la Merced, it just emerged one day, shimmering from the lake, complete with priest beckoning from the portal! It stands in a plaza with a ceiba tree outside.
The town’s main social centre is Parque Ignacio Agramente, named after one of the local heroes of the first War of Independence with the Spanish and the palm trees in each corner were planted as a secret tribute to him and three of his compatriots.
On one side of the plaza is the Casa de la Diversidad, yet another pretty colonial building!
… to Plaza de San Juan de Dios, a very pretty square surrounded with pretty buildings, a church and the old Hospital de San Juan de Dios, now a museum.
They were first used in Camaguey to collect water beneath gutters during a water shortage, and soon every home had one, and size and quality started to matter as they became status symbols.
We have had less than a day here are we are back on the bus this afternoon … eastwards again!.
We were a little sad to say goodbye to Olga, as we couldn’t have been made more welcome anywhere else! We set off by taxi to Parque El Nicho, about an hour away, initially on good roads, but as we got closer, the road got rougher and we weren’t sure the car was going to make the climb into the Sierra del Escambray mountains without overheating … but all was well. We then hiked the short Reino de las Aquas, a trail through the woodlands, across streams on little bridges to the Poceta de los Enamorados …
Off Travelling Together 