After weeks of rain, the we got lucky as the sun came out for a beautiful Sunday all-English-speaking hike to the stunning ruins at Mulva, near the town of Villanueva del Rio y Minas. Nobody visiting Mulva (or Munigua) for the first time is surprised by the scale of the main temple which sits on a hill surrounded by a ring of ranges and beautiful meadows dotted with holm oak and cork oak trees. The grass was an exuberant green, while yellow and white wild flowers were literally opening by the minute as the sun shone for the first time in a couple of weeks. In order to get to the ruins, it is necessary to cross the Tamohoso Creek, which is often just a hop across some strategically placed stepping stones, But not today. Our first real adventure came as we were obliged to cross in order to reach the Roman ruins.
The creek was swollen after the rains and we had to take off our shoes and socks, roll up our jeans and leggings and wade through. It was no more than 40cm deep, but it was bloody freezing, and the rocky bottom was rougher than your average foot massage! But we all made it through and the cold water certainly got the circulation going in the feet as they warmed up! Charo had been warned about the creek and was smart enough to bring a towel and spare socks!
The ruins are enclosed by a security fence, so inside the vegetation is lush and it had an almost tropical feel to it today, green and thick, it gave us a sense of what the Iberian forests may have been like before the hand of man started modifying the landscape thousands of years ago.
As usual, the visitors were very impressed by the scale of the ruins of the town and sanctuary of Flavio Muniguense . The site contains thermal baths, a forum, ruins of an iron foundry, a residential area and the impressive and towering temple. The friendly caretaker took us into the forest to the east of the ruins to show us a mausoleum. He told us and showed us the tell-tale digging signs of grave robbers and intruders, who have recently been entering the site at night in search of Roman coins or other valuables.
After our visit, the only adventure left was to cross the creek again, that meant we had to take our shoes off and get our feet wet and cold again! But it was invigorating and as we walked back to the starting point and the car at Las Arenillas, we were convinced that the wildflowers had been springing to life in the short time since we had passed on our way to the two-thousand year old archeological site.
The ruins are enclosed by a security fence, so inside the vegetation is lush and it had an almost tropical feel to it today, green and thick, it gave us a sense of what the Iberian forests may have been like before the hand of man started modifying the landscape thousands of years ago.
As usual, the visitors were very impressed by the scale of the ruins of the town and sanctuary of Flavio Muniguense . The site contains thermal baths, a forum, ruins of an iron foundry, a residential area and the impressive and towering temple. The friendly caretaker took us into the forest to the east of the ruins to show us a mausoleum. He told us and showed us the tell-tale digging signs of grave robbers and intruders, who have recently been entering the site at night in search of Roman coins or other valuables.
After our visit, the only adventure left was to cross the creek again, that meant we had to take our shoes off and get our feet wet and cold again! But it was invigorating and as we walked back to the starting point and the car at Las Arenillas, we were convinced that the wildflowers had been springing to life in the short time since we had passed on our way to the two-thousand year old archeological site.