The Keys to the [Roman] City

When we moved in, we were given three keys by the porter in addition to keys to our own apartment. The three keys were for the lobby door and also for the back gate and back door of the building. Well, one of the keys also opens the back gate and the back door of the building. The other two don't even open the lobby door. I told the porter and he said they were copied from an old worn-out key.

I went to the nearest hardware store and had three new keys made. They didn't work either. I went back to the hardware store. Instead of refining the three keys that had already been made, he made three brand-new keys. Of course, they didn't work either. Today, I went to a different hardware store and had two new keys made.

THE KEYS DON'T WORK THIS GATE EITHER.

I decided to reward myself for performing this boring (and redundant) task by going for a walk around the neighborhood, this time heading northeast away from the beach instead of southwest toward the center of Fuengirola. I couldn't believe what I found. There's a fairly new park still being landscaped  and developed, Parque Yacimiento Romano (Roman Archaeological Site Park). It's the site of a dig begun after the discovery of Roman ruins in 1970 when a new railway line was being built. In 1987, when a road was being widened, the main Roman steps were discovered. Major excavations were begun and major discoveries were made.

THE MAIN STEPS UNCOVERED IN 1987.

Unearthed were the remains of what is referred to as a Roman industrial complex — a fish-salting factory, pottery factory, thermal baths, and gardens. I couldn't tell what was original to the gardens. Maybe the layout. All else was completely contemporary and far from finished. But the fish-salting factory, the ovens, and the thermal baths are fascinating to see, especially so close to home. The complex was built during the 1st Century AD and maintained and added to through the 5th Century. (We had an old house in San Diego, California. It was built in 1924.)

FISH-SALTING FACTORY.

ONE OF FIVE KILNS FOR FIRING THE CLAY PRODUCTS.

ROMAN THERMAL BATHS.
IN THE BACKGROUND, CERCANÍA, THE EXCEPTIONAL COMMUTER TRAIN.

THERMAL BATHS: THIS WAS A CLOISTERED COURTYARD.

CLOSER VIEW OF MOSAIC FLOOR IN THE CLOISTERED COURTYARD.

THERMAL BATHS: HOLDING TANK. 
DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT'S THE ORIGINAL ROMAN WATER?

THE CISTERN:
A SMALL BUILDING FOR STORING AND DECANTING WATER FOR THE THERMAL BATHS.

The cistern photo made me think of a poem I learned in high school. It was part of a collection from the early 20th Century called "Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes" by Harry Graham.

Into the cistern little Willie

Pushed his little sister Lily.

Mother couldn't find our daughter,

Now we sterilize our water.

LOOKING BACK BEFORE HEADING HOME.

After exploring the ruins for an hour, I took my 5-minute walk home. I made a point of passing the Roman pillars at the entrance to Los Boliches Beach across from our building. The pillars came from the excavation.

I was really looking forward to letting myself into the building with one of my two new keys. Neither one worked. Who knows what I'll discover tomorrow!