Day 167,
10 hrs, 11 .2 kms

Despite my tiring hike yesterday, I'm eager for an early start the next day. My next destination: Jerez de la Frontera, one of the last "revisits" I need to do here in Spain.

Revisit: Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
First visit: April 1998

Back in 1998, I was going through a rough time, I was out of money... Some friends in Los Palacios, Spain offered me a place to stay and a job. for a couple of months. It was a transitional period as I was trying to figure out what next to do with my life.

It was during this time that I developed the original concept for a Global Parkbench Tour: going out every day to play music in a public place. As I didn't have money to travel during this time, I'd just go to a nearby park in Los Palacios and play for the local youth--who seemed to really enjoy it.

But one day, I decided to go to another city with my guitar to see if I could expand this project a little farther ... so I came to Jerez. I didn't calculate the time properly and only had a time to strum a couple of songs in the bus station before I had to catch a bus back...

But it was a try at least. Little did I know that 9 years later the Global Parkbench Concert Tour would finally blossom and become a permenant Life Hobby... playing music in an average of 250 towns every year, spending an average of 120 days a year on the road!
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...And now I'm back. My, my, my, I've gone a long ways since the humble beginnings of the Global Parkbench Concert Tour Concept! This time I'm definitely going to experience a lot more than just the bus station. I head out before dawn and decide to start my day right: have a traditional breakfast of churros (funnel cake) and hot chocolate along with locals and cheerful bartender ladies wearing santa claus hats--joking and flirting with the customers . Nice to see some pre-dawn holiday cheer!

And then I'm off to see the town. I've actually passed through Jerez numerous times by bus--only seeing the unattractive modern downtown--with one of the ugliest statues in the world: A giant man with his head, leg and arm missing... I guess I kind of assumed that Jerez doesn't have much history or beauty to it.

Wrong. Jerez has a magnificent historical core, with several beautiful plazas, towering cathedrals, and--yes--a large Moorish castle!

The problem? Uh... after just a couple photos, my camera dies on me. It still takes video, but the photos come out all messed up. Think quick. I don't want this to ruin my trip or even my day--rather I'm going to consider myself lucky that this happened in a large modern city, rather than a village in the middle of nowhere. I just have to walk a couple of blocks, check prices, and buy a new camera. .. and my tour continues without hardly a glitch.

So RIP, camera #6... actually I'm kind of glad to see it go. This was the 2nd had camera I picked up in Egypt when my Olympus was stolen. I never liked it--it zoomed in too far, making it hard to take panoramic shots... Now let's get on with exploring the town.

Jerez is a cheerful town... I come across a couple taxi drivers waiting for customers. But they aren't just standing about idle. One of the them is belting out a gypsy tune at maximum volume. I come over to listen--then offer him some accompaniment. I pull out my guitar--but this guy is very particular about the rythm being just right--and I just can't seem to get it... still an fun and memorable experience. Another taxi driver complains that were being to loud, but the others quickly shush him up and tell us to continue.

I continue wandering about, trying to make sure I enjoy all the hidden gems of this city... the cozy alleys... the grand indoor market... the bustling commercial districts... the plazas and monuments...

I'd definitely recommend Jerez--expecially if you want to enjoy a history rich Andalusian city without the crowds of tourists.