Day 171
7 hrs, 11 .2 kms

Huelva is the last province of Andalucia a need to visit--and the last "revisit" I need to do in Spain. After this, I will have revisited and done a parkbench concert in every town in Spain that I had previously visited.

Revisit: Huelva, Spain
First Visit: July, 1996

It was the summer of 1996. After 3 months in Morocco, I needed to leave the country to get my passport stamped. While in Spain, a Mexican friend offered me a job helping him run sound equipment for an American band that was coming to do a concert tour around Andalusia... To get paid to travel and work with music--it was a dream job. Unfortunately it didn't last very long.

There wasn't much time to do sightseeing--but we did do a quick tour around town when we came to Huelva. Then we drove almost all the way to the border of Portugal. I was secretly hoping we'd cross the border, just so I could say I'd visited another country ... but it didn't happen. It would be another 12 years before I'd get to Portugal... this time doing a "concert tour" of my own... The Global Parkbench Concert Tour...
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...And now, I'm coming back to Huelva. This time, not with a 5 man band, a vanfull of equipment, and a prearranged concert. This time it's just me and my guitar. Yeah, I suppose it would be nice if I had a band and all that gear following me around... but if I did, I wouldn't be able to get to nearly as many places as I do, nor would I have the time to fully explore every town that I play music in.

On my way to Huelva, I sit next to a fellow who seems to be speaking in a dialect of Arabic on his cell phone--but it's not Moroccan. I decide it's a good excuse to start a conversation.

"I'm from Mauritania" he tells me. Great! I haven't had the chance to chat with a Mauritanian for a long time . He goes on to tell me his story.

He came to Spain as a student, but with limited means, wasn't able to continue his studies. He decided to stay illegally, as there were few job prospects for him back at home. "The only good jobs there are for people who are well connected". He tells me.

But here the going hasn't been easy. Doing seasonal farmwork, picking oranges and other fruit... sometimes working, sometimes not. But he's optimistic about his future. His status in Spain is now legal, but he's a long ways from being able to get citizenship.

"I hope to go to America--I have relatives there" He questions me on the best way to get there... He also wants to see his family in Mauritania, who he hasn't seen in a long time. I tell him about my overland trip from Morocco through Mauritania to Senegal--he's never gone that route, but has considered it...

As I looked as his bright, hopeful eyes, I wonder what his life will be like in 10 years ... Will he still just be struggling to survive? Will he have found his slot here in the Great European Family? Gone to America? Made a lot of money and gone back to his country and started a business? Given up?

It's hard to say. But as times continue to be tough for the average Spaniard, things will probably be even tougher for guys like him.

Exploring Huelva

Huelva is kind of the ugly duckling of the Andalusia capitals. All the other provincial capitals, Sevilla... Cadiz... Cordoba... Malaga... Almeria... Jaen... Granada, have something magical, something magnificent, they set a high standard that this port city can't quite keep up with.

That's not a problem--I don't mind exploring the ordinary. I'm willing to give plenty of time to explore Huelva and the surrounding towns. But then there's another problem: no cheap hotels. Actually, there aren't many hotels, period . And the only cheapy looking one is 35 euros!

Kind of ironic, considering I paid 10 euros a night to stay in glorious Sevilla (breakfast included). Now to pay 3 1/2 that much to stay in crappy Huelva? Sorry, it ain't happening.

I do continue exploring the city, keeping a peeled eye for cheap pensiones. I'm told that there's a cheap place next to the plaza de toros, but it's nowhere to be seen. I see a couple cops and figure they should know where it is.

"I was told that there's a cheap pension here nearby, do you know where it is?"

The cop looks at me suspiciously, "... how do you know about that place?" I insist that I'm simply a traveler on a tight budget looking for a place to lay my weary head...

Finally I find the place (which has no sign) knock, knock and no one answers. I give up. I'm sure there are other cities down the road that offer better hospitality .

But first, let's explore Huelva a bit more.

The city is built around a hill with a semi-abandoned park at the top with a big concrete bridge looping around the top. Not exactly competing with Sevilla's Plaza de Espana or Granada's Alhambra.

But as I wander around downtown I bit more, I do get to liking the place a bit more. You're walking along, then suddenly there's a beautifully and creatively designed building, sandwiched between some ordinary buildings... I guess when you stop expecting to see beautiful things, you appreciate it more when they just pop up on you. Some buildings a covered in beautiful tiles.... others have beautiful glass and metal porches...

Finally I end my tour with a walk down to the bay front, where there a big statue of a couple chain links... then I hop on a bus, and continue on down the road. In a mere couple of hours, I officially declare that I've finished exploring the city--and the province of Huelva.