Huelva, que fea

Despite the fact that so many Spanish natives call Huelva an ugly city, I find myself there a lot. Turns out, the people aren't that bad, and neither is the shopping. I tried to delve into the world of Spanish shopping, but I think my town lacks the quality I'm looking for. In other words, although I only paid 5 euro for a stretchy, fleecy lined turtleneck, that doesn't mean I should have had to sew the sleeves back together three times. I mean really...? Anyway, I like Zara, and some others.

In addition to clothes, which aren't all bad here, I've also had a craving for American foods. It seems ridiculous. I never thought I'd be that American who was looking for the nearest McDonald's, but when one slid into view on the way to Huelva yesterday afternoon, I couldn't help but think, it'd be nice to get a fish filet sandwich, some fries, or even a McFlurry. I mean, honestly, if I hadn't seen it, I probably wouldn't have gotten the craving. I blame it on the busdriver and the route he took to get to the bus station. Now all of a sudden, not only do I want McDonald's but also thin crust pizza, Oreos, Vienna Fingers, Vanilla wafers, ice cream sandwiches, smores, marshmallows, lasagna, and a whole lot of other stuff that just tastes better at home. Not that I don't like the food here, but I guess when I think of food I crave, it's not necessarily of the homemade variety - most of that I could at least attempt to do here, we do after all have Mercadona for a supermarket.

Anyhow, back to Huelva. The city provides quality entertainment and a break from Bollullos, which although I've grown attached to it, I still like to leave every once in a while. The latest scare, however, regarding the city and the province is that I shouldn't be drinking the water because there's a super high incidence of cancer specifically in this province, which is directly correlated to the amount of industrial plants. Apparently traces of something related to cancer have been found in the water, so... so much for el grifo. I'd go out and buy a huge jug from Mercadona right now if the store were still open, but it closes at 9:15pm. Ostia.

In the meantime, I'll try not to think about how sick the water makes people, and focus instead on Bollullos, and Andalucia's, love of fiestas. currently, we're in Carnaval season, which has permeated the entire province. Next weekend, I plan to go to Cadiz, apparently the thrid or fourth largest celebration of Carnaval outside of Brazil, so I'm excited. If only I could think of a costume...