Whenever the small fisherman’s town of Barbate gets in the news it’s normally bad news.
Drug problems, high unemployment rate (about 5,000 people out of work on a population of 25,000), a vanishing fish industry, a bankrupt municipality or stranded boats with illegal immigrants. These are big problems, but I always love being there.
I see hundreds of beautiful pictures before me. Colourful markets, tattooed fishermen mending their nets, a little chapel in the harbour (for safe returns and a good catch), anchored tuna vessels, half sunken carcasses, buildings in decay, abandoned fish and salt factories..
Walking through Barbate one can feel it’s soul. And it’s alive, no matter what.