Childhood dreams: Chasing my heroine in Ayamonte

While I was travelling through Spain last summer, I suddenly got an idea. I was on my way to Huelva when I looked at a map and saw how close it is to Ayamonte, the hometown of my childhood heroine, María Isabel. 

For those of you who don’t remember María Isabel, she won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 with her legendary song, Antes Muerta Que Sencilla. María Isabel was only nine at the time, but she became the most successful winner to date. She has since released seven albums (and yes, they are all amazing!)!

I was OBSESSED with María Isabel and my biggest dream ever was to meet her in real life. Unfortunately, that never happened, but at least as an adult, I could go to Ayamonte for a day to see the next best thing – a statue of María Isabel! That’s right, the town of Ayamonte actually dedicated a statue AND a small park to her because they were so proud of her victory! I always wanted to see this statue as a child, and although adult-me isn’t obsessed with María Isabel (although I still love her music), I thought it would be fun to fulfil that childhood dream of mine!

After two days in Sevilla, I left the city early in the morning, first to go to Huelva where I’d booked a hostel and then to catch the bus to Ayamonte. Instead of wasting time walking to and from my hostel, I decided to leave my bag at the luggage storage at the bus station in Huelva, so I could head straight to Ayamonte. I just couldn’t wait any longer!

An hour or so later, I arrived in the whitewashed town of Ayamonte, beautifully set on the banks of the Guadiana River near the Portugal-Spain border.

I didn’t waste much time finding the statue. I’d already located it beforehand on my maps.me, in the Parque María Isabel.

I could’ve cried when I spotted it. María Isabel was a huge part of my childhood, so it was crazy seeing this place that is dedicated to her in her own hometown! The younger me would’ve been so happy (the adult-me was secretly ecstatic)!

After studying every inch of the statue, I walked back into the centre of Ayamonte to explore more of the town that María Isabel grew up in.

The city center is full of shops and cafés and reminded me of any other holiday town. The amount of tourists I came across confirmed that Ayamonte is indeed a popular summer destination. It’s no wonder since the town is the closest place in Spain to Portugal’s popular Algarve coast, but to me, Ayamonte has always just been the hometown of my childhood heroine. I never even thought there would be much to see, but I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the town.

I bought myself a vegan ice cream and headed down to the harbour to look across the river to Portugal. I was going to cross the border the very next day!

It was really nice to experience a smaller Andalusian town after spending so much time in the cities. It was one of my favourite days on the entire journey through Southern Europe – mainly because I finally fulfilled a childhood dream, but also because I got to experience a different side to Andalucía.

Travel info on Ayamonte

HOW TO GET THERE: It’s easy, even without a rental car. Simply catch a bus from Huelva, which takes just 1,5 hours and costs 5,35 euros each way. You can find the timetable here.

LUGGAGE: If you don’t want to carry your bag around, drop it off at the station in Huelva for 5 euros per day.

TOILETS: There is a public toilet in the gas station to the right of the bus station in Ayamonte. You can use it for free, but it’s polite to buy something first.

THE STATUE: If you’re as crazy about María Isabel as me, head south along Calle de Lope de Vega until you spot the tiny Parque María Isabel with the statue!