La Cala del Moral

The Walk of Canadians. A section of the coastal path near where we are staying is dedicated to the memory of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune for his work helping refugees during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

We’ve been back in Spain since December 13th and there’s a lot to catch up on before we head home on March 10th.

I was going to post some more pictures of our walks along the seawall and day trips along the coast, but then got sidetracked, thinking instead about what’s going on in Canada over the tariffs and how Canadians are coming together to stand up against the United States. Go Canada!

Valentine’s Day in Mijas

Happy post Valentine’s Day! Yesterday we drove down the coast to Mijas, one of the white pueblo towns in Andalucía that are known for their whitewashed walls, reddish brown tile roofs and narrow, cobblestoned streets. Very picturesque. Here are some pictures that I took yesterday and a couple of years ago.

**View looking back** on Mijas Pueblo (February 2020)

**One of the little squares** in Mijas Pueblo (February 2025)

**The Chapel of the Virgin of the Rock** in Mijas Pueblo (February 2020)

**Cobblestone walkway** leading to the botanical gardens in Mijas Pueblo (February 2020)

**Celebrating Valentine’s Day** in Mijas (February 2025)

Flag Day in Canada

Given what’s happening in Canada over the US tariffs, it seems fitting that today is Canadian Flag Day (February 15th), 60 years since the new Maple Leaf flag was raised in 1965. I know we’re not much of a flag-waving country – and who even knew we had an official flag day?? – but I will be wearing my Canadian pin when I go out later today. If we were home, I’d be lobbying Ron to hang the flag on our porch, something we only do on July 1st.

**Canadian flags** flying on Saratoga Beach (July 2022)

Paseo de Los Canadienses

Speaking of Canadians in Spain and standing up to bullies. One of the main reasons we enjoy coming back to this part of Spain for the winter is La Senda Litoral (the Malaga Coastal Path), a network of paths and paseo maritimos (seafront promenades) that stretches 180 km along the Costa del Sol, from Manilva on the western border to Nerja in the east.

It turns out that a section of the coastal path near where we are staying in La Cala del Moral is named the Walk of Canadians (Paseo de Los Canadienses) in honour of the Canadian doctor Norman Bethune and his work helping thousands of people as they fled Malaga during the Spanish Civil War in February 1937. Bethune and his medical team transported the injured, mainly families and children whose parents had been killed, to the relative safety of Almeria, a town 200 km further east along the coast. It was a particularly dark chapter in Spain’s history known as the Desbandá, and a reminder of what can happen if we’re not vigilant.

**Looking west** along the coastal path towards the tunnel under El Peñon del Cuervo (February 2025)

This is not the first time we’ve come across a tribute to Norman Bethune. There is also a statue along the coastal route in Torre del Mar, a 20 minute drive east of us and another one of our favourite walks. The statue was unveiled in February 2016, and shows Bethune walking with a child holding on to the back of his jacket.

**Statue of Norman Bethune** in Torre del Mar. Photo: February 2020.

Well, that’s it for now. Hope everyone back home is doing well. And keep checking those labels and buying Canadian! It’s early days yet.

Hi everyone.

Here are some pictures about our winter in Spain. It’s hard to believe that we have been here for more than two months already, only two weeks left before we head back to Canada.

We’re staying in La Cala del Moral, a little community about 15 km east of Málaga on the south coast of Spain. We were here last winter and liked it so much that we booked the same place again this year. I am writing this from my “office” in one of the spare bedrooms on the second floor, looking out across the rooftops to the Mediterranean below.

View of La Cala del Moral from our house on Calle Fragate.

We’ve been pretty lucky with the weather this year, although we did get hit with the outer edges of Storm Gloria at the end of January, a huge weather system that caused quite a bit of damage in Barcelona and brought torrential rains to the coast, including some flooding around Malaga. Other than that, the weather has been pretty good with temperatures around 18℃ (64℉).

I thought I’d start by posting some pictures from around the neighbourhood. One of our favourite walks is along the promenade and coastal path that connects La Cala del Moral with the neighbouring town of Rincon de la Victoria. Each town along the south coast of Spain has its own seawall and is part of the Malaga Coastal Path, a 180 km path that will eventually link all of the communities along the Costa del Sol.

La Cala del Moral seawall looking east towards El Cantal, the bluffs that separate La Cala del Moral from Rincon de la Victoria. It’s winter now and pretty quiet, so we have the beach and promenade mostly to ourselves during the week.

Here’s a view of the promenade in La Cala del Moral on a busy Sunday afternoon when the seawall is packed with people. Weekends are when families come down to the promenade to eat and socialize. Lots of kids and dogs and extended families.

Here’s a view of the coastal path along El Cantal, from the beach in La Cala del Moral.

Looking back at La Cala del Moral from the coastal path on El Cantal. I love this part of the walk, no matter what kind of weather. It’s about

Here’s another view of the El Cantal path and one of the tunnels. There are three tunnels between La Cala del Moral and Rincon de la Victoria, part of an old railroad system that was built in 1908. It operated until 1968 and the tunnels are now used as part of the path for pedestrians and cyclists.

The tunnel from La Cala del Moral to Rincon de la Victoria.

View of Rincon de la Victoria from El Cantal, looking east up the coast.

Sunday afternoon on the promenade in Rincon de la Victoria, outside one of the more popular restaurants. Standing room only on most Sundays as people wait for a table.

So, that’s it for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed this little introduction to our life in La Cala del Moral. Will post more later.

Adiós. Hasta pronto.