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.
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.
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.
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.
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.