Portbou

I’m in Portbou - a small Spanish border town that I’ve stopped off at on my way to Spain by train.

I’ve come here to see a memorial to the eclectic thinker and flaneur Walter Benjamin, who we came across in a previous video.

However, rather than start with the memorial, or a mooch about town, I'm going for a walk to see something that will take me back up to the border with France.

From up here it’s easy to see why people come to this area to go walking.

Looking out over the serene view, it's hard to imagine how different things were in 1939.

Around half a million people took this route fleeing Spain at the end of the Civil War.

A memorial and a series of information boards have been put up to remember the events.

Just 18 months later, refugees were fleeing in the opposite direction escaping Nazi-occupied France and many vulerable people, including Walter Benjamin, crossed into Spain in the hope of getting to Portugal and safe passage to America. 

Back down in the town, there's a touching memorial to Walter near where he’s buried in the local cemetery. 

Work is also underway to create a library and museum where new generations of locals and visitors can learn about Walter’s works.

After having a nosey around the town’s sleepy streets and making a couple of new friends, time to get some delicious calamari and a cafe carajillo (coffee laced with brandy or rum).

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