We had to go to Andorra for a look.

Off we set, saying goodbye to the coastal Basque region, stopping for lunch at a unknown village (I forgot to look at the map for the name, oops).  This time we were prepared – we brought food with us!  It seems every town square has a church and this one caught my eye with its circular belltower to one side.

No-one was about – it was after 12.30pm of course!

The landscape slowly changed from rich farmland with eventually the imposing Pyrenees growing larger by the kilometer.

And then, we were there.

This tiny country sounded intriguing with a total area equal to 1/5th of the Australian Capital Territory (468 square kilometres) and a population of only 77,000.  It’s a tiny, independant principality situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains.

It’s known for its ski resorts and there was still plenty of snow despite it being Spring.  The further we descended into the valley, the more Spring-like it became.

Having a tax-haven status that encourages duty-free shopping is a major attraction to both the French and Spanish for weekend trips.  Petrol is very cheap and petrol stations line the roads all the way from the French border down through the valley.

Brief history alert….. (sorry)

Andorra was ruled by the Count of Urgell until 988 (so it’s really, really, really old), when it was transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell.  The present principality was formed by a charter in 1278. It’s known as a principality and is a “diarchy” headed by two Princes: the present Catholic Bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, and the President of France (Macron) but in reality the country is governed by a small elected parliament.

The official language is Catalan, but Spanish, Portuguese, English and French are also commonly spoken.

That’s enough of that…..

The capital city Andorra la Vella (population of 22,000 where we stayed) has boutiques, big department stores, lots of perfume shops, jewelers and alcohol is very cheap, for example, you can buy a 1 litre bottle of Bombay Gin for 9 euros (about $14.50).  It sits right at the bottom of a valley between two mountains. There’s also an old section which is interspersed between the new multi-storey buildings.

The air is crisp and clear and everything is clean and orderly.

It’s busy, it’s crammed in between mountains and it’s fascinating.  The streets are also steep with quite a few stairs.

Salvador Dali was here!

Although it gives the impression of a modern city, there are still historical buildings interspersed between the concrete.

Food in Andorra

So, what was the food like in Andorra (I hear you ask)??  It was a mix of Spanish and French food, with paellas, lots of seafood and duck on every menu, with tapas popular for snacks.  What we could not get used to was how late they eat.  Restaurants didn’t open until 8.00-8.30pm and most locals don’t sit down to eat until after 9.00pm which is when we are normally settled in our jarmies for a bit of TV.  Even very young children are eating as late as 10.00pm.  No, I just could not reconcile with this eating timetable.

This chic restaurant (called Soho Chic) enticed us in because of the decor (although the manequins were a little crowding) plus the menu looked good.

Here’s what we had:

Tomato and Basil Soup

You would think that the two main dishes were identical. One was fish (see the lemon slice?) and the other duck (se the orange slice?)  An imaginative chef indeed 🙂

It all was quite tasty though.

Another night we opted for a simple tuna salad to go with our paella and garlic prawns.

It’s quite surprising to learn that Andorrians have a long life expectancy (average age of 82.5) as they drink alcohol A LOT.  Red wine, white wine and champagne is served at the breakfast buffet and there were plenty of partakers.  We, however, declined.

Cafes serve beer, wine, spirits and liquers with your morning coffee and by lunch, all bets are off.  But you don’t see anyone drunk.  Maybe they spend the hours between aperitifs in the late afternoon and late dinners sleeping it off.

We loved Andorra (and no, not because of the cheap alcohol).  It was a fascinating country full of cultural diversity and spectacular scenery.

Jeff and Catherine xx