DAY 13 - ANDORRA - PASTA? PLACE? PERSON?

DAY 13

From:           Pyrenees - France

To:               Andorra

Distance:     283km / 175miles

Climate:        6C = 45F

Altitude:       3400Meters /11000 ft

ANDORRA

Andorra. 

Question: Is it a Pasta? Is it a Place? Or is it a Person?

Answer:  None of the above. Well kinda... 

It is a Principality. So what does that actually mean? It means it is a country ruled by a monarch with the title of Prince. In this case, this quietly held country, is ruled by two Princes - a bishop from Spain and the President of France - thus making him Prince.

Andorra - a country which few people speak of, few people visit and a place very few people live. It's the 6th smallest nation in Europe bordering France to the north and Spain to the South while only covering 170 sq miles.  Pretty small but curiously interesting yes?

Bob and I left Lourdes the next morning and when he asked me the same question he asks me every morning. Do I want mountains or beach - my answer this time was a bit different. I said.... let's let TomTom ( our navigator) decide and Andorra was where the TomTom pointed! So... off to Andorra we went. But - with little knowledge of what lay ahead.

Read on....

We left France and it's fresh croissants, grey pitched Churches, side shuttered windows feeling revived with our special Holy water from Lourdes and embarked on a drive of a lifetime.

French castles lined the roads along the way with it's dairy signs...yesterday we were on the Cheese Route and today it was marked the Milk Route. 

In French it's called - Andorre

A spanish sign reads Andorra

Coming from the French side into Andorra was breathtaking. We decided not to take the tunnel but rather drive the mountain road. It was well worth the climb and time.

Andorra is NOT part of the European Community although it's currency is the Euro. So we did have to pass through border control - which after all these years of a free European border - it was a bit strange to do. 

I had to make a phone call on my cell to Spain and  forgetting Andorra was not part of Europe I ran out of credit and  my roaming charges were astronomical. 

There was quite a bit of traffic going and coming to Andorra on the French side. We didn't realize why until we arrived. 

Andorra is a duty free, tax free, offshore haven. Therefore, there are many things which are much cheaper there than elsewhere - one being gasoline. 16 cents euro less per litre. That is equivalent to $1.00 less a gallon difference. The cars were lined up. On top of it the duty free shops were packed at the border.

We had dinner in a lovely Italian restaurant in town. The owner, a Spaniard from Jaen sat and talked to us about life in Andorra.

• For him, he claims the life is much better than when he was living in Spain. 
• He said the country has better medical - 100% coverage for free for all its citizens.
• Including free schooling.
• The safest of any country in Europe. Strict border control.
• They closed the borders to any immigrants 5 years ago. No one except higher management is being brought in from the outside.
• He smiled and said - there is no prostitution in this country and no gambling allowed.

He told us the breakdown of people in Andorra is as follows:

80,000 people in total

30,000 Spanish

20,000 Andorrans

13,000 Portuguese

5,000 French

and others.....

• He also explained to us that life there was not only very safe and clean, but the food, gas and utilities were much cheaper than other parts of Europe. 
• The only expensive thing were the clothes. I had to agree. I went into a store and the prices were quite out of place. 

The hotels were so reasonable with high standards. However, there is NO parking in town. 

Some key notable difference about Andorra is how clean and organized it is. Compared to any other country it looks very new, modern and very clean.

The snow peaked mountains circled the entire country from side to side. It was as if we were birds gliding through threading a needle as we passed the peaks and valleys.

Andorra's main economy thrives from 

1. Tourism (10 million people a year visit)

2. Off shore banking. 

The Spanish spell it Andorra.

Andorra is nestled between the Pyrenees and host and haven to skiing. Each village along the road is a ski village. 

It was chilly!

While we were there also met a kid who was born and going to school there. He shared the following:

Languages of the country:

1. Official language is Catalan ( same language spoken in Barcelona)

2. Spanish 

3. French

4. Portuguese

With a smile he explained why he loved living in Andorra. He can come and go with his friends without his parents worrying about him because it was so safe.   He also shared that Andorra is a country which has the longest life expectancy. He said he grew up learning 4 languages at the same time.

1

The capital La Vella

All the buildings in Andorra are quite new and modern looking. A different style than central Europe. Nothing was out of place.

I enjoyed the fact that I could speak French or Spanish and everyone was fluent in both. Everyone thought I was Spanish so I stuck more to the Spanish when speaking.

Our hotel - downtown.

In summary  - Andorra is a precious stopping point in Europe for it's special charm of European mix.

TIDBIT:Andorra has the worlds lowest unemployment rate - 100% employment.

So - has anyone every heard of Andorra before or visited it? I would love to know your impressions...... 

Ok.. tomorrow - who in the back seat wants to drive? Bob needs a break and I am busy taking photos for you to see... so anyone up to driving?

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DAY 12 - A MIRACLE IN FRANCE!

FRANCE

From:           Pyrenees - France

To:               Lourdes - France

Climate:        7C - 18C = 45 -65F

Altitude:       3400Meters /11000 ft

A MIRACLE IN FRANCE!

Do you believe in miracles? To date 200 million people have visited Lourdes-  all on account of their strong faith and belief in the 87 documented miracles which have taken place from the special water coming from the grotto.

Lourdes, beautifully nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees is one place off the beaten track not to be missed - regardless of your religious belief. 

The story goes as follows - in the 1800’s, a 13 years old French girl named Bernadette, claimed to have seen the vision of the Virgin Mary appear to her over 18 times at a Grotto in the mountains near to where she lived. Six years later a shine was built and today over 5 million people a year visit there as a Pilgrimage and in hopes of a cure for the sick. They have 15,000 people living and focus the town on the Church - hospitals, hotels, ( second to Paris per sq meter), gift shops, restaurants etc...

Although I was brought up with 12 years of Catholic schooling and contrary to my mother’s wishes did not turn out to be very religious, I am always drawn to stop by Lourdes while passing through France. This is my 5^th time and Bob’s 3^rd.  No matter how little or how strong your faith is - once you are there the atmosphere will make you feel humble, bring you to your knees and put tears in your eyes as you end up  in awe of how many people come from afar to make this journey – based on faith alone. 

I said a special prayer for everyone I know…… 

For Bob and I the evening was even more special. Each night at 9pm there is a procession, which takes place around the Church and river. This night was special because there was a Charity group from England ( HCTP) which is the largest worldwide Children Pilgrimage group in the world. There were over 15,000 children from all over with their country, branch, group leaders, support and banners all taking part of the processions each holding a burning candle in the night. We estimated an easy 100,000 people walking in the procession. ( Yes - more than on the Camino de Santigago).

They were pouring in from everywhere and mostly all young. They were singing and praying. It was actually quite moving. A young man from the HCTP group explained to me that they have branches all over the world and come to Lourdes once a year at Easter time with over 15,000 children at a time!!! Quite a sight to see and very special to have been a part of.

Candles burning everywhere from all over the world. 

This is where the water still comes out from the rocks themselves.

This is where Bernadette claims to have seen the vision.

I usually stop there to get some of the “curing” water for others - which unknown to man still pours out of the Grotto after all these years. For those who know me and my migraines, I dunk my head in the water in hopes of a cure, but quickly relinquish any hope or request when I see all the other people there with such serious illnesses, especially multitudes of small sick children. Needless to say being there makes you feel grateful.

So if anyone wants any of this special water, I now have some. It has been known to cure. If you do not know the story of Lourdes, read up on it, as it is an interesting one.

Tomorrow's destination is going to be a geography test for everyone! Study up!

Thanks for joining... stay tuned ....

night night...

jasmine

( thanks for the comments - we have more room in the back seat so come along)

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