Part 1: Andorra
I was only vaguely aware of Andorra when I first read an article about a certain species of antelope that only lives here. I thought, it is so beautiful, but so out of the way, I’ll probably never get to see it. I was extra grateful for this opportunity to stay in a little ski condo in the resort town of Pas de la Casa as we drove from Barcelona to Toulouse, France.
The condo is set up for crashing with friends or a group - 5 single beds in 2 rooms, a tiny kitchen, and haphazard set of semi-functional appliances for cooking. The town itself is set up for two things: skiing and shopping. Andorra is on the Euro but not in the EU and they don’t have the same tax system. French people like to go buy luxury goods, alcohol, and cigarettes. The official language is Catalan but you are just as likely to hear Spanish and French. Signs are written in all 3, plus often English and Portuguese.
On our first morning, we took a short but steep climb straight up the ski hill to a summit from which we could see France and Spain! Another route went along a river that was the French border.
A short drive away, we took a path between 2 towns and another in the country’s capital city (I thought I had a cavity and had to go for a dentist appointment!), along a hillside.
The highlight was a long, tough trek over 3 peaks, 6 lakes and 4 seasons. We got a little lost and a lot sore, but it was so worth it! I will remember this one forever!
Part 2: Pyrénées-Orientales
We only moved about an hour away to our next little apartment in a tiny village called Sainte-Léocadie in the region of Cerdanya. It is still right on the Spanish border and shares that Catalan culture. In the few chances I had to interact with people, it was all French.
The biggest town nearby is in Spain though, and we had to muddle through a few interactions to pick up the keys from a real estate office, and buy a European SIM card. Thanks, Google Translate!
During our short stay, I was able to take a jog to the closest village and buy my pain quotidienne, then jog 15 minutes home with it before digging in! We also took a walk/hike back into Spain, another town that actually had restaurants, for and 4th of July lunch and some castle ruins. Instead of tapas, they had a menu de jour of Catalan specialties including “trinxat” (basically colcannon with mashed potatoes and cabbage, fried into a cake/patty, topped with sausage) and “mountain paella” (using sausage, quail, mushrooms, and artichoke instead of seafood), plus dessert and an entire bottle of wine for a low set price. It was a lot, worth a 9 mile roundtrip walk!
This apartment also had some quirks, but was a fine place for both of us to work, cook simple meals, and jump in the community pool. From here on out we are staying in bigger houses more commiserate with our place in Kanab. Next up, Toulouse!