Andorra*

Andorra: April 2

8:15 to 11:30 was the duration of my bus ride. Andorra, an actual country is located on the border of Spain and France and has a population of a whopping 70,000. The only country in the world to have Catalan as its national language, Andorra is a must see for all European tourists (joking). I visited Andorra la Vella for the time I was in the country. Now I asked myself why I wanted to stop in Andorra and I reasoned that with it being such a small country and most people have never heard of it, I would give it a shot. My bus pulled in and I immediately realized a major problem, no luggage room/lockers. This meant lugging my pack around for eight hours! HECK NO! I left the one terminal station and started to brainstorm…this city is known for its luxurious spa and I figured I deserved a message. I then decided to try my French in a hotel and ask if I could keep my pack there for the day. My first try and I succeeded; no more pack! The capital city is well known for its duty-free shops: main street is lined one after the other with them. After some browsing and a memory card purchase, I decided it was time for lunch. Now I have neglected to describe the scenery, a small town of 20,000 nestled in a valley, surrounded by towering mountains covered in thick forests. My lunch was taken on the little stream that flows through the center of town. Following lunch, I decided to head into the mountains and walk the well-built boardwalk along the mountainside over looking Andorra la Vella. I hiked for probably three hours, picked up my pack, and embarrassingly had a gas station dinner. I caught the 19:30 to Toulouse.

The actual bus ride was gorgeous. We wrapped around the mountain peaks in and above the clouds and crossed breath-taking passes!