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Hidden gem of Europe
#travel #destination #inspiration #challenge #Andorra
Fortune favors the bold.
My latest travel has got me thinking about the current stage of my life, and whether it needs reconsidering. Up until only one year ago, I have barely traveled anywhere – apart from the US and China, I’ve had no major travels, and I was only hoping to become a full-time voyager. And in the blink of an eye, I turned around to recount, and realize I’ve been in 30 different countries! Although I am not necessarily pro-counting, it was a major realization that I am now doing exactly what I was intended to, as well as living a way better, more abundant and inspiring life, than I could ever have hoped for. The point of this paragraph is not to boast about, but to remind you to sit down, take a deep breath, and count your blessings.
The name of this post was intended to be “And I though Europe had nothing left to offer!” – but I changed it at the last moment. The long intro is there to show that in the past year (mostly) I’ve been around quite a number of European countries, and that that part requires change. I’ve seen pretty much all of it, so how better can it get? Well, without any further ado, let’s slide directly into my dream vacay destination – the Principality of Andorra.
Just to be perfectly clear on one thing – despite what 90% of people I know like doing, I’m not a skier, nor do I ever plan to try skiing. Not that I avoid adventure (obviously), but I do avoid the cold weather. In a rush of adrenalin, I’ll go learn to surf! It’s still confusing to me, why I am still so inspired by a small mountainous country, renowned only for its skiing (if renowned at all). Because it’s off the beaten path and nobody knows anyone who’s visited the city-state? Probably. Because of its valuable economy? Well, this only helps when a country is great, per se – so in this case, yes. Because It’s super clean? Now, I do love the cleanliness, I must admit! Because it does not resemble the majority of Europe at all, and looks like a faraway island of culture and abundance? Bullseye!
Let me tell you the whole story from the top. The evening before, I landed in Barcelona, and only spent the night there. The 3.5-hour ride was not very intense, and it was sure nice to behold all the beautiful landscapes that Spain has to offer. (With this sentence, I unveiled what the next posts will be about, apparently.) Unlike all of my trips before, I did not prepare for this one, whatsoever. I didn’t check about the border and passport control, nor did I remember to research about sanitary-related restrictions, such as vaccination certificates (which I, of course, did not bring along). I didn’t even look for things to do in Andorra up front. The idea was to have an utterly genuine and innocent experience, throughout the journey. Thus, the quote at the beginning. Although some people on the bus had issues with the border police, upon showing my passport, I simply got a “thank you” back. Thanks, Fortune!
Upon leaving the bus and walking a few steps forth, I turned around to see how beautifully surrounded and bordered by the Pyrenees this tucked-in city-state is. The atmosphere was globally otherworldly. I simply had to stop and take a circular video of my environment. To someone coming from a mountainous region, this was paradise! Also, I personally believe this veil of mountains builds up one of the prettiest skylines in the world. And the air was so pleasant and clean, it helped open up my forever clogged nostrils. I can even fully recall it now, as I’m sitting and writing the post. But come to think of it, no wonder the air is that clean – the surface of Andorra is not very large, the cars are generally scarce, and there is only necessary traffic in the streets. When we add the number of winter sports tourists, as the primary income source, we can see clearly why the air quality is much better than in most other European countries.
Upon stepping into the park, the most amazing setup caught my eye – a selfie post. People always ask me how I manage to take good photos of myself when traveling alone. In most cases, it would be a combination of talent, luck and hard effort. In Andorra la Vella, well, thanks to this piece of technology! In fact, I don’t see a reason why local governments around the world are not applying it as we speak.
The very next step (after getting up at 6 AM and riding a bus for 3.5 hours, logically) was getting some espresso and a chocolate croissant (or “quaso”, as social media influencers like to call them). You know how normally, when you buy a piece of pastry filled with chocolate, it is only filled with a short and thin line of it? Luckily, this was not a case in Andorra (or Spain) – and this was prevalent throughout my journey. Which takes me to a good point – if we do something, we should do it properly, or not do it at all. Thank you for this mentality, Andorra and Spain alike!
The melting clock statue, apparently erected in the style of Salvador Dali’s paintings, reminded me of a museum I was not going to see in Barcelona, due to it being closed up. Salvador (I hate calling people by their last name solely, it looks extremely disrespectful in my book!) is one of my favorite visual artists of all times. It was a blessing for me to see this statue, remembering that his museum will not be open for the public. Other than this, Andorra la Vella, the capital of Andorra, is full of different sculptures and statues, mostly smaller ones. They are located throughout the city, in roundabouts, parks, walking areas, etc. The sculptures bring a unique style and provide a feeling of culture, for the locals and visitors alike.
Another thing that I didn’t learn about proactively is a major spa center, located only a few streets away from the main pedestrian zone. And it is the only thing spoiling the surrounding skyline. Shame that I never even considered bringing my swimsuit along. Of course, when traveling to a new place for the first time, the goal is really not to walrus around and spend countless hours walking between hot tubs and saunas – but a few hours wouldn’t have hurt. However, I kept saying, if my friends ever take me skiing, I’ll spend all of the time sitting in a spa. My dear friends who like to ski, you know when my birthday is.
Phone booths! They’ve become so obsolete, most of us stopped paying attention to them years, if not decades ago. I’ll be honest, I noticed the red, London-like ones in Malta, and that’s all the phone booths I got to observe after roughly 2004. What made the Andorran ones so unique was probably their color, and the fact they are only covered from the top, and exposed from all the sides. Not something expected for a country that prides itself in winter activates. On the other hand, how many people do you know have used a phone booth in the last 20 years? Still, they are extremely clean, so points for the effort!
The cuisine was mostly Spanish-like, which is something completely normal, to be expected from this part of the world. Tapas and paellas were everywhere. A lot of fast food as well, since this is the world and reality we live in. But whatever you decide to try out, do not fear you would stay hungry. Although the prices are a bit higher, especially in comparison to Barcelona, the size of portions really matches the value. Talking about overall prices, they were pretty similar to what can be encountered with the neighbors to the South. Unless real estate is in question. Still, this would not prevent me from holding a house of my own in this splendid land of cleanliness and culture, one day.
And one more thing, quite common in this part of Europe, do not forget about the siestas. Plan your meals ahead of time, because you don’t want to be starving in the afternoon, and wait for the first restaurant to open a couple of hours later.
All in all, I’ve had one of the most amazing days in my life in this beautiful, mountainous city-state, nested between Spain and France. The flight the night before, and two bus rides to and from, lasting roughly 3.5 hours each, were more than worth the “trouble”. Most importantly, throughout my whole Barcelona-Andorra voyage, I only felt as a tourist only for the first 30 minutes in the latter – until I walked to the top of the pedestrian zone once. Outside of that, the feeling was 100% home. You know how I always say “I don’t have a from, I have a to”? Guess what, I found my from! And I’ll be overjoyed to share it with you in the following few posts. Stay tuned!
Comments
[…] morning). Day 2 – get up at 6 AM to be able to grab some breakfast and run to catch the bus to Andorra. Long story short – get back to Barcelona close to midnight. The first two days of the trip, I […]
[…] exhilarating fresh breath of Andorra’s breeze inspired a whole post about this magical micro-state. If you’ve missed it, please read it, for your own sake and […]
[…] exhilarating fresh breath of Andorra’s breeze inspired a whole post about this magical micro-state. If you’ve missed it, please read it, for your own sake and […]
[…] Ah, my new favorite country in Europe. Not sure why, but these micro-nations, or small countries, tucked safely in between the borders of two superpowers, usually have a much different vibe, even compared to their neighbors. Even in this case, where Andorra’s governance is factually shared between Spain and France, the feeling is something completely different, as if a part of a completely different continent. […]
[…] its micro-nations – the Vatican and the Order of Malta. It was followed by a visit to an unexpected gem called Andorra, and my favorite city on Earth – Barcelona. I want to say there was a break in travels, but that […]
[…] exhilarating fresh breath of Andorra’s breeze inspired a whole post about this magical micro-state. If you’ve missed it, please read it, for your own sake and […]
[…] crossing. Even if they are, rumor has it they will only check your passport, but not stamp it. Similar to Andorra. I can neither confirm nor deny this, as while we were entering, there were no police present at […]
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