Condes De Pallars Lleida

... having a beer and watching a man try to dig his van out of the snow. To my knowledge his van is to this moment where it was when I left the bar.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to post some pictures of Canillo when it's snowy and the sun comes out. Don't have too many, but figured it was worth a post.

... charm, but it's easy to see that lots of it is maintained with the massive amounts of money that come in through rich tourists going to the ski resorts. Walking through the peaceful streets and hearing flowing water everywhere almost makes things seem eerily perfect. Like walking through a fairy tale. After a few rounds of the city, I decided to turn in a bit early as I didn't sleep much on the train over.

Today when I woke up the country had been ...

... br>
Despite the dogs and the cold and wind, we did manage a little hike up past a waterfall up to a beautiful plateau area with mountains all around. Huddled behind a rock to provide some resistance from the wind, we scarfed down a bit of picnic lunch before running back to the truck for warmth. Then it was down into the town of Ax to soak our cold feet into some hot springs.

... and I’m reporting you to HostelBookers tomorrow as a fraud! That’s all there is to say, except that you better not charge my credit card, or then I’ll report you to the police! Y puedo hablar espanol tambien.”



It would just be nice if the $100 room were nice, not just four walls and a boob tube. The phrase ‘boob tube’ has meaning here, too. Late-night Spanish TV has sex ads that ...

... days will get some entries soon.

Today, we started from France, and drove a few miles into Andorra. So we have now done 10 of the 11 countires!!

Photos to follow, I'll just go back and put some news on the other days, then get photos loaded up. That takes ages.

... and serrano, I made a few sandwiches for the road, chatting with a Kiwi in town for a poker tournament. I think the buy-in was $10,000 euros or so, but he won a qualifying tournament late last night and won a spot in the tourney. You never know if people are ever telling the truth about themselves when they travel, as there is no incentive, since you'll probably never again see that person again. He mentioned that he doesn't work any more, because he ...

... Lourdes Live Feed (yep I'm not kidding) web site and saw a sea of umbrellas. By the time we arrived it was hot and sunny. It wasn't busy either which meant we had lots of opportunity to wander along the pilgrims walk, visit the grotto and the churches, light candles, pray and just absorb the intensity of this amazing place. It is humbling to watch the pilgrims, many of them severly disabled, patiently waiting to touch the rock and drink from the water ...

Probably like you, I had no idea there was a country located between France and Spain. Well, turns out there is - a beautiful little country located in the middle of the Pyrenees mountains called Andorra. Though the smallest European country, it has the second longest life expectancy of any country in the world and is renowned for ...

... car parks and dodgy looking hotels (I'm not personally). Eventually the bus pulled into the bus station at Andorra La Vella (the "capital" of this tiny principality) and I got off. After crossing a truly massive car park, probably their masterpiece, I got to a tourist information centre and acquired a map. "Are there any good places to try a variety of Andorran beer" I asked the bloke "We don't make beer in Andorra. Are you Danish?" "No, English" "Ok" I waited for a few ...

... Manu had not been able to make it to our wedding in California. Along with the cake, they surprised us with a wedding veil and tie so we could dress for the festivities. It was nice to be with such thoughtful friends. Our stay in Lleida was supposed to be just about visiting friends but turned into a much needed recharge for us. A big thanks to Meredith, Manu, Marcel, and Dylan for their excellent hospitality and allowing us to enjoy their home an lives for these days.