Cosmos Escaldes-Engordany

Today was my last full day in Andorra. There wasn't a huge amount to do. It wasn't snowing, but the wind was so fierce that it seemed like a sand storm made out of snow. I had a great time watching a group of cows grazing in snow up to their stomachs. Other than that I had a walk around town and spent about an hour at a ...

... top of the first mountain, he took a little nap while the bus waited for whoever might want to get on before the departure time. As we praddled along towards Canillo I mused about our heroic bus driver, and what he might be like. I supposed his salsa music puts him in the zone in the same was as listening to “Highway to the Danger Zone” made the guys from Top Gun fly well. Maybe when he got done with his route there were women in bikinis with ...

... village et quand on est arrivé, il avait le marché du matin. On a acheter du vin à environ 1 euro le litre (vin de pays) et du bon fromage bleu pour le déjeuner.<br><br>On avait pas le droit de prendre des photos dans la grotte pour pas faire de la pollution lumineuse (il y avait déja des ptites pousses de plante pres des lanternes...ils veulent pas en rajouté non plus). Aussi il faut pas déranger les chauve souris...pauve cocottes...<br>

... What it does mean, we're not quite sure of yet. Still dealing with the shock and going over a few different options. All while kicking myself for not realizing this sooner. Only one thing is for certain - I'm not going to let this spoil our trip, and we're going to have to get cycling! (o.k., two things). <br>

... story. <br><br>Strange how we associate hurt with the animals we eat, but not for vegetables. The next day when I was harvesting the garden before the first frost I felt just terrible hacking apart the long vines of the butternut squash plant and tossing it into the compost heap. At least the chicken died quickly, that plant was still alive! <br><br>Butcharing Basics<br><br>1) Pick up ½ carcasses from the Abatoire (Tip: get the workers to ...

... and make 2.5kg of minced pork while I pureed the liver to make pate. Fat was rendered down to a beautiful smooth lard, and sausage meat was seasoned. It was a shame that we had no sausage skins to stuff, but the meat is still great to use in patties, balls or loaves. <br> <br>For a special treat for working through all the meat, Justin saved a special piece for Brian and I: the brain. Fried up with sage and butter and ...

... of apprehension before starting. Like attempting to figure out which way was up on the harness. Or when Donna wanted me to tie my security knot (walking me through of course). Then there&#8217;s the whole &#8216;where to start?&#8217; when staring straight up at this seemingly flat face of rock. <br><br> Watching others you wonder &#8216;how on earth?&#8217;, but then it&#8217;s your turn and you preserve, slowly going up and up with each little ...

A side trip with the truck enabled us to get to areas we couldn&#8217;t normally access. Not that we would even attempt it on bicycles - vehicles are bad enough. Windy roads where motion sickness is a given, &#8216;oh ****&#8217; handles are coming loose from repetitive strain, and a straight section of road lasts about 20m. <br><br>Our goal was a little damned in lake almost on the ...

... for instructions from our guide. Far enough now, and the group waits in solid silence for what comes next. <br><br>Perfectly positioned, the guide turns on a single light and we&#8217;re blinded with a whole wall full of images! Not just simple line drawing either - they are quite detailed. Many make use of the natural contours of the rock and the shadows that it creates to add life and depth to the images. A truly remarkable sight as image after ...

... every footstep looking around for any little leaf that may look a bit disturbed - like something has pushed it up from below. Observing ever so carefully for these highly camouflaged beauties. <br><br>Of course mushrooms are one of those items of food that you must be extremely careful of. Many are poisonous, or dangerous for humans to eat, and they can be quite tricky to tell the difference. Even the variety we were looking for has many ...