Hotel Fenix Les Escaldes

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 ...

... that I am.<br><br> After I met up with my host and had some lunch, I decided to go for a walk and take some pictures. Andorra is certainly a beautiful place. The valleys are small enough that you can see all the details in the hills, and this makes for great scenery. It also makes for great walking, as you don't have to go too far before you are at the top of a huge hill and have a great view all around you.<br><br> The city has a good bit of old ...

... 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>

... inside the house and made a bee-line for the electric fence. Don&#8217;t mess with a 600lb new mother of 11!<br><br>Chicken for Dinner<br><br>We&#8217;ve had quite the remarkable vegetarian staying at the farm - one who eats meat. I must say, all of us carnavors are quite in awe of her. Not wanting to raise issues, or cause the family to change the way that they eat, she quietly tried everything that was served. Most everything was ok except ...

... by us on cast away sausage meat revealed how skilled he really was. Spare rib roasts, rolled belly, chump steaks, rack of ribs, pork chops, and hams were all neatly packaged and labeled. Bones went into the stock pile, fat went into the rendering pile, and other bits went into the sausage pile. <br><br>After all the good cuts were stored away in the freezer it came time to process the rest of it. Brian started up the meat ...

Time to attempt something I&#8217;ve always been itching to do: rock climbing. And not the kind done on indoor walls with padded flooring. Real out-in-the-open, unforgiving stone ROCK CLIMBING!<br><br>Out in the Pyrenees in the Ariege region with it&#8217;s beautiful slopes lie a multitude of rock faces covered in climbers pretending to be Spiderman. <br><br>Even though it&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve always wanted to try, there were a few ...

... between France, Spain and Andorra with 3000m peaks rising up all around. Up past charming little villages where all the little homes are made of stone stacked upon one another with only the slate rooves peeking through. <br><br>We drove the truck as far up the road as possible, and then even a little farther than we should have. Feels like complete mountain wilderness, but there are ...

... 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 ...

... the town of Masset, I thought we had it made. A very gradual and consistent climb up the river valley, I hardly even had to move out of 3rd gear. If this is what mountain cycling is like, there&#8217;s no problem at all! However, at Masset that all changed. We began the climb to one of the Col's (pass) where the family we're going to stay with lives. Rising from 600m to 950m in a distance of only a few km&#8217;s certainly got the heart ...