President Andorra la Vella

... of smokers. At least we’re definitively out of the Commie-toilet-paper-zone now. I was starting to miss pre-Nafta Mexican recycled newspaper, all cut up into nice little rectangles.

The ride up to Andorra is nice, finally arriving up in a high mountain ****** that somehow managed to remain independent all these years. As I suspected, though, they lean heavily toward Spain, and you hear Castellano frequently, though ...

we've had some problems getting to this stage, and so haven't been able to keep the blog up to date. So far everything is now working out fine, and we have arrived on site to be able to set up in the light, and the campsite has electricity, so we are ok to get written up today. Hopefully ...

... the watershed and we drop into the Spanish frontier town of Bourg Madame. We continue east across a wide plane undulating over the Col De Llous (1345m) and the Col De la Perche (1570m). From here a unbelievably long descent takes us nearly al the way to our
hotel. Prades has a reassuringly Mediterranean feel about it, with lots of courtyard cafe's and
clay tiled roofs.

WHAT I EXPERIENCED:

... about experiencing a different kind of travel. Saving the money is a bonus for me, because it means I can splurge on nice dinners and experiences if I so choose, but more importantly, it's because it means I can usually do two big trips per year, rather than one. So I can see where this guy is coming from. Of course, not knowing how much money he has left in the bank could also mean that he only has $10 in his account.

I went to a locutorio ...

... 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 ...

... s ski resorts and as a summer mountain getaway for Europeans. Taking a minibus from Toulouse to Andorra, I literally had to go through rain, hail, and a snowstorm to get there! Arriving at Pas de la Casa, it was 0 degrees and snowing hard. Thirty minutes later we made it to Andorra la Vella, the capital city, where I would stay at ...

... from Dan Johnson (the message title was the stunningly accurate "**** hole") that explained the best drinking was to be found in a village called Soldeu about 40-50 minutes north of the capital. ****ing Andorra. I was finding it hard to like this country at all. No nightlife in the capital for ****s sake- even Skopje, the grey **** that serves as the Macedonian capital, can muster up a decent Irish boozer (and an English one as well). I wandered back towards the bus ...

... it is cheating slightly we pay the 40 Euros - slightly more than the others will be spending - and catch the train to Perpignan. On the train we decide this must have been a blessing in disguise as we read in Andre's book that Salvidor Dali actually said that Perpignan train station was the centre of the universe - what a privilege to visit such a place. When we disembark the train we find the others walking into the train station to meet us...........

... mais concretamente em : Telecomunicações, electrodomésticos, tabaco, perfumes... mas com diferentes preços de loja para loja. Convém correr bem as largas ruas onde o comércio fica situado... porta sim porta sim... apenas optando por comprar depois de fazermos a ronda toda, pois chegamos a encontrar no mesmo tipo de produto, mesma marca, mesmo modelo... diferenças que podem chegar aos 30/40%. Mais à noitinha depois do regresso ao hotel, do banho, do jantar ...

Barcelona is just like Melbourne on a winter´s day - drizzle and a chilly breeze. And less a few more degrees of course. Filled with little information on times and details, I headed to the Barce bus station. I decided last night that I am going to Andorra. Where the hell is Andorra? I am glad you asked... Andorra is a small principality stuck between Spain and France, known for very little apart from Pyranees skiing, discount electrical goods and beautiful scenery ...