Vall Ski Soldeu

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>

... meat and what they can be used for. Some of the more unusual pork bits we&#8217;ve eaten while staying here are: leg, belly, hocks, trotters, crackling, ears and brain. I&#8217;ve also learned how to make lard out of the fat, stock out of the bones, sausage meat and liver pate. One of the most fascinating things to me is working with the animal to use as much as possible so nearly nothing goes to waste thus respecting the animal as much as possible. <br><br>

... on toast it resembled scrambled eggs in both texture and taste. Won&#8217;t become my favourite dish, but it was interesting to try out. I can certainly appreciate the effort to use every part of an animal in respect for it giving it&#8217;s life, but I did feel a little like Hannibal Lectre. There&#8217;s just something in knowing you&#8217;re eating brain that doesn&#8217;t appeal over all the other organs on an animal.

... and hand hold. Until you get to the point where you can&#8217;t seem to make a move at all. Limbs getting sore and there&#8217;s no place to set your foot, and no where to grab hold with your hand. Every muscle in your body tense trying to keep you in the place where you re. Mind solely focused on the task at hand. Moving slightly, feeling around, using divets in the rock that are barely visible to support your weight. Ever upward straining ...

... 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 ...

... Nevertheless, the town is full of English speaking estate agents, so it looks like we aren't the first to find it! As we carried on into the heart of Cathar country the scenery changed again, and the sun came out. This part of the world has many interesting castles perched high on seemingly impregnable mountain fastnesses. One of the most famous is Montsegur, which was the last Cathar stronghold to fall (the inhabitants finally ...