Holidays in Andorra

Tour de France 2009 took me to a small country bordered by Spain and France in the south west of Europe.  Located at an elevation of 1023 meters Andorra with a population of 85,000 people (approx) is a beautifully scenic country having a unique charm of its own. Andorra is known for its thriving tourism industry with a fair number of visitors coming in every year. Though the place was bustling with activity and people due to cycling event (TdF) that I was following, I could still manage to enjoy the calm the country offers through walks into the mountains and even picnicking with my companions. There are electrical trolleys one can take if walking is not a cup of tea!

It was summer in month of July, but there still were traces of snow or rather to say sheets of tough ice giving a vanilla dressing look to the otherwise green background.  And just for the fun of it, I did have fun scraping and throwing snow around J.  We also saw ancient sheep barns & orris’s strewn around  the mountain paths which were used to keep sheep & the sheppard’s warm during the winters. Sheep rearing used to be basis of Andorra’s economy for centuries before tourism took over is what I was told.

Up in the mountains the air was fresh and the silence mystical. One can just sit there and absorb the surroundings, while a sense of tranquility sweeps over. Andorra enjoys the status of being a tax haven and I was recommended to make my camera purchase in Andorra as I started my trip in France. However, since I had already done my shopping at Montpellier where I was lucky to get a great bargain offer I did not learn details about the duty free status of Andorra :). Btw, Andorra is yet to join the European Union (EU) but Euro remains the local currency.

The main attraction to this country is the Churches spread across. There are about 40 of them, I was told. I visited St. Joan of Caselles church, which has a history dating back to 11^th century.  One thing unique to all the churches is the architectural design and the Romanesque art that has a very exclusive flavor to offer. Surprising as it might sound, Andorra has quite a few museums to visit. A postal museum with about 50,000 stamps, a Pin museum with a collection of 1,00,000 odd pins, tobacco museum,… etc. are all there for the discerning traveler. For leisure activities there are bowling alleys, skating rinks, bingo halls, bars, pubs, concerts and musical evenings.  And then again of course you have petanque in summers and skiing in winters!  There are local bus services that ply around that one can take to see places around. The traditional Andorran cuisine is a must try for all foodies.  Masegada cake, chorizos, rice with mushrooms, duck, wild boar stew,… etc are just few of the local delicacies! Catalan is the official language spoken here, however fair number of people can understand and speak English, especially at all the tourist resorts. French, Spanish and Portuguese are the other languages people speak at Andorra. Accommodation In Andorra varies from one star to four and cost anything between 15 to 40 Euros per person. There are no trains or flights to Andorra however the road network is well laid with four roads on French side, Spanish side, Arcalis and Pal. We took a bus from Barcelona, which roughly took about 2.5 hours before we landed into this enchanting part of Pyrenees. A blend of serenity, harmony, inner stillness and adventure, that’s Andorra for you.