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Europe » Andorra » La Vella
May 1st 2008
Published: April 30th 2008
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April 29 - 30, 2008

Andorra La Vella

We had no idea what to expect here as, quite frankly, we had never heard of it before. We kind of threw a dart at the map the day before and this is where it landed.

This is a very small “ Country” ( Principality ) between Spain and France. One of those places similar to Monte Carlo and Luxembourg. The big business here is tourists and it's a tax haven so there are lots of big banks, accountants and lawyers.

One interesting fact we learned was that this is the place to be to live a long life. Highest average lifespan in the world at about 83 years. Must be the wine !!

This is a very nice place right in the middle of the mountains and reminded me of Banff, Canada. It is a very busy ski area in the winter and lots of hikers etc in the summer. The drive from Barcelona is only a couple of hours and the same to Toulouse and other parts of Southern France so they have a huge market to draw from. The whole Pyrenees region is very popular for skiing and we saw a few other smaller resort areas in northern Spain on our way here. We assume it would be the same in France to the north.

From what we saw, food here is a lot more French than Spanish and as a resort area they have everything including American Fast Food of all types. Generally we found prices are more reasonable for accommodation and food but that may be because we were "off season".

It is a beautiful and easy drive on a good road ( GPS helps as some signage is a little confusing ) The road takes you up from the coast through some beautiful mountain passes and into the Pyrenees Mountain Range. Well worth the trip.

Because of all the tourists the town is full of very high end shopping. All the usual brand names. We have never seen so many Perfume Shops, Digital Camera Stores and Pharmacies ( don't know what that's all about ). Besides the shopping there is not a lot to do here this time of year so a good time to relax. We spent a quiet day walking the town on Wednesday.

Tomorrow we will head towards southern France. ( somewhere )


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