ANDORRA

Most people don't know that there is a country on the border between Spain and France called Andorra.  It is one of six European "micro-states," countries that have not been absorbed by the bigger guys at some point over the years.

Andorra (wikipedia article here) is about 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. and basically consists of a string of small villages in a single valley in the Pyrenees Mountains. 

One of my goals for this trip was to go to Andorra, so away we went!

The drive was terrifying, and I was behind the wheel... yikes!

Some typical driving shots of the area from the same region, following day...










































The country's capital, Andorra la Vella, was surprisingly large and bustling (considering the small size of the country itself).  Lots of chain stores, high-end stuff, and tourist-centered businesses.  Sean and Liz remarked on the drive into the capital that the other small towns of the country reminded them of Gatlinburg... a little too tacky-touristy for their tastes.  We also noticed how NEW a lot of the buildings were throughout the country.


The capital city!!!

Buildings built right up to the edge of cliffs.  There were a lot of cliffs and boulders that buildings were just built around in the city.  Very cool.

One more shot from the city.  Here we are along a pedestrian bridge crossing a river.

And that was our quick visit to the sixth-smallest country in Europe!!!  We drove in, walked around briefly, and decided to drive out and on into Spain to spend the night in La Seu d'Urgell.