Into the Snow Capped Pyrenees

Thursday, Apr. 25, 2017--Toulouse to Andorra la Vella

Worried about getting out of the apartment by 9:30 to be at the bus station at least 30 minutes before departure, I didn't sleep well.  I thought I was getting up at 7:30, but I must have looked at my watch wrong.  Quiet a bit later, it was almost 8:00, so it must have been 6:30 when I got out of bed.  That, however, gave me time to recharge both my camera and my Kindle so they would be available for use without fail for the next several days.  It also allowed me plenty of time to use my leftovers to make me two sandwiches--one with cheese which became a late lunch after I arrived here at 14:00 and the other to probably be eaten tomorrow.

It was about 10:00 when I got to the platform at the bus station where my bus was to leave at 10:30.  The platform sign showed I was in the right place, but no one else was there.  At 10:15, I STILL was the only one there, and I began to worry a bit.  But the main schedule board also showed it to be at 10:30 at that platform.  At 10:25, a small bus drove down from the upstairs parking area, loaded only me and headed off!

That made me wonder if I were going all the way to Andorra alone.  But the bus made a turn toward the airport.  It apparently also serves as an airport shuttle to Andorra from the Toulouse airport.  There, two woman boarded.  But it was just the three of us and the driver for the rest of the way.

Going into the airport, we passed the offices of Airbus, the European company that produces airplanes.  And as we pulled around to go to the front of the terminal I could see the huge Airbus factory where the planes are built on the opposite side of the airport runways from the terminal building.  I would have enjoyed a tour of the facility, but my timing just wasn't right.  They don't give tours on weekends, and it is best to schedule several months in advance.  I didn't know the dates I would be in Toulouse until just two months ago.

We passed through village after village heading toward the Pyrenees after turning off the expressway.  And we climbed and climbed.  I could see the snow capped tops of the highest peaks in the distance, but I didn't know if we would be near them.  Well, the border itself between France and Andorra is right at the top with snow all around.  Where I am, the capital city of Andorra la Vella is in a long, narrow valley.  From the border crossing to here, we passed one ski resort after another.  It's beyond the season, but snow still covered the slopes, and the lifts were in place but still.

We arrived right on time, and, unfortunately, so did the rain that was forecast.  But I was lucky.  I know a Mexican National, Ricardo, who lives here and is now an Andorra citizen, too.  He had said he would pick me up at the station and give me a ride to the hotel.  There he was waiting when we drove in.  He had to get back to work, but he let me off at the front door of the hotel which is the Hotel Pyranees.

I went out exploring.  Right across the street from my hotel is the older part of the town with the Old Parliament Building and the New Parliament Building, a couple of old churches, and several other older buildings.  Most buildings here have gray stones as their facing.

Most people come here, however, to shop (along with skiing).   Andorra has only a 4% Value Added Tax as compared to approximately 23% in other European countries.  So there is a very long shopping street lined with clothing sores, electronics stores, liquor stores, perfume stores, tobacco stores, etc.  There are far more shops than a place this small could normally support.

I actually had hoped to buy something here myself.  I have been reading reviews of the Samsung Chromebook Pro since news of it was released last fall.  It was showcased at he big electronics show in Las Vegas in January, and it has gotten rave reviews.  It was supposed to be released to the public for sale this month (April, 2017), but there is no news of it yet.  A similar one called the Plus has been available for several months, but I want the Pro.  I checked at some stores here this afternoon.  None of them even know about it.  I want one as my travel computer to replace this old one that I bought in China maybe 7 years ago.  Guess I will just use this one until I get back to the US, and by then maybe Samsung will have released the Pro so I can get one at home.

I am staying inside tonight.  Ricardo will come by to visit a while when he gets off work.  I bought a bottle of Bordeaux wine at 40% off and will finish a sandwich I made this morning.  I will go to bed early, though.  Two days of heavy traveling have made my body tired.