Leaving Andorra in the Snow

Thursday, Apr. 27, 2017--Andorra to Barcelona

When I looked out the window this morning, there was a dusty layer of snow on the mountains and the trees, but the streets were wet.  That was good to see.  I had worried that my bus might not run today if ice or snow accumulated on the roads.  As the morning progressed, the snow came down faster, but it still wasn't sticking to the streets.

My bus was at 11:00, and I walked in the snow from 10:00-10:15 getting there.  Fortunately, I had found a much shorter route than the one Google Maps had suggested (which was about 1.5 miles long).  Mine, about 1/3 of that distance, involved walking through the Parliament Building and taking an elevator down 3 floors to a lower street, going along that street a bit, then taking a path through a park and across the river to the street where the bus station is located.  It snowed the whole way, but the snow just tumbled off my hooded rain jacket I was wearing.

When I got there, I asked immediately, "Is it going to be okay for the bus to Barcelona?"  The ladies smiled and nodded to indicate it would be fine. 

The snow actually increased, getting thicker with bigger flakes, as we left town even though we were heading toward a lower altitude.   We were out of Andorra and in Spain within 20 minutes, but the Pyrenees continued for another 1 1/2 hours with us going through some areas with at least 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) of accumulation.  The snow on the branches of the fir trees reminded me of my childhood when my mother made artificial snow out of whipped Lux Flakes which we would layer on the tops of the branches with our hands.  It would dry to look just like layers of snowfall.

By the time we reached Barcelona at 14:10, there was only rain falling.  Fortunately, it was light rain.  There is no good public transportation connection between the Barcelona Nord bus station where we stopped and were I am staying at the Residencia d'Investigadors (Residence for Researchers with rooms available for university faculty, staff, or students).  I would have had to have walked about half the way anyway, so I just walked the entire distance--maybe a total of 25 minutes.  It's times like that when  appreciate the GPS on the phone; I had programmed the route into Google Maps and could watch the screen to know when to make each turn.

The room is basic:  a 3/4 bed, a desk, a closet, a bathroom, a small TV, and a thermostat for setting the heat level.  Breakfast is included in the room price of 71 Euros a night--about $78 U.S.   It's in a great location.  Everything is within walking distance from here for me.  But what is nice is that the small streets in the area are home to lots of immigrants, so there are plenty of small eating establishments in the area.  Tonight, I bought Chinese food to go--a stir-fried rice noodle dish similar to Filipino pancit with a portion of almond chicken to go with it.

It's cold outside, so I will stay in the room tonight and read.  I will go to bed early, since I have to leave here by 8:15 tomorrow for an appointment I have for entry into a tourist site.