The Principality of Andorra, governed jointly by the president of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell, sits landlocked in the Pyrenees. Since today is supposed to be warm, sunny, and dry, we planned to explore this part of the Pyrenees with the help of a driving tour in our Michelin Guide.
 |
| Obviously, this took us the whole day and about 6 hours of driving time. |
Of course, the scenery was beautiful.
We had planned a circular itinerary that would take us to Andorra La Vella (Andorra's capital) then back via a different route.
El Pas de la Casa sits on the pass on the border between France and Andorra and is best known as a ski resort and the source of the Ariège River which flows northwest through France to the Atlantic.
 |
| Not my idea of fitting in with the landscape, but perhaps attractive to skiers, especially the young. |
We twisted and turned on mountain switchbacks to the Col de Pessons Mirador for a great lookout.
 |
| Lynn and Judy at the Col de Pessons scenic outlook |
We stopped to look at St Joan de Caselles church in Canillo, but it was locked up.
 |
| St Joan de Caselles |
We then tried to find a lookout point up above Canillo, only to discover that you had to buy a ticket in Canillo, then take a bus, which dropped you off on the road where we were already parked, and then you had to walk the last 900 meters up to the belvedere. We crossed that off the list and continued along the mountain road.
Which turned out to be a great thing, as we found this wonderful picnic spot with a lookout over the mountain scenery.
 |
| Lynn, Judy, and Nilo |
 |
| our view |
Our picnic site was protected by Nilo, a magical creature called a tamarro, who protects the province of Canillo with the help of children who place a stone in a special spot on the tamarro. There is one tarmarro for each of Andorra's 7 provinces, and they were created to help children enjoy the hikes and wilderness areas of Andorra by finding them along the paths and/or collecting them in booklets available from tourist offices.
 |
| Nilo, the tamarro |
Onward to the next Michelin suggested stop: Sant Marti de la Cortinada, a 12th century church that was also closed in the town of Cortinada.
 |
| Sant Marti de la Cortinada |
Our final destination was Andorra La Vella, Andorra's capital and civic center. While lively, the tourist attractions were all closed. (well, it WAS Sunday after all) but we walked around the old city center before starting our drive back to France.
Andorra La Vella is also a very modern city, known as a tax haven and a ski resort.
A long drive, but well worth the effort for some really spectacular mountain scenery.
No comments:
Post a Comment