Where in the World is Andorra?

Answer? A tiny mountainous country nestled in the Pyrennes between
Spain and France.

Last Memorial Day weekend, we flew to Barcelona and drove
two hours north into the Pyrenees.

It just so happened that the weather was spectacular.
Wildflowers were in bloom...

and the mountains were still covered with snow.

The snow was deep in parts, making hiking difficult, so we
did a lot of driving and photo-taking. Blue skies, green expanses, snow-topped
mountains----Andorra was a beautiful palette of color.

Ski resorts were closed in May, but that didn't stop people from
hitting the slopes. We saw families strolling up the mountains
 (literally, with a stroller)

while others were biking down.
Andorrans never seem to tire of the white stuff!

For centuries, Andorra was ruled jointly by France and Spain. In
1993, the country created its first written constitution and now has its
own Parliament. The President of France and the Spanish bishop remain
as figureheads.

Because there is no personal income tax for individuals, Andorra has become
known as a tax haven. Banking secrecy, tourism and duty-free trade have
made this little country prosperous. 

Andorra is tiny--about twice the size of Washington, DC.
We covered a lot of the country
in our rental car, and  also drove across the border
 into France for an afternoon. The official language
in Andorra is Catalan, followed by Spanish, Portuguese and French.
 Nearly every person we met could speak at least four
 languages, including English. When I ordered "dos bieres" and then
immediately apologized for mixing my Spanish and French,
the waiter dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
 "Everything works here,"
he said. 

Happy travelers...

A beautiful place to spend our third anniversary!
Hasta luego...