On to Andorra

The following day I took a bus from Barcelona to Andorra, a small country in the Pyrenees sandwiched between Spain and France. I wanted to see as many countries as I could, and I figured that I wouldn’t have many other chances to get to Andorra in the future. I stayed in the capital, Andorra de la Vella, for one night, and then it was off to France.

Andorra is a tiny country bordering
France and Spain

I arrived during the afternoon and was scheduled to leave the following morning. It was a short stay, but that was fine with me. The country draws numerous tourists during the ski season, but there wasn’t much going on in the summer. Andorra is also a tax haven and attracts both businesses and shoppers looking to take advantage of the savings. The central area of the capital has lots of shops selling electronics, clothing, and jewelry. It was fun to go window shopping, but I didn’t have much room in my backpack or spare change in my wallet to splurge on some new stuff.

The city is quite picturesque, situated in a valley with mountains on either side and with a river running through the center of town. Even though it was not the most exciting part of my trip I am still glad I got a chance to visit. During my half day there I also went for a hike along a trail that led me up one of the surrounding hills and had a great view of the town down below.

View Andorra de la Vella from the surrounding hills
central shopping district

The next morning I took the bus from Andorra de la Vella to Toulouse, France. I had planned for my next stop to be Nice, but I first had to go by bus to Toulouse and then switch back to train travel (no trains stop in Andorra de la Vella). When I arrived it was already after lunch, and after checking out the train schedule I decided to take an overnighter to Nice. That left me with some spare time to explore Toulouse. I knew nothing about the city but came away impressed with what I saw. Like many Americans, I knew little about French cities aside from Paris. Obviously Paris towers over French metros when it comes to size, economic power, and cultural prestige, but places like Toulouse and Nice have a lot to offer too.

I definitely could have spent a night or two in Toulouse
It was nice just to walk around the city for several hours without a schedule or a list of sites to see. If a street, park, or particular building looked interesting I would just check it out (being mindful of my surroundings and how to get back to the station, of course). I was surprised to learn that Toulouse is the 5th largest metro area in France, and that its university, founded in the 13th century, is one of the oldest in Europe.

I grabbed some take-out food at a local restaurant and ate in a nearby park for dinner, then headed back to the station for my trip to Nice. To my surprise the train was packed! Unfortunately my Eurorail pass just got me on the train and didn’t guarantee me a reserved seat. It hadn’t been a problem before, but this time I couldn’t find an open seat. After searching for a good 15 minutes I gave up and settled on a small open space at the end of one of the cars. What could be more comfortable than a night on a metal floor!? It was tough to get to sleep, but I managed a few hours. I wasn’t the only one though; a few other travelers my age had to do the same thing, which made me feel a little better.

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