Chapter 2: Andorra
For Paul, Countries Visited: 130
17.09.2023 - 17.09.2023 70 °F
View Fjords & From Barcelona on Cunard on paulej4's travel map.
"Andorra"
Sunday, September 17, 2023
I am excited. The Principality of Andorra, a micro-nation, is the 130th nation that I have been privileged to visit. In the Pyrenees Mountains, this place is only about twice the size of the District of Columbia, contains fewer than 200 miles of paved roads, has no airport nor rail system and is a place that just over 85,000 people call home. All but 1% of the populous are Catholic. In 2000, a synagogue was opened by Jewish residents, currently estimated to number between 100 and 150.
Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is banned and same-sex marriage is legal here. In fact, a law prohibiting same-sex sexual activity was abolished in 1971.
Andorra got here as a defensive measure in the year 795 by Frankish King Charlemagne who created it (along with others just like it) to slow or stop Muslim Moors from invading his Christian France. Today, it is a parliamentary democracy led by two co-princes: French President Emmanuel Macron and the Bishop of Seu d'Urgell, Spain, Josep Maria Mauri.
Andorra is not a member of the European Union. It is not in the Schengen Area--that amalgamation of states through which EU passport holders can freely move with minimal documentation. But it acts like it is a part of both.
As we arrived at the border, we simply drove past the customs and immigration booth without stopping just like everyone else and, voila, we are in the country.
The Capital is Andorra de Vella. Claiming the planet's oldest mean age of mothers (32.8 years) and an equally low fertility rate, (1.46 children per woman), Andorra is not only not growing but is most certainly aging.
Thirteen million tourists (mostly European) come here annually, primarily for winter sports and a fine summer climate. They provide 80% of GDP. There are 400 restaurants surrounding the 270 hotels. To assist in creating some sort of economic future, it has also opened itself to foreign investment and by way of implementing low taxes and a favorable banking structure, is attempting to become a global commercial center. The Euro is the national currency and shopping is duty free.
Its mountainous terrain divided by valleys which comprise seven parishes. From Barcelona, you can get here by car--the road is quite nice--in under three hours. Drivers on this day must dodge literally hundreds of cyclists on the bendy two-lane roads leading from Spain to the border. To support my quest to visit more and more countries, B4 has tolerated this visit.
Men greet friends on the street with an embrace and pat on the shoulder. Women friends kiss each other on both cheeks (starting with the left). It is the only country in the world where Catalan is the official language but many people here speak Portuguese and French. English is not widely spoken outside the capital city. Andorra was one of only 14 nations in the world to remain neutral during World War II and was a highly trafficked smuggling route.
We arrived just after noon and our room at the Grand Hotel wasn't ready. We loitered in the lobby and soon were sent up to 601 where the view from the balcony shows what's here and what's coming soon.
Inquiring about a good place for dinner, we are given three fine choices nearby. The problem--for us--is that they don't open until 8:00pm. "We dine like Spain," we are told by the front desk manager. Certain that we won't last that long, we decide to go for a late lunch--they serve until 3:00. There were several nice restaurants nearby from which to choose but the day was so lovely we decided to grab a sidewalk table instead--at Cafeteria Aston. The Plato Combinado Butifarra (sausage) hit the spot. A quick look down Av Carlemany--the shopping street--revealed a lot of activity but B4's walking is limited for now so we retreated to the hotel to allow our jet lag to dissipate.
(For the uninitiated, the moniker B4 refers to "Big Business Beryl Beth" and is a name I gave her because she didn't like her first name used because it pops up too easily when googled and as a sitting CEO she didn't want our travels to be widely broadcast outside of our smallish circle which you, by virtue of reading this, are an official member) Got it?
There are no significant factories (other than cigarettes and cigars for some reason), no natural resources to speak of, no army, no defense department, virtually no crime, resulting in no lawyers and no prisons, no agriculture (remember it is in the Pyrenees mountains, no national currency and no stamps because the mail service is free and almost no taxes. Health care is free to all "working citizens" and their families. Everybody has fiber optic internet. It's 180 square miles of, well, nothing. Except for smokers. There are lots and lots of smokers but, even so, average life expectancy is very high at 83.5 years. Tourism drives the place. Hydro provides power. Basically, it doesn't make sense at all.
In the winter, you come here to ski. In the summer you come here to hike. Going to the spa is big year round. Duty free shopping is the other big thing. Since none of those things are important to me at this time of my life, Andorra is not a spot to which I would steer my friends who often ask, "Where is your favorite spot to visit?"
Live here? You can. IF: 1. you invest at least 350,000 euro in something, start a business with at least a 50,000 euro bond to the government, buy into a company with at least a 20% stake or, and you'll love this one, if you are a "world class athlete, scientist or personality." After having lived here for twenty years, you can apply for citizenship. My guess is, you won't.
