It was like this: Imagine a straight highway streaming in front of you, surrounded on both sides by mountains. And then you see a sign saying that you have arrived in Andorra la Vella, and all you see is a bunch of buildings squeezed between the mountains. Of course, it wasn’t immersion in life and culture of this strange place, but I have often thought afterwards, what kind of experience it could be to live there.
Andorra is a landlocked microstate in Southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and an estimated population of 85,000 in 2012. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, at anelevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken.
Andorra is a prosperous country mainly because of its tourism industry, which services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually, and also because of its status as a tax heaven. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is the de facto currency. The people of Andorra have the 4th highest human life expectancy in the world — 82 years at birth.
This much said, we can move to photos to get some visual gist of the country.
How it looks.
A bit of street life
The smallest Parliament in the world.
Night on the road… Fog and all.
travelingaround50 