Andorre.

September 21, 2011

From a nice warm sunny evening, I was awake early, freezing cold shivering in the sleeping bag.

The sky through the grove of pine trees behind me, was afire and then the sun just seemed too slow in rising, only lightening up and warming the mountain ridge opposite, while down the slope and across the valley remained in frosty shade.

I packed the tent wet and was packed up warmly with a balaclava underneath the helmet and wearing thick gloves as I pushed the bike away, out of the meadow, down the track to the road and began cycling. I gritted my teeth and they clattered as I was stiff with cold freewheeling downhill. I was glad when the road eventually bottomed out and began to climb the slope opposite, where life began returning too quickly to numb extremities causing nausea. Is pleasantly warmed up and feeling fine again though when the road had wound its way up to "Col du Chioula 1431m" at which, there was a car park, picnic tables and it would've made a great place to camp apart from one factor, the long long steep descend which followed down to spa resort Aix les Thermes, which just would've been too cold a start to the day.

The descend was indeed steep with hair-raising sharp bends and Aix les Thermes, yet another touristy place, which had to be got through. The man in the boulangerie had a certain kind of plastic friendliness, not genuine in anyway. I bough a small slice of pizza for later, a pain au raison and an apple filled pastry for now. I didn't bother with coffee from the cafe next door as I'd already spent seven Euros fifty.

Climbing away at ten o'clock, the sign leaving town had on it, Andorre 40km. An uplifting, leap of the heart, though just a place with a pretty name forty kilometres away, most of which would be uphill; though, it proved a gradual six per cent gradient most of the way.

I stopped just before noon, sweat running down my face, at a cluster of buildings which included an hotel, then a post office, bar and alimentos all in one shop where I bough a cool bottle of coke for an even cooler three Euros.

Early in the afternoon, I crossed into the territory of Andorre and rode into a big ski resort with square concrete hotels and supermercad...something. They speak Catalonian in Andorre and it was interesting to see it spelled as it looked somewhat like Spanish only with a different ending. Is able though to stock-up at the supermercado at a fraction of the price, buying an even bigger bottle of coke for a third of the price of the bottle I'd bough earlier.

I sat drinking a can of beer while looking up at the road zig-zag up the brown slope above the flat roofs of the hotels. The last part was steep but at lease it was a short way to the summit at, 2408m, where, I took a photo standing by the sign for posterity. Then it was time to give the brakes a really good test on the long steep descent down through many ski resort urban areas to the capital Andorre de Valle. And what did I make of Andorre? It's hard to say as I passed through so quickly. I avoided signs for Centro, instead following signs for Espania. And soon the road passed under a drive-thru hanger building where olive uniformed Guarda Civil were stopping cars but they waved me on into Spain.

The road drops down into a deep gorge to the left which would've been horribly cold first thing in the morning.

The hotel beside the shop where I bough coke.

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