Did you know Andorra is its own country?
I didn’t. I thought it was this small little town up in the Pyrenees, wedged in between France and Spain. Something like Tiffindell in South Africa.
Man, I couldn’t be more wrong.
So here’s how it happened: After a wonderful week chilling out on a farmstay in France, we needed to get back to Barcelona for our flight home. We decided the most direct, and possibly scenic way, was to cross over the Pyrenees, and we would stay in Andorra for a couple of nights on the way.
Note on the farmstay in France: Everything that I thought it would be. Quiet, warm, friendly. Lots of space for the kids to run around, lots of good cheese and croissants to be had from the local supermarket. What I didn’t think about, what I didn’t expect, but should have expected, was the hectic attack of hay fever that almost put me down for the first two days. Duh. This always happens in high pollen environments, and I should have seen it coming.
But I didn’t, because I sometimes don’t try to overthink these things. And that has a material cost, not doing every single bit of research and not thinking through all the pros and cons. It means sometimes I need to contend with an itchy nose and a bad Wi-Fi connection.
So, when we proceeded to Andorra, I didn’t know much about it either. And, as we drove up into the mountains, confronted by increasingly impressive (and large) ski village after ski village, a few things dawned on me:
1. Andorra is not a town. It’s a collection of towns in the mountains, of which the biggest is Andorra la Vella – the CAPITAL of the country. The place is so much bigger and brighter than I ever imagined!
2. As a country, it is legit. It has the 24th highest per capita GDP in the world. Why, you ask? Well, tourism, silly. Their brilliant location (for skiing and mountain biking) sets them three hours from Toulouse, Barcelona, Girona, Perpignan and only slightly further to Bilbao. If you want to go skiing, this is where it’s at for the sizable and enabled populations of those metropolitan areas.
3. But wait there’s more! Initially, Caroline and I couldn’t work it out, then we realized the place was like a massive airport, without the high rentals. It’s a tax-free zone, which means cigarettes, booze and… ka-ching… perfume is all ridiculously cheap.
It was very cheap, and very expensive. A living dichotomy, if you will.
The morning before we departed, I rented an e-bike, and on the advice of the friendly bike shop owner, just took it up the hill behind our hotel. The hill, as it turns out, is a quite well known mountain in the Tour de France. So, there’s another unexpected bonus surprise for cycle lovers!
I could have been less surprised. Less delighted by all the little treats that Andorra presented because I was ready for them. But sometimes not doing all the homework is also ok, isn’t it?
I am careful to not abdicate control too much. My time, my schedule, my finances, my attention. I am deliberate, I plan well and frequently, I have boundaries under control. So, when I do let go, it can be a helluva lot of fun! The flip side is FOMO (there’s always an opportunity missed)… but hey, I can live with that price.
PG’s Pro Tip:
Plan the hell out of your life. It’s your time, it’s finite, and you need to have a handle on it, and make sure you align your actions and habits with your priorities. But leave some space for surprises, for play, for going off script. It’s worth it!
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