Everything You Know About Andorra

Why don’t you start by sharing everything that you know about Andorra?

It’s okay. We can wait…

Presumably, you started with the easy stuff; it’s a micro-state with fewer than 100k residents sandwiched between France and Spain. Maybe you hit on the idea that it is the world’s only Co-Principality, the role of Head of State being shared between… come on, I’m sure you know this stuff. The two Princes of Andorra are—logically—the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell, a Catholic diocese in Spain. And I’m sure you’ve given some thought to the vagaries of history that have created Andorra, a land that has two Princes, neither of which is Andorran nor lives in Andorra.

Now that we have covered the basics. Let’s talk Andorran food. When we asked our hostess, she explained that Andorran food was Italian, French, etc… which is kind of like a type of cuisine. But feels a bit more like Andorra is just another country being taken over by Italian pizzerias and French cafes. Don’t get me wrong; we love pizza and coffee as much as everyone else. But as you wander country to country looking for uniqueness, it can be disappointing to keep finding the same thing everywhere. The kind of disappointment which can only be assuaged by… eating pizza!

Anyway, where were we? Of yes, in the Pyrenees Mountains. So since Andorra isn’t known for its food, what is it known for? The two greatest things in the world… shopping! Both in the self-indulgent and duty-free varieties!

We don’t really think that self-indulgent and duty-free shopping are the best things in the world, but we thought it would be funnier if we said that we did.

Crossing from Spain into Andorra was as uneventful as any EU-era border crossing. But, shortly after crossing that magical geo-political line, we were assaulted by gas stations and ads for cigarettes. We don’t smoke, but you almost can’t afford not to at these prices! Apparently, many people from Spain and France pop over to fill up on petrol and cancer sticks and then head back to their real countries. As we left the country—which we did as soon as was reasonably possible—our bus underwent the only customs search we had seen in five months and thirteen border crossings… just to make sure no one had exceeded the allowable limit of cigarettes and booze.

But that barely scratched the surface of the shopping that Andorra has to offer. For the initiated—and those who aren’t initiated but just pick a weekend at random to come to visit—Andorra offers, what might be the only in the world, something that can easily be believed with or without seeing it, something that you might just give a pass to, if you are ever offered a chance… a Shopping Festival!

You start to ask, “What is a shopping festival?” But then you stop because you know what the answer is. It is a bunch of flashing lights encouraging people to buy stuff they don’t need. In fact, the night we wandered in, there were three live bands! And my favorite accouterment… Andorra Shopping Festival selfie booths, so you could easily record and share that you went to a shopping festival.

And there you have it. Andorra. Nestled in the crown of the Pyrenees mountains offering a bunch of stuff for sale. Some of it is really cheap, some is really expensive, but it’s all for sale!