Onward Southward

From Carcassone we headed south to the tiny country of Andorra where they have virtually no taxes, to do some duty free shopping. Andorra is great for skiing in the winter but in the summer their tourist trade relies on hikers and shoppers. We did get some very cheap wine and a bottle of ‘Crema Catalana’ but really the best thing about the stop here was the incredible views. Driving through the south of France was just wonderful – there are fields and fields of sunflowers and wheat, old farmhouses and cottages. It was just so picturesque, and just when it seemed the landscape couldn’t get any prettier we headed up into the magnificent Pyrenees mountains. I thought I might burst into The Sound of Music!


From Andorra we made our way to Barcelona. We did a bus tour to see a few of the sights and get our bearings around the city, and had a walk around the immense cathedral 'Sagrada Familia', the life’s work of Antonio Gaudi which is still under construction after 100 years. Gaudi once said “My client is in no hurry”.


After a stop off to admire the great views from Montjuic we checked into our lovely hotel at Lacuna. It wasn’t in the nicest area but it was more luxurious than the other places we had stayed – brand new and ultra modern. We could see the sea from our window too. That night a Catalan meal was provided which included rich sausage and the most garlicky white beans ever. They were particularly yummy. We went to a fabulous flamenco show and drank sangria while we watched the dancing and singing, then moved on to the small clubs down at Barcelonetta and Port Olympia.