Andorra

Maximillian and Pearly were over the other day and we got to talking about vacations. Where should we go? Three handsome, eligible men (Pearly gets his nickname from the fact that he has ALL his teeth) out to conquer the world? Andorra sounds just right!
Andorra is similar to Darwin in Northern Australia in that it too is named after a character in Bewitched, which is puzzling since there are no televisions in Andorra.
Andorra is a tiny country across the ocean stuck between France and Russia. It would be considered a "buffer" nation separating those two powerhouses were it not for the fact that Andorra is only one mile wide and seven hundred feet long (or is it the other way around?). And yet, there are wonderful things in this tiny place!
For one thing, it is mountainous, with an elevation of six thousand feet above sea level.
Andorra also contains a beautiful central lake that is one hundred and seventy five feet BELOW sea level. Everyone is welcome to swim in the lake but it is by appointment only because of it's size. In fact, only three tourists a week are allowed to enter the country. There are no cars or roads in Andorra. Because of it's unique size and location - and vast hemp fields, everything and everyone moves around with a rope and pulley system that spans the entire country! From birthing babies to laying the dead to rest - it's all done with ropes! The advantage of having a tall central mountain is that all the people live up on the mountain and all the workplaces and schools are in the foothills, so on Monday morning you can see thousands of people rapelling down to work, some sipping coffee and reading the paper, women putting on makeup and kids making faces and hand gestures.
The Andorrians don't go back home until Thursday since it takes a lot of effort to get back up the mountain, so the town's are abuzz with activity during those four days.
There are a few restaurants that serve local fare like hemp burgers, hemp fries, hemp pizza and, of course, barnacle fritters! The barnacles are harvested from the central lake and because of it's high salt concentration, they are super yummy!
The Andorrians, like their namesake, are very much into witchcraft and all sorts of bedevilments. They have a formal academy for Witch training and my favorite pastime, Paranormal Investigation! The national sport is taught at this academy as well. It is a game called Yutzhang. A group of slow witted men (the feminists have begun to insist on female participation as well) chase eachother around a field trying to rope their opponent around the neck. Last one standing wins!
And speaking of paranormal, The mountain is rife with legends of vampires and werewolves and ghouls. Pearly got excited about all this until I spelled "ghoul" for him and told him it wasn't the opposite of "boy". I'm going to bring my flashlight and my Journal of the Paranormal. What's unique about the monsters of Andorra is that they too use the rope and pulley system to get around so if you see some ropes with garlic twisted around them, don't be surprised!
We're going to try and get there towards the end of the week when the towns begin to empty out. We'll be able to enjoy the sights without too many crowds.
What sights you ask?
There's the museum of rope art in the capital city along with the beautiful parliament buildings made entirely of rope. There's the daily public hangings and every Sunday is the national tug of war. Something for everyone!
I've got to go now; Maximillian brought over some hemp he found and we're going to see what it can be used for in preparation for our trip. Can't wait!

Keep on travellin'!

Blitz