Andorra

This little country, tucked away up in the mountains, between France and Spain has always been on my list of places to visit ever since I learnt about it in primary school. It had always fascinated me that such a small country could exist between two major powerhouses. Whilst the drive there added a few extra K's to the clock, the twisting roads and alpine sceanery made for an enjoyable journey. Arriving in its capital, Andorra la Vella, we quickly learnt why this place still thrives today. Boasting an annual thoroughfare of over 10 million tourists per year, this 468 square kilometer nation is a tax free shopping Disneyland. From Gucci bracelets to Billabong board shorts your bound to find something to your liking that won't have you bleeding euros. Luckily for us we're on a budget, so our luggage limit and euros were safe. But for those of you who are not so shopping inclined Andorra also vaunts some of Europes best ski fields and hiking routes. Unfortunately for us the nature of our 'summer vacation' prevented us from partaking in some of the winter sports and our short time frame from the latter. But as we have been finding ourselves saying of late, 'next time...'

- Ryan -