Where Mountains meet Magic. When you have to cook your own breakfast in the hotel

 

Today's breakfast deserves its own spotlight. As loyal readers know, the hotel offered us a free breakfast to make up for the less-than-glorious first night. At first glance, the buffet didn’t look like anything to brag about. But then we noticed the real treasures. First: a juice press where you could squeeze your very own glass of fresh orange juice. Forget cartons, this was hands-on citrus glory. Then there was a pot of hot water where you could cook your egg exactly the way you wanted - soft, medium, or “I could use this as a bouncy ball.” And to top it off, a little pan for warming up pancakes. It was almost à la carte… except you had to do all the work yourself. Still, we loved every minute of it.

Bags already packed, we walked to the train station to pick up our rental car. Everything went smoothly, and within half an hour we were out of the city, heading straight toward Andorra. Since the day promised a long drive, we didn’t plan any major detours. Just one stop at a supermarket where we stocked up on baguette, hummus, ham, cheese, and wine. A quick picnic later, and we were back on the road.

Google Maps led us through postcard-worthy French villages, each one cuter than the last, and by evening we found ourselves winding into the Pyrenees. Scott was clearly enjoying the mountain roads. I, on the other hand, was mostly busy not enjoying them.

About half an hour before sunset, we pulled up to our hotel. And what a location - right on the edge of a roaring river that sounded like a waterfall on steroids. Scott, in his usual charm, even managed to secure us a room with a river view. The room? Pure super-lux. Spacious, modern, a bathroom that looked like it belonged in an architecture magazine, and a bed really huge and fluffy.

Before calling it a night, we wandered into the city. Andorra la Vella, as it turns out, recognizes only two seasons: summer and Christmas. Since it wasn’t summer, the town had gone all-in on holiday cheer. Christmas trees and twinkling lights everywhere - it was like stepping straight into a snow-globe… just without the snow.