Andorra

We're just back from a week in Andorra. We managed to have a really incredible day of skiing / boarding but the highlight of the week, without question was the easy access to fabulous gluten free food options which just makes things simple. It makes me realise how hard it is in France. Aaargh. Anyway, here's a round up of the week:

Sunday

Got the car packed and we were on the road by 11am. Stopped in Foix for lunch. Fortunately I had a packed lunch while the boys got sandwiches / pizza from a boulangerie (experience of travelling in France means I always bring food when I'm on the road). Arrived in Andorra around 4pm and checked in - Cosmos Aparthotel. Just a room for the first four nights but it was really big and really modern. We were all happy. Went out for a walk to familiarise ourselves with the town. Had a couple of drinks whilst playing battleships then went for dinner in a huge meat / pizza place called 120. The service was really brilliant and already I felt such a difference in regards to their knowledge about gluten.

William was in a fowl mood most of the day so we pulled the pin reasonably early and got him home to bed.

Monday

A slow morning. I went to Carrefour and got some coffee which we made in the microwave in our room 😂 Went for a walk, stopping for provisions from the Carrefour. Headed to the big playground where we ate lunch in the sun and let William run wild. Walked all through the old town, visited a couple of shops, then went for a coffee and cake at 0% Gluten. I was in tears. It brings it home to me how restrictive my diet is, when I go to a cafe and can eat literally anything I want. We went to another playground on the way home which was even bigger than the “big” one we’d already been at! The Spanish are so good at kids play areas. Finally came home for a big late afternoon relaxer. Went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was actually really good and their gf knowledge was impressive.

 
Tuesday

Another slow start! Again, grabbed some food at Carrefour and walked into town. I went to the Tourist Information to find out about the spa and skiiing, and the boys got more food. We went to the play park closer to our hotel and William played for ages whilst I started doing research into the skiing options. We did a bit of shopping then headed back to the hotel where we all chilled out and I did more research into skiing. We gave William The DS. Don’t know if it’s a good idea?! Went out for dinner (apero at the Monkey Bar) and randomly stumbled on an Italian place called Don Felix that had the crossed grain logo on their menu! Smashed dinner and a bottle of wine. It was braw.

Wednesday

Got up around 9.30 and started getting organised for a day in the mountains. I went out and picked up some lunch for us all (went to 0% gluten for me!) then we got in the car and drove to La Massana then got the gondola up to Vallnord. Everything went smoothly and we even got William into the ski school for two hours in the afternoon. IT WAS A BRILLIANT DAY. Topped off with GF Burger King for dinner! The photos tell you all you need to know:

Thursday

Amazingly, my body wasn't in absolute pieces when I got up on Thursday. Of course, my back was a bit niggly, but nowhere near the pain I was in after our trip to Cauterets when I got up the morning after the day before full of aches and pains and feeling incredibly old. It goes to show how effective my rehab has been, and also, how much fitter I am in general. Well done me. 

Thursday was a bit of a funny day. We were pretty shattered from our previous days' activities and we needed to move rooms so it was a busy morning, followed by a far more relaxed afternoon once we'd checked (back) in to our new digs. We had actually wanted to go for a leisurely swim but that wasn't really on the cards as we didn't want to spend a fortune on the spa and the local pools seemed to just have lane swimming available. We settled for a play in the park, a relax in the new room, and a home cooked dinner with a load of wine and a game of chess. Choice. 

Friday

Friday was our last full day in Andorra, and we spent it doing much of the same. Picnics in the sun, playing in the park, relaxing at home in the afternoon and out for really great GF food for dinner. We even managed to run into some of the weird and wonderful "carnaval" activities that were going on in town that night. Dinner was at a pizza restaurant and it was one of the best GF pizzas I've ever had - a proper base - not just some lame frozen effort. 

Saturday

Time to go. We were up earlier than we'd gotten used to on this trip and checked out by 11am. I considered the idea of a Burger King lunch before leaving, and even some Duty Free shopping, but figured the best thing was just to get on the road. I'm glad we did. The ski fields were absolutely packed and even as we were leaving Andorra at lunch time, the roads were really busy so God know what the traffic would've been like later in the day as people finished up on the mountains and started their long journeys home to France for the schools going back. We stopped off for pizza leftovers (me) and sandwiches (the boys) and finally pulled into our courtyard just before 5pm. Not bad; not bad. 

All in all, Andorra was a brilliant place to visit. It was a lot bigger than I expected, and a lot more Spanish than either of thought it was going to be. The parks were awesome for William, and I am so delighted that we all managed to have a day on the snow. My back held out and I am so thankful to have been able to get back on a board. The food stole the show. The accessibility of gluten free menus, and the knowledge of the staff and easiness of the ordering process showed me just how far behind France is, particularly when you're eating out. With a four hour drive from here, it's unlikely we'll be heading back too soon but I'm so glad we made the effort to go, especially as it finally gives us a place to scratch off our travel map - the first in about five years. Yay! 

Other news

Whilst we were in Andorra, one story dominated the news: Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's been a strange and scary time, watching in disbelief as Putin said he wasn't going to invade, then waking up on Thursday morning to hear that he had. As I write this, not just the European countries, but the world seems to have really pulled together to support Ukraine, and Putin's plan doesn't seem to be coming together as he'd hoped: European and other nations are providing financial, military and refugee support to Ukraine; the Russian economy has crashed; various sporting organisations have condemned the invasion and pulled their teams, or competitions from competing against or in Russia; and BP have just announced their decision to withdraw from the their partnership with one of the Russian oil companies. All of these things are isolating Russia on the world stage, and they're isolating Putin too. But that is also scary. It was announced yesterday that Russia had upped its nuclear defence category to high alert. I'm not entirely sure I know what this means, but it doesn't seem like a positive thing. I cannot believe this is happening, and I'm frightened that Putin is so angry, and isolated, and desperate for power and attention that he'll stop at nothing to get it. We can only wait, and watch. 

Two years of a global pandemic and the first time we see some light at the end of the tunnel and manage to go on holiday, we end up on the brink of WWIII. You couldn't make it up. 

Lorna.