Nestled in the Pyrenees without an airport or railway, Andorra is the eighth of Europe’s smallest countries that I’ve visited. (Malta and Cyprus are in future plans) I took a bus from Barcelona that took just over 3 hours to the biggest “city” Andorra la Vella where I had booked a night at the Park Hotel for under $100. In the winter it is a ski destination and off-season there is great hiking and much to my dismay, a giant mall of thousands of stores offering tax-free or other discounted products.

My idea of shopping is to hit a few keys on Amazon.com, so Andorra is something of an enigma for me. I understand that close to 10 million visitors a year, mostly from Spain or France come here for bargains.

I enjoyed hiking both above the village and through it. And since it was my birthday I indulged in a very nice Rioja and some great bread with cheese!