The alarm sounded at 7.00. I had a good night – not counting that I had to get up two times as a side effect of the beer quantity I consumed – though it was pretty cold.
As I left the campsite I rode through perfect roads running between tall tree lines. Then I headed north-east on the motorway where I had to stop and put on another layer as the weather got a lot colder (13-15 degrees). I did not particularly appreciate the route this morning. Boring motorways and the distance didn’t seem to diminish.
After Zaragoza it’s been a bit better. I joined a group of bikers who headed for Barcelona and rode with them for a while. They were seemingly in a hurry as they pushed a tempo of 140-150 km/h (limit on the motorways in Spain is 110 km/h since March). As I turned North and left the highway behind the roads got a lot better and it was fun to ride again.
I was heading towards the mountains and Andorra. The closer I got the more bikers I met – for the first time since leaving Italy. I soon found out the reason. While refuelling I started to chat with a couple of guys who told me they’d go shopping there as motorbike apparel and spares are very cheap – Andorra being a duty free zone. In addition the roads are good and there are plenty of bends on the mountains to enjoy.
They were right. In fact everything is much cheaper in Andorra. Fuel is only 1.21 EUR while alcohol and cigarettes are also worth purchasing. Lucky I didn’t have any space in my panniers 🙂
Once in Andorra I first stopped to purchase the usual stickers for my collection and had a coffee. I then started to look for accommodation as I decided I’ll stay here for the night. I found a nice hotel that had an underground parking and took a small room for 35 EUR including breakfast. I enjoyed a warm shower and changed into something more casual before heading into town for a little exploration.
I had dinner in a sandwich bar and then sat with a couple of beers to write today’s diary and enjoying the wonderful view provided by mountains from all sides.
The strange thing was that there is no smoking ban in this small country and I noticed that outdoor tobacco advertising is also allowed.
After dinner I headed back to the hotel where I used the free WI-FI to Skype with my kids.
Tomorrow I’ll head for Bordeaux to visit my brother so I went to bed pretty early to have some rest.