A Wonderful Time in the Mountains
February 27, 2021-March 27, 2021
Mountains in Ordino, Andorra
The month of March in the mountainous principality of Andorra was filled with endless views of the mountains, day trips with our British friends Clare, and many memories in our new apartment. Here are some of the things I saw and did!
Col d’Ordino / Mirador Roc del Quer
Looking out over the Parish of Canillo
‘Col d’Ordino’ is a road linking the parishes of Ordino and Canillo, and the valleys Valira du Nord and Valira d’Orient, respectively. This is a popular hiking and cycling route, in fact it was part of the Tour de France in 1993 and 1997, as well as part of the Tour de España seven times.
Mirador Roc de Quer
At the top of the Col d’Ordino is situated Mirador Roc de Quer which provides a splendid view of the parish of Canillo below.
After enjoying the gorgeous view, we enjoyed a lovely picnic in the mountains followed by afternoon tea with Clare. She let us borrow three books each from her extensive multilingual library, and gave us signed copies of the book to which she contributed, Andorra Festivals, Traditions, and Folklore. In mine she wrote, “Hope you have a wonderful time in our mountains.
And I certainly have!
Skiing in Ordino Arcalís
I had heard that Arcalis had the most beautiful mountain views but you really have to see it to believe it! I truly enjoyed skiing with the views, the fresh morning powder, and there weren’t a lot of people either.
Amanda also watched a ski race while I took an afternoon nap—fer la migdiada, as they say in Catalan—in the snow.
Andorra’s Almond Blossom and Hiking from El Serrat
What may appear to be cherry blossoms along the banks of the river in Andorra La Vella are actually almond trees! Springtime suits Andorra’s capital much better than the grey of winter. After a stroll in through the park to enjoy the new sight, we headed to the parish of Ordino. Similar to how I found the Cami de Font de l’Artic by seeing a sign from the bus, I found this on the way to skiing the previous week.
We took the local private bus, La Comunal, to El Serrat and found the trail. After some incline, we came across a beautiful plain with incredible views of the mountains. After walking along a stream, we came across another open area with a few vans who were also enjoying the lovely sights (and likely had been doing some ski mountaineering, where you hike up and ski down). It was crazy to be able to walk to where we could see the place where we were skiing a week before!
Back in Ordino for Constitution Day Concert
Did you know that Andorra didn’t have a constitution until 1993?
In celebration of democracy in Andorra we went to an orchestra at the National Auditorium, followed by delicious Calcots. Calcots (grilled green onions served with a tomato sauce) are a traditional food in Andorra.
Fulbrighters take Ordino!
View from National Auditorium
It doesn’t get much more Andorran than this!
