Ruta d’Engordany
Parish-a-Day Day 3: Escaldes-Engordany
On Monday, we visited the parish of Escaldes-Engordany. Escaldes-Engordany is the newest parish to be founded in Andorra, and the town of Escaldes is adjacent to Andorra-La-Vella.
The plan was to follow the Ruta d’Engordany, an itinerary that takes you past historical and cultural monuments in Escaldes-Engordany. However, after the first monument—Iglesia de Sant Jaume d’Engordany—it wasn’t clear online nor in person where to go.
So, we headed up the cami and came upon another romanesque church with a look out point of the city. We continued hiking up the trail through the terraced neighborhood of Escaldes.
During the walk, I saw quite clearly what I find so beautiful about Andorra-La-Vella and Escaldes: the constant juxtaposition between old and new, urban and rural, maintained and dilapidated. Look one way and you might see the shiny & luxurious Caldea thermal baths in the urban city center, yet right next to you are sheep, goats, and chickens in terraced gardens and pastures. Look the other way, you might see a stone house from the 1800s or a modern apartment complex. You never know what awaits around the corner.
Eventually, we came across some more monuments that purported to be part of the “Ruta d’Engordany” despite not being on the website. We came across an ancient “era” which is where farmers would store feed for their animals during the winter, as well as an ancient aqueduct, and a romanesque bridge.
Escaldes-Engordany
Just up the hill from the urban center of Andorra, you can find terraced gardens, goats, and chickens.
