"On es parla el català ..." a Andorra la Vella Travel Page by mikey_e

I've been to Andorra several times - 1993, 1998 and 2000. I only have a few memories of the little protectorate that became a state in 1993, and not all of them are entirely pleasing. Duty-free shopping is a big business in Andorra, and it has greatly influenced development in the capital, Andorra la Vella. Many of the shops were filled with gawdy displaces of various goods, including firearms, liquor and cigarettes. Nevertheless, this is still the only country where Catalan is the national official language, and there are plenty of signs of Andorrans' pride in their heritage. Besides Catalanisme, of course, there is the spectacular beauty of the mountains and valleys, perhaps an even greater draw for tourists than the cheap booze and smokes that gives so much trouble to Spanish and French customs authorities. I will always remember stopping at a gas station in Andorra that was actual inside a cloud - that's right, around us swirled the moisture that forms what dreamers have interpreted for millenia.