BARCELONA - LA TOUR DE CAROL

Day 53
Mirasol
La Tour de Carol, France

We were so excited to be going to France! Off to Nice! That was our plan...

Left hostel in Barcelona early, to go to Post Office to send stuff from Spain home (mum, should get there soon, just brochures and stuff sent to us!) and caught the train to La Tour de Carol, on our way to Nice. We didn't know how far we'd get but we were on our way.

We caught two metros to get to the train and hopped on, using eurail, then the train broke down, so we changed trains and landed at THE SPOT. To find there were no trains out to Perpignan which was on our way to Nice! So....we fumbled around for an hour wondering what to do because everything here was closed! It's off tourist season. Went to the tourist office, closed. Hotel next to the station, closed.

So off we trekked, adorned with backpacks and frontpacks! We saw a sign saying there was ONE hotel open and we were already prepared to use this an an emergency fund trip where we weren't going to worry about the price..what else would we do? We had already listened to three young American girls at the station using terms like, "What a sleeper town!" We used tin pot town as our description!

Another couple looked for the camping area, which we saw on our way to the hotel. We have sleeping bags, sheets, towels and cups and cutlery...BUT NO TENT! So that wasn't an option....especially not when you can see snow capped mountains and it was a bit frosty!

We saw signs leading UP to the hotel. No kidding.....70 odd stone steps up.....geepers. We're well and truly getting fit, cos we went up, no problem!

And....ohhhhhh the Mirasol Hotel was so quaint and the backdrop was just beautiful. And cheap. 38 Euro per night. We booked dinner and breakfast too!

And what a GORGEOUS two nights stay........the leaves were just forming on the trees, blossoms, snow and ice on the hills, white snow peaks on the Pyrenees Mountains that surrounded the Mirasol, friendly French couple running the hotel...(which was also a half pensione and pub as well). Ducks wondering on the roads, friendly cats, tulips and irisis on the local garden fronts, friendly local people saying, "Bonsieur".

And even tho it was a little frosty, when sheltered the weather was equisite. How lucky were we?

The food was yummy too..salads, spaghetti bolognaise and carbonara served french style...(with elegance)...and wine that really was not as good as the spanish we'd had! Bread sticks for breakfast!

It was a two day paradise.

We enquired about going to Andorra...which is a little independent country that Peta had recommended (Greg's step sister). She told us, via her mum, Margie, it had a wonderful spa..and who were we to not take up a suggestion to have a spa. Even though I was a little cautious, thinking it might be crowded.

So on day two of being at the Mirasol we decided to go to ANDORRA!!!!

But! How to get there?