Spain Andorra Norway
Three more countries done
Published October 7, 2021
I ate a lot of Burger King in Madrid. And, some very sweet Spanish pastries.
I had some Tinder dates as usual, they went as Tinder dates usually go.
I went around the city and saw some sights.
I liked Madrid but didn’t especially love it, so after a few days I jumped on a high-speed train to Barcelona which I found to be more my kinda city.
It often felt like I was in a separate nation in Catalonia. I can’t see Spain holding onto this part of the world for much longer. I only saw a single Spanish flag.
Since I arrived in Spain I had been searching for the next country on the trip. Covid has made travel such a fucking annoyance in so many ways.
Portugal? Eastern Europe? Ireland? Turkey? Cyprus? Malta? The Baltic states?
Eventually I decided on Andorra and it was one the reasons I had come to Barcelona. To have that option there.
I boarded the coach not knowing what I was expecting from the principality, the sixth smallest country in Europe and the sixteenth smallest in the world.
As we left Catalonia and its constant flags and billboards screaming for independence behind and entered Andorra, I felt a shock of excitement run through my body.
Perhaps not love at first site but definitely intrigue and attraction.
This was a place to camp out for awhile when the
real pandemic arrives or when the aliens show up and start turning humans into liquid.
Everything looked clean and the smallest details of urban life full of purpose. I really liked it.
Rain met me when I left the bus. I made my way up the wet, winding streets to my hotel full of that feeling of having entered another new country for the first time.
I didn’t mind the rain. It had been awhile since I’d had a natural shower. I took my time and admired the raging river running through town and the imposing yet somehow cute mountains surrounding the valley.
Up in my room I swung open the window and was met by a glorious view of the dark green hills surrounding Andorra La Vella. Later that night as the sky turned black, a lightning storm lit up the world and I watched from the same window and laughed and danced and screamed with joy.
Let’s sound annoyingly pompous - The greatest tragedy is not being able to spend my entire life in every single one of my special places. I want to be in each forever and ever, but I can not. It’s a shame. A fucking shame. Shame. Andorra quickly became one of my special places.
I ended up extending my stay in Andorra and enjoying the peaceful capital for longer than expected. I hiked up a scree field, ate a lot of fast food and grocery store junk, took long walks around the town. Enjoyed myself.
I also turned thirty years old.
This trip had to continue though so I left Andorra behind and returned to Barcelona, stayed one night and then got to the airport to get my third country of the trip done.
Norway wasn’t the only option but it was the best of the ones in front of me. It was the least annoying choice. So I went to Norway.
I arrived on a flight that I can’t remember at all.
Usually weeks after a flight I can still remember some slices of interest. But here there are none. I honestly can’t remember a single thing about that flight. And I don’t know why.
For my first few hours in Norway I found Norwegians pretty unlikable. The immigration lot were little shits. Arrogant and horrid looking.
I jumped on a train to the city and watched as the cold, blue darkness of Norway flew by the window.
I needed something to save my initial feelings about Norway.
As I made my through the train station I found it.
7-Eleven! SEVEN FUCKING ELEVEN! S.E.V.E.N.F.U.C.K.I.N.G.E.L.E.V.E.N!
Weird.
I love 7-Eleven and have experienced it all over the world from Tokyo to Sydney to Vancouver and so many places in-between but I never expect to see them in Europe. My opinion of Norway shot up thirty percent and I began to like this weird, cold, dick-shaped country.
My room on the top floor of a seven story building had a nice balcony with a view of the city and was located just a three minute walk from the central station.
My time in the country was rather limited, this would be a quick three day stop, so I made it count. I wandered the streets for hours, spent a solid hour enjoying the Oslo Opera House and it’s climbable marble sloped roof. The royal palace was nice too. Understated and a peaceful spot.
Getting back to England was more Covid annoyance. I had to plow through the Covid bullshit, tests, forms, stress. Half of it is just for show, 40 percent for the fun of government twats and I guess
maybe 10 percent for the health and safety of the population. This crap needs to completely end soon.
Anyway. Three more countries done.