If you missed ‘Part One’ of our Catalonia Road Trip, head over to our previous post to get caught up!
Day 3 – the Mountains Are Calling
On the third day of our Catalonia Road Trip, we put Figueres in our rear view mirror. This morning, the sun is shinning and the weather is perfect for our drive west! We plan to spend our third night in Andorra, but will be making a stop over in Olot, the city of volcanoes. The drive to Olot takes about 40 minutes and is a quiet, scenic drive along N-260.
Fuel Facts: During our Catalonia Road Trip, fuel was priced at €1.22/L (~$5.18/gal USD) compared to the going rate of ~$2.65/gal USD in the US.
the city of volcanoes
Olot is located in the middle of La Garrotxa Natural Park, an old ‘volcano zone’ in Catalonia. The volcanoes are no longer active as they expired over 100,000 years ago. The area is now a chain of beautifully treed mountains, surrounding the town of Olot. The fall foliage, currently on display on this mountain range, makes for an even more beautiful viewing experience!
We get off the highway and pull into town, driving along very classic European street. In our efforts to do a bit of research as to the ‘best trail’ during our quick stop over, we come across a couple websites. One of them suggests Trail Marker #17 as the best starting point so we plan to begin our journey there.
We find a parking spot near a trail head indicated on the website and make our way to Trail Marker #17. There we pick up the orange trail, which leads us into the main square/downtown area.
Fun Travel Fact: one of our favourite parts about exploring Europe on foot is the pedestrian signs. Similar to signs you see along the highway, there are generally directional signs throughout historic towns guiding tourists to popular sights. These come in particular useful if you are more of the ‘wing it’ type tourist.
As we make our way back towards the city, we find ourselves in the city center where there is a daytime Christmas Market unfolding. Many small shacks are set up and selling nativity scene figurines. As we navigate the hustle and bustle of the square, we stumble onto a GIANT Caga Tio (see previous post for explanation). Clearly, they are preparing for some major festivities over the coming days.
Volcano Montascopa
We continue along, following the signs for Montascopa Volcano and soon find ourselves at the base of it. We climb the steps several stories to the top of the volcano where a church and retaurant sit. From here, we take in the sweeping views of the city below and make our way towards the crater. The really neat thing about this hilltop is that most of the paths are made up of lava rock! As we complete the loop around the crater, we take a minute to head down into it. How cool?
Around the brim of the crater there are a couple towers that you can climb to further elevate your perspective. The views here really are spectacular! We head back down the mountain only to find a large cemetery at the base of it. We make our way through and back into town, where we explore a farmer’s market and sample some Catalan fare. Next, we find our way back to the car to head towards Andorra.
A Long & Winding Road
From Olot, we calculated the drive to Andorra would take about 3 hours… Of course, we didn’t account for the fact that it was a bank holiday (ie. long weekend) and that everyone was heading to Andorra for some skiing. The drive ultimately took us over seven hours (GROSS!) Luckily the scenery along the way is awe inspiring.
The curious thing about crossing the border into Andorra was the lack of a true border. Other than the building housing the Spanish border patrol and a couple loosely manned police booths, entering into Andorra was a seemless process. We were a little bummed to find we wouldn’t be getting a passport stamp for our troubles. But at this point, we just want to arrive at the hotel and check in for the evening. Our 4pm check in was now an 8pm check in. 🙁
Being as we had initially planned for a much shorter drive, we arranged to stay at an ‘all inclusive’ hotel for the night. We chose the one night, all inclusive package at the Hotel Spa Princesa Parc, which includes:
- buffet dinner and breakfast
- unlimited billiards and bowling
- packed lunch on second day
- unlimited adult beverages from set menu (which is quite comprehensive)
- unlimited spa visits (2 hour max per session)
Unfortunately our late arrival added to our frustration with some of the services offered, but we made every effort to get our money’s worth given the shortened timeframe. Here’s a quick and dirty review:
Pros:
- Beautiful scenery
- Luxurious rooms
- All you can drink option (bartenders were great!)
- Saunas/spa
- Free WiFi
- Aquarium cocktail bar (unique and visually appealing)
Cons:
- “Hot” buffet food was barely warm
- Buffet staff seemed disorganized
- Very limited parking
- Front desk staff seemed unprepared for various components of our stay
- Spa closed at 9pm
Day 4 – Exploring Andorra
After a couple morning hours at the hotel spa, we pack up the car and head to Andorra La Vella. This is the country’s ‘big city’, which we originally planned to explore the night before, as they have a massive Christmas Market. Unfortunately we missed out due to the previous day’s commute. We find a parking spot in the lot next to the ‘Museo del Perfume’ and wander the streets. The town is very festively decorated and the shoppers are in full force. We spend about an hour exploring, walking along the river and taking in the many sculptures the town has to offer.
Andorra Facts: Andorra is a small country located between France and Spain, along the Pyrenees mountain range. It covers less than 500 sq km (200 sq mi) , making it the 16th smallest country in the world! Generally folks travel here for the skiing and duty free goods it offers. They speak Catalan and the currency is Euros (€).
Wikipedia
Back to Catalonia We Go
Once in the car, we make our way back into Spain. Thankfully the drive out is a lot smoother than the drive in. As we arrive at the border, there are two lanes. One is the ‘items to declare lane’ and the other is the ‘nothing to declare’ lane. As we have nothing to declare, we enter the latter lane and continue on our way to The Penedes region. The sun is setting and the reflection on the moutains is stunning.
About an hour into our drive, we find ourselves being pulled over by ‘civil guard’. They actually pull over a couple cars, so we take comfort in the fact that it seems like a standard procedure. Seemingly, Spaniards will travel to Andorra for it’s cheap, tax free shopping and return with goods (booze, tobacco) without claiming them at the border (recall the two lanes). And so they host these random contraband checks along the major routes out of the country. Being we didn’t purchase any tax free items, we are released without issue and continue our drive.
After another 1.5 hours of driving, we arrive in the Penedes region after dark but are excited for what deliciousness the next day has in store! We grab a quick bite in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia and call it a night. Check out ‘Part Three’ of our Catalonia Road Trip for a tour of Spain’s Cava region!
Have you ever heard of Andorra?
