Faithful and free for eleven centuries,
Faithful and free I want to be.

– The Great Charlemagne, national anthem of Andorra.

July 2026

Andorra, where? Many, especially non-Europeans, may not know where this tiny landlocked country lies. And why? Are you here for work? I am asked multiple times by travellers and locals alike. Sandwiched between France to the north and Spain to the south and sitting high in the Pyrenees mountain, Andorra is the highest capital city in Europe at over 1000m. Most visitors come here for hiking in the summer and/or skiing in the winter plus some duty-free shopping. I am here to close the loop, trying to visit all countries in Europe – and then the world – a project I started in November 2025 after an epic journey that took me from Syria to Somalia. My ikigai, a compelling reason to live fully. Nothing grandiose, just one country at a time.

From Toulouse, the direct bus takes under four hours to reach Andorra la Vella, the capital city. Using the Pont de Paris in the centre for orientation, one can venture in all directions through the old town to nice trails and get some sense of this little visited country within just a few hours. No longer classified as an official tax haven, Andorra remains one of the most tax-friendly country in Europe with personal income tax capped at 10% and no wealth and inheritance tax. Little wonder it draws a specific expat crowd with high net worth. Once isolated and poor due to the mountains, it is now a shopping haven and green destination with the biggest spa in Europe. Fun facts: there are more cars than people, and it has the highest tourist to resident ratio (8.5 million to 85,000!).

I start my DIY walking tour with the iconic sculpture of Dali, the Nobility of Time. At the height of a protracted heat wave in Europe with record temperatures, Dali’s clock looks literally melting like a camembert, requiring hardly any surrealist imagination. The way to Barri Antic old town takes me through casinos, shopping malls, and the 16th century Casa de la Vall, a former noble home, now the seat of the Andorran Parliament. One cannot miss the striking giant Seven Poets, a fiberglass public art installation by by renowned Catalan artist Jaume Plensa in 2014, representing the seven parishes that make up the microstate. Old Town, location of the original settlements, is filled with narrow streets that pass through the old church of St Esteve and many interesting art installations and murals. From there, several paths lead one to trails with valley views below.

The night is still young in this steamy July evening. I roam around the quiet capital city, illuminated and starlit, surrounded by the majestic Pyrenees, till my early morning bus takes me back to Toulouse to catch an onward bus to Marseille. Another time, I tell myself, I will venture into the enticing mountain trails. For now, the four countries remaining to be visited in Europe and two last ones in Central Asia beckon me: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Belarus, and Moldova; and then onwards to Kazakstan and Turkmenistan.

This is part of my P193 project with the goal to visit all countries in the world, beginning with Europe and Central Asia.

Mythical Marseille

Edenic Cote d’Azur

Liechtenstein: Small is Beautiful

Belarus: A Last Frontier

Moldova: A Journey in Time

Kazakstan

Uzbekistan

Turkmenistan

One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.
– Salvador Dali