the Horror of Andorra

Imagine if your entire country was one long traffic jam.

If that doesn't sound like fun, I don't recommend visiting Andorra.

I knew as soon as I entered this country that I wanted to leave ... but the queue of cars trying to escape back to Spain at the border was too long to bear, so I resigned myself to spending the night. I settled down to eat at a Tex-Mex restaurant where New Mexico plates decorated the walls, where disco versions of Manu Chao distracted me, where a plump lady with jingly jewelry brought me tacos that were stuffed with green beans and peas. (There is nothing like EuroMexican food to make you feel like something is missing in life.)

Claustrophobia was setting in...

Why, you may ask, might a charming principality like Andorra provoke such glumness?
I had always wanted to go to Andorra since I was a little girl learning my capital cities: the very name Andorra la Vella rang like a magical city of princesses and unicorns in my head...

The thing about this tiny country, nestled between France and Spain, is that it is an entire country squashed into what is basically a canyon (technically, there are 3 valleys, shaped like a Y). The valley is sometimes as wide as a kilometer, but sometimes only wide enough for a two-lane road between the rock walls.... hence, the incredible traffic.

Not only are there an abundance of cars, but there is an abundance of shops. It is said that Andorra is one big duty-free mall, and they have crammed commercial centers selling tax-free alcohol into the crevasses of the mountains. Andorra survives through this, and through banking: it is well-known as a tax haven.

Celebrating 50 years of the Private Bank of Andorra

But why on earth would its ~ 70,000 residents, living in this area the size of Queens, most of which is huge mountains, even need or want cars? I wondered. They should all just park their cars on the border and walk, or build a rail line, through the country. Perhaps I just caught the country on a bad day, but living in a traffic jam seems to put everyone here in a negative mood. For it could be quite a beautiful place, with the majestic mountains, if not for the cars...

I seriously wonder how long it will be before the automobile is generally recognized as humanity's worst mistake. I am thinking perhaps 20 years; what do you think?