Spain - Day 31: Encamp to Refugio de L'Illa

The lake to walk around

We decamped and had breakfast in the sun by the pool. It is - as they say - a hard life.

We spotted some other walkers having coffee inside and Ellie's only desire was to leave before them. We half made it.

We set off. walked for 4 minutes and stopped at the supermarket. We shopped and ice-creamed - a really hard life.





We walked up a short steep road and stopped again. Chatted to an English family who were out for a walk. They asked where we were going - to the Mediterranean we responded. They took a minute to process this and laughed.

Tunnel

Tunnel

'No really where are you going'. The Mediterranean we we said. Then we explained in more detail. They were, I would like to say impressed, but I think bewildered is the better word.

We climbed and eventually came to a car park and a little bit of a recreational area. Cafes,  and a lake to walk around or fish in.
We saw some big fish.



After the lake we take a turn away from the crowd but still in the park. Therefore, we have tunnels instead of long steep detours.

Out of the park the decent starts and we come across some strange signs

'e e'

The only flat in Andorra

Pull up a rock

Where exactly 'e e' is, or what exactly 'e e' is we are not sure. But we are and will remain intrigued.






We slowly walk out of the greener lusher stuff into the mountains again. The weather although dry is in turn beautiful and then threatening. But the main threat seems to be avoiding us.

So we don't complain. In fact we enjoy.

Getting mountainier

A thunder storm up here is nothing to joke about and can be dangerous in the extreme. We have looked up how to survive a thunder storm in the mountains.

The threat

We have discussed it with other people. I kid you not - this is the advice.

1. Seek the safety of a building.
2. If there is no building - get into your car.

After that its basically,

3. Be somewhere else.
4. Pray.

But ,generally it was nice.

The nice

 Our target was an unmanned refugio. We hoped that it would be slightly better than this emergency shelter shown below. The narrow door is to stop cows but not people. But it would have to be an emergency before you would sleep there.

Emergency Shelter

But with all due respect to the Spaniards the mountains are full of these shelters.

We finally got to our unmanned refugio. To discover a brand new refugio.

We were elated.

It was full.

We were heartbroken.

It didn't care.

Can we book dinner?

No!

Not the best refugio experience so far #refugiodelilla.

Unmanned bit

So we slept, as planned, in the unmanned refugio. A least the bit that had survived the new refugio being built on top.

We ate out bread and sausage on the terrace of the new refugio and drank their beer and Fanta Lemon (#Why?). We got chatting to an Italian couple - who we had seen (in the cafe that morning) but not spoken to at breakfast. My wife complained about the cold and he offered to give up his bed inside. A nice gesture - but he meant it. She said no. He asked if she was sure.

I said I would take it.

Life is good.