| Show X V 7 1 0 1 M ka 0 W X A t AA V 2 M I 1 Z L STREET SCENE IH ANDORRA LA HEN the president of andorra sent a message to W WHEN president wilson many an american was compelled to hunt up on the map the location of the tiny republic in the pyrenees Pyre nees who has ever been in andorra asked the chicago evening post and in reply marion H drake wrote in the summer of 1913 1 I tried to reach this quaint ancient and hidden republic from the spanish side but could gain no assurance from any tourist office in madrid that it was accessible so I 1 went the long longway way around via barcelona perpignan carcas sonne toulouse foix and axles ax les thermos in prance here I 1 was warned that the trip was dangerous that there were smugglers and brigi ands and terrible ter rim mountain in oun etain storms and that a woman who took this trip might not return alive this only whetted my travelers spirit and I 1 bought a pair of hemp soled shoes packed a 96 knapsack strapped a camera over my shoulder and went by post chaise to where I 1 engaged as aa guide an andorran boy handsome respectful and neatly dressed in brown corduroy who was working at the dirty little inn hired embroidered sheets and pillow slips the people were nvere kindly interested in the news of tile the outside world courteous some quiet and some loquacious 1 I was now in the valley of tho valira river which hows flows south into spain and over the rocky road from canillo and encamp I 1 passed churches church CB built of the brownish gray stones of the country with catalan boll towers at andorra la violin the capital they wore were celebrating their day of liberty and their flags of yellow blue bine and red the blended colors of spain the spiritual and france the temporal mother were flying in summer sunshine I 1 walked into lna lae escaladas Es caldas late in the afternoon passing bubbling sulphur springs and wan greeted hospi bably tably by pla pin the cultured proprietor or a first olasa class hostelry my afy little guide loft left me to return to the dirty muddy town of I 1 bade him farewell in french and he replied in catalan the andorran tongue at las caldas escaladas Es hotel I 1 found many tat fat spanish priests gay and lolly jolly who had come for the sulphur baths as well as numerous lans up in the cool pyrenees Pyre nees for their holiday I 1 andorra hrs hr s six counties about a 0 Z A milr zi w pa A 4 WE R mil caba orla VALL a mountain borso borao and with suppressed excitement started arted fit out over tho the rocky pathway back of tho the rude little church of this far south town ot of arance k 1 I walked and rodo rode over loose stones on narrow and fearsome ledges at times above and otton often bolow below cascades over bard sharp cutting slippery slate past quaint stone staines with iron crosses tiny terraced fields of vegetables and co perpendicular amid the wonderful stillness of the lofty pyre no nees and tho the nolay noisy rushing torrents I 1 waded through trickling liling cool brooks where elvora were born bom and stopped the first drat night at soldeu where I 1 found good food white tablecloth and napkins and slept in a room with a sough fough stone floor on an abood bed with dozen towns and some five thousand inhabitants the capital andorra la in viella has a population of an and d contains contain the casa de la vall vail or house of re preson presen ta natives tives this is a large sixteenth cen tury building at the extremity of the town overlooking the valley toward spain it Is parliament house town hall school palace of justice and he hotel for the councilors councillors counci lors all in one it to is also alpo used as aa a temporary frison in i the rare cases when n a prison Is necessary crime in andorra Is practically unknown the only epli dorrans An suffering imprisonment are the smug alers of tobacco caught by the french or spanish customs off officers leers and these are not looked upon as malefactors by their fellow citizens smuggling to li regarded as a legitimate trade |
