That Time of Year

I can't believe that we are already at the last weekend of October! Here in the Possum Kingdom, that meant that this weekend was the Foire des Producteurs at Espezel! Last year we took Maggie with us, not realizing the size of the crowds, so this year we decided to leave the Diva at home and head out on our own.

One of the things I've learned about our area is that it is NOT an "early morning" kind of place for most folks. So, when heading out to big events that are likely to be crowded, we tend to go early to ensure a parking space.

The downside of that that is that sometimes not all the exhibits are completely set up, but still, it beats circling like a shark to find parking.

This morning, we did park easily, but there was already a good-sized crowd. We discovered that they changed the way that the booths were set up around town, and it was a bit more complicated to see everything. In fact, some of vendors were set out in a field, way, way out of the way. By the time we got to those, most of the crowd had dropped off. I felt really bad for them, because no one was even coming to look and two hours after the fair had opened, we were their first customers.

Still, we did our bit for the local economy and, as usual, spent more than we should have. It is all food that we will eat, but still more costly than our usual weekly budget. We scored some fantastic cheese, ham, pastries and beef from the Aude beef raisers co-op that we will have tonight for dinner.

The problem, as always with these events, is that there is so much choice that you soon fine yourself on overload and become almost incapable of making a decision on what you want, need or should buy. Everyone is offering you samples, but after you've already made your purchase, you find yourself wondering if it's not dishonest to taste something that you already know you aren't going get. So, I wind up feeling stressed and having my "guilt gene" kick in long before we are ready to go home.

However, with 20,000 visitors expected, I imagine that most of the food sellers are going to do very well this weekend.

One big disappointment. I had hoped to find someone selling fresh fries made of the specialty regional potatoes, and as far as we could tell, no one was doing that. Maybe that's one of the downsides of having gone early. But, my hips are probably grateful...

Ciao for now.

Randy

Edit

JM pointed out that I made an error when I said that the crossing into Andorra was at 3000 meters. The highest peaks of the Pyrenees are 3000 meters, but the crossing into Pas de la Cas is at about 1200 or 1300 meters. He was reading statistics off the map while I was driving and I got confused!

Sorry.

R

Hola; our Catalan adventure

Ever since we got here, we've been meaning to go to both Andorra and Spain, but we have just never found the time or opportunity.

Yesterday we decided to make the time, so we set off around 9:30 for the Andorran border. When you are about to cross from France into Andorra, you notice that you have suddenly gone above the tree-line. At that point in the Pyrenees, you are at about 3000 meters, which is less high than the Rockies in the U.S., but still pretty high up.

There is a border crossing, but we drove right across without being stopped as I don't think anyone is that interested by what you're taking into Andorra; all the action is for those who are leaving.

For my U.S. readers, you may wonder why this is; indeed, many of you may only have vaguely heard of Andorra, or not have heard of it at all.

Andorra is one of those "postage stamp" countries like Lichtenstein or Monaco. It is only about 45 or 50 km across and straddles the Pyrenees between Spain and France. There are 3 main reasons to go there for most people: skiing, banking and, the biggie for most folks around here-SHOPPING. Indeed, Andorra is basically a giant shopping mall in the mountains.

The interest is that despite its size, Andorra is a pretty rich country with no income tax, capital gains tax, gift or inheritance tax. There is sales tax on some things, but it is lower than in France or Spain. Thus, prices for many goods are also lower than in France or Spain. It's a particularly interesting place to go for people who drink or smoke, because both of those things are cheaper. My friends tell me that you can also get better prices on electronics and even things like sugar and butter.

We've always figured that the amount of gas we would spend (not to mention the time) would pretty much offset any gains, so we've never really gone out of our way. I have also heard that traffic returning from Andorra can be hideous and I just wasn't in the mood. And, that if you're not shopping or skiing, it's not all that interesting.

Still, we really wanted to check it out, so we headed for Pas de la Cas, which is the town just across the border from France. Hearing about it really doesn't prepare you for the amazing ugliness of the place. It is filled with 1960s era buildings and every square inch of the place is devoted to nothing but shopping. Even on a Tuesday morning in October with no snow, therefore no skiing, it was practically impossible to drive through town. There was not a parking space to be seen and my courage left me after about 15 minutes. For anyone who has been there, think Tijuana without the poverty.

Our plan was to push on to Andorre la Vella, the capital. We were unprepared for what we saw as we travelled the 30 kilometers between the two cities. The entire country, besides being a giant shopping mall, also appears to be a giant construction project! We felt as if we were running into cranes and earthmovers at every curve in the road. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like it before.

Finally we got to Andorra la Vella, which, while not quite as ugly as Pas de la Cas, was still pretty damned unattractive. We found a parking structure and got out to walk around. In fact, my goal in going there was to visit a pharmacy to see if a medication that I took for my fibromyalgia in the U.S. was available there or not. Indeed, the first big pharmacy that we went to confirmed that I could get it there. Now, a major benefit (different from going to Tijuana or Canada from the States), is that with a prescription from a French or Spanish doctor, one can legally buy drugs in Andorra as there is a treaty between the countries making licensed doctors in either France or Spain licensed in Andorra as well. So, I knew that once I got back to the Possum Kingdom I could go to my doctor, get a prescription, fax it to the pharmacy and get my prescription sent to me. All this, I might add, at a third the price of what the same medication costs in the U.S.

After that, we thought we would find a place for lunch. Unfortunately, Andorra is more on a Spanish schedule than a French one, so finding a restaurant that was serving food before 1 pm was a bit of a challenge. Luckily, around the corner from the pharmacy was a lovely little pastry shop that served food all day from breakfast onward. We had the "menu," which cost about 6.70€ per person. It was definitely Spanish/Catalan in style: ham and amazingly delicious Spanish melon, steak with potatoes sauteed in olive oil, a lovely flan, some of the best coffee I've had since moving here and a dish of water for Maggie! Quite a bargain to be sure.

As soon as we finished, we headed out for the Spanish border. You had to drive into a kind of giant underground bunker, where every car coming across was directed into a parking space while a customs official came over and asked you to pop your trunk. We had nothing in there (except the usual clutter) and he had me close it and was about to wave us through when he noticed Maggie in the backseat. We had her European Pet Passport, so I wasn't worried, but he didn't want to see any papers, just tapped on the window to say "hello." Unfortunately, the Diva's protective instincts kicked in and she started barking like she wanted to rip him to shreds!! Luckily, he thought that was pretty funny and just waved us on.

The countryside on the Spanish side of the border was lovely. The trees that high up in the mountains have all changed color and we saw some spectacular vistas. Sadly, the Spanish authorities do not seem to have been protective of the region as the French, and there are just rows after rows of condos ruining the view just about everywhere that you look. They were mostly built in stone and wood (lots of both around the area), but they are still not what you'd call "scenic." Although I know that some think the French are too difficult with building permits, I'd rather that they err on that side than go the way of the Spanish.

After about an hour of driving through Spain, we passed a sign that said "France 1 km" and after that kilometer, I guess we crossed the border, although it was impossible to tell! No customs, nothing on the road to indicate that we'd changed countries, except that the roadsigns were now all written in French rather than Spanish! When I talked to my doctor today, he told me that people in the region feel more as "one" country with this part of Spain than they do with French departments farther to the north, as everyone really considers themselves Catalan.

We continued to drive the twists and turns of the narrow roads of the Pyrenee, running into a detour 9 km outside of Axat that led us through a local "traffic" jam as a herd of cattle decided the road was theirs not ours! Also, Maggie thought she was in seventh heaven when "mobile bacon" in the form of a very cute little piglet crossed the road in front of us.

Still, at last we arrived back in our Possum Kingdom, with over 6 hours of driving under our belts. BUT, and this part got me, after driving through 3 countries in the space of less than half-a-day, we had put less than 200 miles on Beanie's odometer! The whole trip was less mileage than when I used to go to visit my mother in Hemet.

Imagine that.

Ciao for now.

Randy

Dogs

For all of you who have read this blog for a while, you know how I feel about dogs. The dogs in my life have all been important to me, and any decision that JM and I make about our lives takes Maggie into consideration as much as ourselves.

France is, in general, paradise for dogs. They eat well, they are allowed access to more places than American dogs, they have lots of countryside, etc.

But this is not true for all dogs in France, unfortunately. There are many, many people here who either abandon their pets when they are no long "convenient," or simply ignore them or worse.

As a pet lover this is hearbreaking. This time of year is particularly upsetting, as with hunting season there appear to be many more lost, escaped and abandoned dogs running around.

I have always tried to be a responsible pet owner. I keep Maggie on her leash or in the house, but always under my control. I do not allow her to wander. I carry "poop bags" and use them when she does her business. I do this because it is better for us, better for the community and better for her.

Alas, there are many dogs who are not kept under control. I adore our village dogs, Roxie, Arthur and Sam. I know they are good, gentle dogs who pose no danger to us or others. Unfortunately, because they wander around loose, they have had their fair share of scrapes. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Arthur had a brush with death because of his love of chasing cars. And, just on Friday, JM and I heard screeching brakes and a loud yelp of pain and fear. Sam and Roxie had been playing together when a car drove through the village far too quickly. Sam was lightly hit, luckilly avoiding any major damage, although he was terrorized and in a bit of shock for the rest of the day.

As a concerned pet-parent, I am also concerned about wandering dogs when it comes to the health and well-being of my own dog. There have been two incidents lately where we have been out walking and dogs that I don't know have approached Maggie, tails up and stiff in an agressive posture. Now, because she is basically submissive, I don't think she will be attacked. However, both of these dogs seemed to be drooling heavily and I worry about contagious illness. I was able to keep her away from one of them, I was not with the other this morning. Now I will need to watch her like a hawk to make sure she has not caught something, in spite of her vaccinations being up-to-date.

This disturbs me greatly as I take good care of Maggie and try to do my best for her. I know that some of my neighbors think I am odd for never allowing her to wander freely. However, I feel that if she does not have a safe, enclosed space, then she must stay on her lead. She is not a dog who is used to being off-lead in the country, and any momentary enjoyment she would get from that is trumped by the danger she could be in from running off to chase a squirrel.

Am I overly cautious? Perhaps. But I couldn't live with myself if my neglect caused her harm.

Ciao for now.

Randy