Andorra: Scenic Views and Cigarettes
-
Photograph by Cesar Rangel/AFP/Getty Images.Cyclists ride through an Andorran mountain pass during the Tour of Catalonia.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.One of the country’s countless duty-free shops.
-
Photograph by Remy Gabalda/AFP/Getty Images.A Cigarette Bust at the Border Between Andorra and France
The small country’s reputation as a smuggler’s paradise goes back centuries.
-
Photograph by Ian Langsdon/AFP/Getty Images.French President (and Andorran Co-Prince) Nicolas Sarkozy Poses With Andorran Government Officials
France and Spain have ruled Andorra as a co-principality for more than 700 years. In 2009, Sarkozy threatened to give up his title if the little country didn’t reform its tax laws. He must’ve been satisfied with Andorra’s response, since he didn’t follow through.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.Andorra la Vella’s historic center, looking not particularly historic.
-
Photograph by Fernando Blanco via Flickr.Bank branches are an omnipresent sight in Andorra.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.Andorran public art.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.A Giant King in a Little Country
In the 1980s, Andorra adopted the tradition of its neighbors in Spain, building a quartet of papier-mâché giants. The oversize royalty, which can be carried from below, are a staple at festivals and parades.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.Cows out for a stroll in an Andorran village.
-
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.The view from a Pyrenean mountainside on a spring afternoon.