Three Countries, One Day, and a Few Geocaches

April 4, 2023 · Spain, France, and Andorra

The snowy Pyrenees on our way from France to Andorra.Photo: Steven Pierson

We had breakfast in Spain, lunch in France, and found ourselves looking up at a melting clock in Andorra. Somewhere in there, the three of us stopped long enough to put our feet in a hot spring.

bapierson, LEGOexplorer, and I were staying in Barcelona on our Spain vacation. We took a day tour that would get us into three countries and back to Barcelona. I was hoping to fit in a few geocaches along the way.

Breakfast in Bagà

Our first stop was Bagà, a Catalan town with a medieval center and narrow stone lanes. We had breakfast there and found Històric Palau dels Barons de Pinós (GC4VCQ4). The palace and the old streets were a good excuse to slow down before the rest of the day got moving.

A morning stop in the old center of Bagà.Photo: Steven Pierson

Lunch and a hot spring in France

In Ax-les-Thermes, we had lunch, looked around the market, and dipped our feet in a hot spring. That was one of my favorite parts of the day. Roches et Eaux à Ax-Les-Thermes (GCA04T6) gave us a closer look at the thermal water and Étude Migmatitique à Ax Les Thermes (GCA051E) pointed out the local rock. My log for the second one also mentions the market. I was paying attention to the geology. I was also paying attention to the market.

The thermal footbath in Ax-les-Thermes.Photo: Steven Pierson

Our first French smiley was Le parc du Teich (GC2E4JJ). All three of us marked it as our first find in France. bapierson called it a beautiful park in her log, which is a pretty good reason to get out and stretch your legs on a day like this.

At the Parc du Teich in Ax-les-Thermes.Photo: Steven Pierson

A melting clock in Andorra

We crossed the Pyrenees and reached Andorra la Vella. Our first find in Andorra, Art in Andorra (GC892WP), took us to Salvador Dalí’s La noblesse du temps. The clock droops over a tree in the middle of town. I loved the sculpture, and both bapierson and LEGOexplorer logged it as their first Andorran find, too.

The three of us with Dalí’s melting clock in Andorra la Vella.Photo: Steven Pierson

Another Virtual, La Casa de la Vall (GC9P8QP), brought us to Andorra’s former parliament building. We also found Part Alta d’Escaldes 5 (Església Sant Andreu) (GC5FXAA). Then we headed back to Barcelona. My logs show eight finds across the three countries.

Three countries in one day made for a good line when we got back. The parts I keep thinking about are a little smaller. Breakfast in Bagà, our feet in the hot water, and the three of us in front of a clock that looked as if it had given up trying to keep time.

---

Field Notes

• Date: April 4, 2023.
• Route: Barcelona → Bagà → Ax-les-Thermes → Andorra la Vella and Escaldes → Barcelona.
• Companions: bapierson and LEGOexplorer.
• Eight cache finds: two in Spain, three in France, and three in Andorra.