Needing to be at our cave tour for 12pm we are woken up by our alarm at 7.30am as we still need to buy cheap alcohol from the supermarket we're staying at since it was closed by the time we got back last night. Whilst they have very cheap alcohol we notice that the food costs more than it did in Spain so we just get the minimal supplies until we can do another big shop in France. As Andorra isn't in the EU we're only actually allowed to export 3 litres between us but I've taken 7 and hiddened them in various cupboards around the van in case we get stopped at the border 😂. Luckily there's no limits on olive oil so we take the chance to get 4 litres of that since we've noticed it's really gotten expensive back in the UK.
The drive to France is beautiful through the pyrenees mountains and we opt for the scenic route rather than taking the tunnel. At least here there are two or three lanes so no chance of getting stuck for hours like we did in Montenegro last year.
On entering Andorra they weren't interested in seeing our passports but the French police were. At least I got away with my smuggled booze but then remembered I've got to also get it back into England unless I drink the excess between now and then! It's just 30 minutes past the border to get to the Niaux caves.
Al found these whilst looking at places between Andorra and Carcassonne which is tomorrow's destination. Inside the caves they have drawings that have been dated at 15000 years old! Liliya has to pretend to be 6 as its a 2hr tour which could be quiet hard for little legs and to be quiet enough whilst listening to the explanations but she did great. Robert was super excited as he is a real history buff.
The temperature down in the caves was so nice after the heat of the last week. Our guide told us the theories of why the chose the spot in the cave that they did and they think it was a spiritual calling. The area was in a natural dome and the acoustics were incredible, she said primative instruments were found at the entrance to many caves in the local areas.
Along with the cave paintings there were also examples of graffiti, the earliest being from 1652!
Following our cave tour we had a few hours left so decided to take another cave tour. For this one you travel in a metal boat along a series of underwater rivers. The caves are full of stalactites and stalagmites. They grow 1cm every 100 years so some of the largest are over 900,000 years old!
There are a couple of cave creatures, the Pyrenean spur-eared bat and a salamander-like amphibian, unfortunately they inhabit the parts of the cave that the tour doesn't pass through though. It's another hours drive until we find our stop for the night.
According to the by laws there's only supposed to be 8 vehicles here but there's still a bit of space as we're number 9. As it happens two smaller campers turn up after us and we move our moho to make space for them.
Part of camping like this is chatting with other travellers and making friends for a few hours. At our site in Spain a German couple saw us with our camp chairs around a picnic blanket as we forgot our table and they came and offered us their spare one.
The family we moved up for are a couple of dads from Austria but one is Czech and the other Slovakian. They are travelling with their daughter who's 3 and their son 11 months whilst they are on paternity leave. They are travelling for 6 months, what an adventure! Whilst they have gone for a walk Liliya has made the little girl a loom band bracelet and can't wait for her to return so she can give it to her.
