Autumn, #100 (Hiker on the hill), Andorra, 2019
A Principality in the Pyrenees
A tiny little country sandwiched between Spain and France on the Iberian peninsula… a mountainous place, tucked away in and around the steep mounts and vales of the Pyrenees Mountains.
You could fit almost seven Andorras inside the State of Rhode Island. Fewer than 80,000 citizens. So, yeah, it’s small.
But…
It is also quite beautiful. That is, if you move away from that heavily-trafficked central corridor filled with retail outlets, condos, and hotels–structures from the gaudy, to the petite, to the grand.
Yes, move up into the side valleys and onto the mountain peaks and ridges to see a more pristine Andorra. Take a walk!
The Russians and Brits love to go there to ski. In summer, there’s hiking, climbing, via ferrata, cycling, kayaking, opera, and more.
Andorra in Autumn
What follows is a collection of autumn images–with a small dose of “winter-to-come” near the end–made on a recent trip (Oct 31 – Nov 4) to the famous Mach Cabin at Els Plans de Ransol. The leaves were definitely at their peak.
Progressively closer views of the cabin, located a distance above the valley floor. It’s the middle structure of the three with red shutters:
Autumn, #51, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #13, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #15, Andorra, 2019
The following are what you might call “intimate landscapes” or, perhaps, still lifes (with Woodpecker?). Peak color, for sure, in Andorra:
Autumn, #26, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #57, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #58, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #59, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #60, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #64, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #92, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #67, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #74, Andorra, 2019
Yes, we definitely need to throw in the requisite delicate fall flower:
Autumn, #62, Andorra, 2019
Now lets move on to some wider landscapes:
Autumn, #23, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #54, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #89, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #113, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #143, Andorra, 2019
Evening glow above the ski area across the valley… the clouds portend a change in weather:
Autumn, #2, Andorra, 2019
Sure enough. The next day, the clouds descended to bring a cold rain and the first light snow of the winter season. The snow at the lower elevations melted almost immediately, but on the peaks, it was likely the first layer of a winter mantle:
Autumn, #108, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #116, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #120, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #123, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #124, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #135, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #136, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #141, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #147, Andorra, 2019
Of course, who can resist a bit of abstract play after so many cliché-scapes. The shameful backstory: These are a result of inadvertantly hitting the shutter release as I hiked along the trail, camera swinging by my side. Does it matter HOW a photograph is made? Maybe, maybe not (we would need to consult Susan Sontag, perhaps?). I’d love to see these as giant six by nine-foot prints in a five-star New York hotel lobby–why not?
Autumn, #32, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #33, Andorra, 2019
Autumn, #34, Andorra, 2019
Finally, a bit of friendly human activity in the forest… found walking through the woods above the Mach Cabin:
Autumn, #29, Andorra, 2019
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