Andorra: Our 100th Country — When the Small Becomes Unforgettable

Andorra appeared before us like a secret kept among the mountains—a small country tucked between France and Spain. We were already nearby, so naturally we had to see it for ourselves.

We arrived by road with the cold tapping against the windows and both of us smiling because we knew what this moment meant: Andorra was our 100th country.

I kept repeating the number silently: One hundred.

It sounds simple when written on a page. But when we looked back at the roads we had travelled, the challenges we had survived, the people we had met, and the ways God had carried us, the number became a prayer of gratitude:

“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” — 1 Samuel 7:12

This was not simply another mark on a map. It was a testimony.

A Country That Invites You to Slow Down

Hand in hand, we walked through Andorra la Vella at an easy pace. Stone buildings, dark roofs, old bridges, and glowing fireplaces made the city feel both ancient and welcoming. The river ran beside us, and the streets were so clean they seemed to say, “Take all the pictures you like; I was made for this.”

We checked into a warm hotel filled with wood, the aroma of coffee, and the kind of mountain silence that feels like a blanket. We left our bags and went straight outside again because the city kept calling us.

Andorra has another reputation that arrives before you do: duty-free shopping. Some call it a tax-free destination. I called it an organized test of self-control.

The bottles in the shops looked like trophies. They were not merely large; some looked as though they had been designed to decorate an entire fireplace. I found myself admiring the glass and the labels more than what was inside.

We laughed, but there is a serious lesson here. If alcohol is a struggle for you, places like this require wisdom. A shop window can speak directly to a weakness. I remembered a verse that has travelled with us:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

Alcohol has never been my weakness—but when I saw the chocolates, I had to practise the lesson of the day!

Stone, Snow, Light, and Celebration

We continued upward toward Ordino and La Massana, villages of stone that seemed to have been drawn with graphite and snow. The light fell perfectly across the buildings, and our internal clocks began to slow down.

In Soldeu and on the slopes of Grandvalira, the snow sparkled like sugar. We had not come to break skiing records. We had come to celebrate.

Outside in the snow, we raised a simple toast:

“To our 100th country. To what God has already done. To what is still to come.”

Our breath rose in the cold. Our hands warmed in an embrace. Our hearts were full.

And, of course, there were photographs. For me, a photograph is a diary entry that preserves the visual details of a majestic moment without making me stop everything to find a pen. The writing can come later, at home.

We walked back through the capital slowly, stopping at sculptures, cheese-filled windows, and bakeries fragrant with fresh bread. I loved how Andorra encouraged short steps. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry.

At night, we saw Caldea’s thermal baths glowing blue beneath the dark sky. We agreed that on another visit we would go inside and let the warm water speak to tired muscles. This time, we allowed the wish list to grow. It is good to leave yourself a reason to return.

The Joy of Enough

The following morning, snow traced the mountains like the cover of a book. After coffee and a croissant, we went walking again.

Escaldes gave us bright shop windows. Andorra la Vella gave us new angles of the river. I love photographing doors, and there were enough beautiful stone entrances to fill an entire catalogue.

We sat on a bench simply to listen to the place and gave thanks:

“Lord, thank You for teaching us the simple joy of enough.”

The enormous bottles became an inside joke. “That one needs a crane,” we said, laughing.

I preferred collecting labels with my eyes and stories with my soul.

That may be Andorra’s greatest gift. It does not need to send you home carrying more weight. It can send you home carrying more lightness. The country is small, but the experience is generous: stone, snow, light, silence, and the two of us walking together as though we were learning to walk again—more slowly, more closely, and more gratefully.

Our Piece of Paradise Number 100

As we left, I looked back with gratitude and said, “Piece of Paradise number 100.”

It was not about buying more. It was about celebrating more deeply. It was not about filling a suitcase. It was about filling the heart.

I have kept Andorra in my memory as one keeps a ring: simple, beautiful, and full of meaning. I am writing the story now so that, when memory begins to hurry, I will remember.

Here we celebrated one hundred countries with faith, self-control, love, and the good cold against our faces. Here we were reminded that God gives us strength to say yes to what builds us up and no to what holds us captive. In that balance, joy blossoms.

If you ask me why Andorra is worth visiting, I will answer without a list or a map: because what is small becomes sufficient and unforgettable in God’s hands.

Some places seem made for photographing love as it walks—the love between us, God’s love for us, and the ancient love the mountains teach: remain, warm, and protect.

We left lighter, hand in hand, certain that the countries ahead would also be beautiful—but that our 100th country would always hold a special place in our story.

What Andorra Taught Us About MIND, BODY, and MISSION

At Pieces of Paradise, we believe the second half of life is not a time to withdraw from purpose. It is a time to recognise what God has placed within us and use it to encourage others.

Andorra brought all three parts of that calling together:

• MIND: We practised wisdom, gratitude, curiosity, and self-control. We allowed a new place to teach us rather than rushing through it.

• BODY: We walked, rested, breathed cold mountain air, and remembered that caring for the body gives us strength for the journey and for service.

• MISSION: We turned a private milestone into a testimony. A story becomes a Piece of Paradise when it is shared in a way that gives someone else courage, faith, or hope.

You do not need to visit 100 countries to have a story worth sharing. Your Piece of Paradise may be a lesson learned through hardship, a gift developed over decades, a testimony of God’s faithfulness, or wisdom that a younger person needs today.

Do not retire from your God-given purpose—re-fire it.

Meet one. Make one. Multiply Paradise.

MIND • BODY • MISSION

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