Lerida to Andorra

Urgel Canal, fed by the River Segre, provides irrigation for Lerida area.

After Oliana  The reddish color of this hilly landscape is a special characteristic of the region. The road starts to climb as we enter the Organa Gorge, in the foothills of the Sierra del Cadi mountains. (They are the first big range of Pyrenees we see.) The cliffs are nearly 2,000 feet high.

Seo de Urgel  Population: 8,000. The name of the town is still the same as the episcopal see: Urgel, which was founded in 820. Since then, it has been a city of prince-archbishops.

The Bishop of Urgel is one of the two ceremonial co-rulers of Andorra (the other is the President of France*). The main activities are farming, dairies, and cheese (widely distributed in Spain). St. Mary's Cathedral is the major landmark: it shows the influence of the Lombards (people in northern Italy during the Middle Ages).

*Tradition goes back to 1278.

(COURIER: Now start your introduction to Andorra.)