People have asked how traveling has changed us. The truth is that traveling has turned us to an unexpected life of crime.
Last week we spent a few days in Andorra on our way from Spain to France. This small country is best known for ski holidays and shopping. However, you may not be aware of its darker side. And, I am not referring to the insane amounts of low-tax cigarettes for sale.
Our misconduct began with the world’s worst dine-and-dash attempt. The scene of the crime was a trendy dog-friendly coffee shop. We ordered at the counter and sat down with Züri to enjoy our coffee and breakfast. We remained at the shop for quite a while, using the free Wifi and enjoying the laid back vibe. When we were ready to leave both of us, due to a number of factors too detailed and boring to include in this post, were under the impression that the other had paid the bill. Oh, and for those who are not aware, I recently broke my ankle and was on crutches.
So picture this: Two amateur criminals and one unaware dog fleeing at a ridiculously slow pace on crutches.
I am new at this delinquent lifestyle, but as I reflect I can already think of many things that I would have done differently. Our strength was our innocent appearance, which we perfected through years of rule-following. The dog was also a clever distraction. However, the poorly planned, crutch-dependent getaway was our clear downfall.
Sadly, we only made it to the sidewalk before an anxious barista ran after us. For a moment she appeared genuinely panicked, as though we might actually execute a successful getaway (apparently she had more faith in our abilities than we did).
In an effort to calm our nerves and lay low for a while, we took refuge in the well-known Caldea Spa. There were two areas to the spa, one for all ages and another area that is for adults and includes more luxury experiences. We purchased a discount ticket that (I thought) allowed access to both areas. After sipping the fruit infused refreshments in the adult area and relaxing in the Japanese-inspired pool with floating grapefruit we were approached by a woman who informed us that we were not permitted in that area and asked us to leave. We were finished, but the personal escort seemed a little extreme. For the second time in only a few hours we were caught unintentionally breaking the rules! But at the risk of shattering any images of our breaking and entering, we later confirmed that we did have access and were mistakenly provided with the wrong wrist band.
Our life of “crime” seems to have quieted since we left Andorra. But the ridiculousness of the day still makes me laugh. These are the moments that I wish I could share with friends and family back home … so here you go. I hope you find it as amusing as I did.
