After 20 minutes someone brought me to l'Hospitalet

It's surprising how the wait times lower so dramatically as soon as you cross the border. As per usual, Spain can prove a battle when hitching, but France feels ever so relaxed in comparison. After getting dropped in l'Hospitalet, I noted it was nearly lunchtime, and I hadn't had a French plat du jour in what feels like forever, so I set my sights on Ax Les Thermes. The spot I chose was the road entering a roundabout next to the train station. There is adequate room for a car to pull over thanks to a bus stop, all in all making for a nice place to wait! I had barely put my bag down at the spot when a van pulled over with a young man behind the wheel, and a lot of alcohol in the centre seat. As it turns out, he was related to a shop owner from my tiny home village! It's a small world after all. He was going further than Ax, but my heart was set on lunch, so I bid him goodbye at the turn-off, and walked my way into town.

This is a surprisingly nice spot for something before the border. An open road with ample space to pull into the roadside car park. Lots of French traffic too since a lot of people go to El Pas De La Casa to for cigarettes and alcohol, then turn round and go home. The bus here from Andorra la Vella is deceptively long, and surprisingly more expensive than the other routes; so in my case, getting here from La Massana was a proper headache. Andorra's public transport really is nothing to write home about! After a short walk and a talk with a very confused supermarket security guard, I was picked up by a mother and daughter from Ukraine, who took me to L'Hospitalet. Sadly, I never got their names…