A welcome sign on the road to Llivia, a landlock state of Spain inside France.
Separated from Spain by a mile-wide corridor, Llivias independence is more than physical.
Only Llivia was spared.
Llivia was an important Roman settlement and the ancient capital of Cerdanya up until the early Middle Ages.
They even took the ballots to France to have them counted, just in case.
Llivias residents have long maintained a strong sense of independence.
There are Catalan flags flying all over the town from the roofs of houses and business establishment.
Llivia also enjoys a symbiotic relation with its French neighbors.
The French are drawn to the Spanish exclave because of its wealth, and because things are cheaper there.
Aerial view of Llivia.
Photo:ANSELM PALLAS/Flickr
But there are also drawbacks of being a landlocked city in a foreign country.
One lasted 40 years long.
Llivia originally had two water sources, both of which were erratic.
But due to the bureaucracy of Madrid, the issue was delayed for 49 years.
Photo:ANSELM PALLAS/Flickr
The Esteve Pharmacy, Europes oldest pharmacy, now a museum, in Llivia.
