It’s now day 18 of the Camino and I’m getting into some sort of routine. It may all be blown out of the water by a nice dose of gangrene but my days are starting to settle down.
Leave hotel before they start serving breakfast (big opportunity for the Spanish hospitality industry here – just get up an hour earlier)
Walk anywhere between 1 and 5 miles on the strength of some water and a bit of chocolate I didn’t eat last night.
Have breakfast at first clean-looking cafe – croissant, cafe con leche and freshly squeezed orange juice. And freshly squeezed as in you see the oranges being squeezed in front of you, not freshly squeezed as in “honest, we did use oranges at least a bit in the making of this product”. Plus of course neurofen.
Walk very gingerly in a limping sort of way until painkillers kick-in about 30 minutes later. Then pick up pace.
Stop and take off rucksack being paranoid that I’ve left something behind at the hotel. Check bag and realise I haven’t left anything behind.
Put rucksack back on.
Stop, take rucksack off to get sunglasses.
Put rucksack back on.
Stop, take rucksack off to put away fleece.
Put rucksack back on.
Stop, take rucksack off to get sun cream.
Put rucksack back on.
Walk past first bar in village that one is passing through at lunchtime because the first bar is always the worst one.
Realise first bar in village is only bar in village.
Get to next village and order lunch at first bar in village. Coca-Cola lite and a bocadiilo (sandwich). Bocadiilo is either queso (cheese), jamon (ham) or queso and jamon. Not finish lunch because bread is so dry.
Walk past really nice looking but empty second bar in village.
Walk a bit too far. Left leg tendons start cramping up.
Stop, take rucksack off and retrieve Ibprufen gel. Smear on leg. Panic a bit that I can’t actually get any further.
Get a bit further and arrive at hotel. Be either horrified or delighted by establishment but relieved to be in a bedroom.
Have shower.
Wash quick-dry shirt and hang up in vacated shower
Check feet for damage
Apply new bandages, Compeed, antibiotic cream etc as needed
Apply after sun gel to that bit of skin that sun cream missed
Dress and find bar.
Order largest possible beer.
Order another largest possible beer.
Evenings are then variable depending on location. Tonight at 7pm I’m going to Vespers held by a Benedictine Order. It’s not always that elevating!
Comments