Friday, April 12, 2013

4/12 I am not a Jesuit.

I do not have to suffer. Blinding rain yesterday. Poncho was plastered to my face and body. When I got to Carrion, I poured water out of my shoes and wrung out my clothes. The dryer in the albergue did not work. Every step I took yesterday was agony. Plantar fasciitis, blisters, bloody blisters on my heel. Woke up this morning and everything was still wet. Bed bugs feasted on my fingers during the night. I am not a Jesuit, I do not have to suffer.

I am taking the bus to Leon today. From Leon, I hope to find another bus to Sarria. I will try to hobble the last 100 kilometers to Santiago before flying back home. Maybe my grandfather was a Jesuit and suffering is genetic. Too bad I sent those red boots home. I could have clicked my heels together while chanting "There's no place like home."

Auntie Em, Auntie Em, Auntie Em...











4/9 Burgos to Hontanas

Entered the Meseta today, big country, big wind. I estimate the head-wind to have been a steady 25 mph. I walked 32 K, 48,934 steps. My feet are aching. I sent my boots home yesterday. Only cost €30. Hope I can use them again some day, but definitely not on this trip. I bought a pair of Asics trainers thinking they would be easier on my feet. Wrong! New blisters on my heel. Plantar fasciitis continues to plague my left foot.

The positive for the day was it only rained for about one hour.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

More photos from Cathedral in Burgos













7 April - Another Day in Burgos

I've been in Burgos now for four days. My foot is looking better. Botond and Ildiko will arrive in Bugos tomorrow night. I hope to walk with them on Tuesday.

Today I went to the Cathedral de Santa Maria, a World Heritage Site. The cathedral was built in the 13th century. El Cid is buried in the cathedral. The cathedral is an extraordinary example of Gothic opulence. There is so much gold, silver, marble, and alabaster- it boggles the imagination. I found it astounding that a people could invest so much money in a church. I can see why Puritans objected to statues as idolatrous and referred to vestments as "popish pomp and rags." It's all a little over the top.

On the other hand, we wouldn't have such amazing art on display today if the Church hadn't doled out indulgences and positions in exchange for support in building the Cathedral.









Friday, April 5, 2013

Recuperating in Burgos

When I arrived in Logorno I took my shoe off and found that the blister between my third and fourth toe was bloody and my whole foot was swollen. During the night my foot was throbbing and I couldn't put any weight on it. The next morning my whole foot was red and I was shivering. I couldn't put my shoe on so I hobbled to a hospital in a flip flop. The emergency room at the first hospital I went to was closed. As I left the hospital I was in tears, I didn't know what to do. I was approached by two medical workers in lab coats, one had blue hair. They told me what hospital I had to go to and walked me to a bus stop. At the bus stop they found some people who were going to ride the bus to the hospital. They asked them to make sure I got to the emergency room. At the hospital I was seen by a doctor and he told me my foot was infected, as if I didn't know. He told me to get some antibiotics which I could do without a prescription and to rest my foot until Monday. The hospital did not charge me. I took the bus from Logorno to Burgos where I found a hotel. The heat in the hotel is only turned on at nine at night.

Today it is snowing in Burgos. All of my clothes are filthy. I found a laundromat but they wanted €15 to wash and dry my clothes. I walked back to the hotel and washed my clothes by hand in the shower. My room is now covered with wet clothes, if the heat was turned on in the room it would feel like a sauna. Instead it feels like a freezer on defrost.

I'm trying to decide what to do now. My friends from Hungary will arrive in Burgos on Monday night. I've looked at weather predictions for cities around Europe. It's raining most everywhere.

I have enjoyed walking with Ildiko and Botond. Actually I think the only good thing about walking the Camino is the relationships that develop with the people with whom you walk. Much of the Camino is on dirt paths parallel to major roads. It is hardly a pristine experience.