August 19, 2013

Before I forget, I want to thank all of my friends and family who are following this blog and making comments. Thanks also to the people I haven’t met in person but made contact through the Backpack Club (my name for fellow peregrinos).

My wife Kathryn arrived safely last night around 5 pm after making her connection to the train in Madrid. It was a good thing that she made it because the next train was sold out. I was already cleaned up by the time she got to the hotel so she didn’t have to see the grimy peregrino (yet).

Our hotel is the Meson El Cid and it features a drop-dead stunning view of the cathedral from our room’s window. I’d love to tell you how I managed to get such a choice room but it was just luck. We are directly across the entry plaza so our entire view is filled by the church’s facade.

After we got settled we went out for a stroll around the area. It stays light until after 9 pm so dinner starts late. We met my friend Nancy for dinner to celebrate our safe arrivals into Burgos. It was a pretty fancy place and I won’t say exactly how much it cost but it added up to five menus de peregrino.

Today was a day of rest. We slept in until 9 am or so and barely managed to make the breakfast that ended at 1030. After that, I decided to see if I could find a doctor to look at my legs. Since I bought a travel insurance policy and it wasn’t an emergency, it took me the rest of the morning to call the insurance company, coordinate with their European service provider and find a doctor nearby. Around 1 pm I walked a few short blocks to a local hospital and was greeted personally by the medico at the reception area. After a discussion of my symptoms, he decided to take some x-rays. Although the x-rays showed an interesting growth on my left heel (which has been there a long time), there was no indication of anything that would cause the pain I’ve been having.

When the doctor returned to the examination room, he gave me his opinion that I should rest for a week and not walk any more of the Camino. Some of you may see this as a horrible news, but I see it a bit differently. First, I’m not necessarily going to follow the doctor’s advice. My legs are definitely beat up because that’s what the Camino does. Second, taking a few days off is a great chance to celebrate our 30th anniversary in a little more style than a 5 euro a night municipal albergue.

So here’s the new camino plan: relax until the end of the week and see how my legs feel. If I’m doing better, we’ll continue for the days remaining. If not, we’ll have a relaxing vacation in a gorgeous country.