While the WiFi holds out, I’m going to catch up my pilgrimage to the point when I became disabled. As far as the bursitis or tendonitis or whatever-the-hell-I-have goes, I have restarted my Camino from Sarria…115 kms outside of Santiago. On crutches. Today, an E.M.S. worker was concerned that I might be developing tendonitis in my wrists. My thumbs don’t work properly, and I find myself envying monkeys. I can’t hold a pen to write in my journal. My signature is unrecognizable. HOWEVER, I am now only 52 kms outside of Santiago. Andrew is pushing hard so that I don’t give up. And I’m buying a shit-load of bandages for my hands, as they now serve as feet. More on these last few days into Santiago later.

Camino: Maneru to Estella
One day I will send the hospitalera of the albergue in Maneru a picture of me in Santiago de Compostela. When I twice left her albergue (I’d forgotten something and had to return), I twice took a wrong turn. She is definitely not convinced I’ll find my way to Santiago. But I also learned to leave places when there was enough daylight to see the yellow arrows.

The road to Estella was a rocky road…always a good thing when it’s ice cream. Not so freakin’ wonderful when it’s underfoot. If you’ve been reading any of these posts, you might see a pattern emerge: rocks, hills, boredom, rocks, hills, “why am I doing this?”, boredom…oops, where the hell am I?, rocks, hills…..You get it. So I’ll spare you the repetitive details. Some of the day was broken up with farmers showing off their produce. Old guys proudly pointing to their big tomatoes, or waving big cucumbers (or zucchini?) and wishing us a Buen Camino. I will never tire of hearing that phrase.

I photographed my shadow today. It’s been my constant silent companion, since St. Jean Pied de Port, but it does seem to be losing more weight than I am. Curse those delicious Pilgrim Meals!

Not too much happened on the road to Estella. I saw the usual lavender-coloured butterflies, then the usual nasty flies that seem to cluster around me in greater numbers as I get sweatier and smellier. I learned of three separate pilgrims who ended their pilgrimages because of sprains or tendonitis. I photographed some amazing graffiti, a “don’t let your dog pee here” sign, and a picture of Jesus advertising a WiFi zone in Lorca. Hey, it’s all in a day’s walk.

I was relieved to get one of the last beds in the Municipal albergue in Estella. That’s when the fun started. I love albergue life. Number 1 question? Do you snore? As I had scored another top bunk, something that stops being fun after childhood, a Polish peregrina gave me some special naturopathic cream to rub into my aching calf muscles, a Chinese peregina gave me drugs, and the Farmacia sold me some Compeed for my blisters and hot spots. That stuff is great and expensive. Not sure why we can’t get it at home.
I wasn’t interested in spending 11 Euros for the Pilgrim Menu, so a guy at the deli made me a good bocadillo (I would go on to dislike those things) and sold me a Coke. I ate outside under a metal ring that was attached to a VERY OLD building. Two ancient Spaniards explained that those rings were used to tether the burrows and horses “back in the day”.

Of course, I was unable to blog any of this at the time, as I believe most of the places I have stayed in are still tethering their asses to metal rings, and not working on their WiFi connections. I listened to Little Mary from Nigeria now living in Ireland preach about the merits of marriage, then I crawled up to my top bunk and fell asleep to the Camino sonata of snorers. And some farting. And coughing.

(Doesn’t look like I’m going to finish the next few days to Navarette, as it’s lights out here.

Ultreia.