Camino Day 18 August 9 Najera to Santa Domingo de Calzada 13 miles total to date 149

Well I covered 13 miles of the Camino today, but it took me 16 or 17 miles to do it. I, and a lot of other people, got lost and I walked way off in the hills before I finally admitted I was going the wrong way. I had to walk all the way back the way I came to try to figure out where I lost the trail. I did that and walked up and down the road way for a while. At one point a local on a bike went by and I asked him where the Camino was and he waved his hand to indicate it was down the road a kilometer. I wasn't really convinced but I started walking that way. He must have felt he wasn't sure or didn't explain it well because about ten or fifteen minutes later he came back, looked at my map, verified that he was right and explained it to me. So I started walking down the road, after thanking him profusely. When I'm having these conversations, getting and giving directions, I hope you realize it's all in Spanish I have met very few Spanish people in this part of Spain or on the Camino who speak English. So I'm just babbling away in Spanish. I'm sure it leaves a lot to be desired, but they usually understand what I'm trying to say. And I've lost my fear of opening my mouth!

I walked down the road and as I went I asked a couple of farmers working the their fields for more specific direction and got it.

I finally got back on the track. And walked on to Cirueña where I decided I would just call it a day because of all the extra walking I had done. But when I got there I got a weird vibe from the town and an even weirder vibe at the Albergue. And they wanted 13€!! That's highway robbery. The usual cost is around 7€. I decided to get something very cold to drink and a bite to eat. On my way I ran into a couple I had seen walking. We had passed each other a few times on the Camino. They were just leaving the medical clinic because his blisters were so bad. The doctor told him he should rest for a few days to let them heal, but he said they stayed the night last night and would stay tonight but then he was going on. I told them I was going to the bar to get something to drink and a bite and the I was going to Santa Domingo and they decided to join me at the bar. They are a Irish. She is an assistant in a class with special needs children, so they have to be back home by the first of September. So if they want to complete it they have to get going. I suggested they rest and then take a bus to skip a couple of stages, but that was not an acceptable solution. Good to know I'm not the only hard headed person in the world.

I got to Santa Domingo and the Albergue here is run by the Spanish Confraterity. It is wonderful. And the amount you pay is a donation! They are so welcoming and nice. Confraternity are groups that support the Camino in one way or another. They usually host an Albergue, help keep the Camino marked, and help pilgrims. There's a British one, a German one, an American branch of the British one, and others.

They have a nurse/paramedic type person who treats pilgrims for blister, tendonitus, and other ailments common on the Camino. I've taken a shower washed my clothes and now I'm waiting in line to see the nurse/paramedic to see if he has any other things to do for my knee. Apparently there is also a play tonight at the theatre in town that we pilgrims get to go to for free, but it starts at 10 pm. I don't think I'll be awake.

So the healing guy wrapped my knee in a whole different way. It is a method I saw on the Internet. He also told me I'm not drinking enough water and that is adding to my knee problems. So I'm putting my camel back into backpack again. I'll only put a liter in it to keep the weight down, but I will refill it twice. He says I should drink three kilometers a day. Oh and all of his services is part of whatever donation I decide to give the Albergue. I can also drink some before I leave in the morning and at night. He also worked on my blister which I had just got to stop hurting, and now it hurts like a son of a bitch. There were new blisters on top of the old blister. I'm hoping the pain lessens by tomorrow. He also told me how to walk to avoid more problems, some of which I've been doing which is small step and normal flexion up and down hills and keep feet pointed forward. I have been keeping my leg straight and turning the foot out on the downhills. He said after three days the wrap can come off and if I walk correctly and drink water it should be fixed. That would be nice, but got the names of the tape just in case. He also thought I was fifty five and was surprised when I told him I would be sixty six in a month and that I had nice legs. It lessened the pain a little.