Today was definitely a change from my routine for the past week. When all the other pilgrims were getting up and packing their packs for the day, I was itching to do the same. But I just lay their waiting for them to leave before getting up to hobble around trying not to get in the way as the hosts cleaned the Albergue.
I went to the café that is just around the corner and responded to some emails that had been piling up, and then attempted to make a plan for how to reconcile the trip. Having only very limited proficiency in Spanish definitely adds a whole lot more of a challenge for me. I wish that I knew the language, but unfortunately, I don’t. I understand a few words here and there, but they talk so fast it is hard to understand.
Taking a closer look at the map, I really don’t know how I expected to complete the Camino in a mere 26 days, which is one week shorter than the recommended pace. I was looking at where would be the best place for me to try to save the trip, and it looks like I will need to try to take public transport all the way to León. If I get there on Friday, I should be able to make it to Santiago at a more reasonable pace. I’ll need to backtrack to Legroño in order to catch a bus to Burgos. From there I will take either bus or train. At this point, I’m going to have to make some of the decisions on the fly as internet is spotty.
I had moments of sheer disappointment at the injury, but i know that it’s all going to work out ok. The injury was my body’s way of telling me to slow down. I was trying to go too far too fast, and if I didn’t slow down I may have done worse to my body. The doctor told me to rest for at least three days, and so three days of rest it will be. At least there is a nice river near the Albergue so that I can sit in the shade of a tree listening to the birds sing and the rush of the current over the stones of the river.