chilledKat
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- June/July 2014
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OzAnnieKate
What did the feet choose, the wine or cafe con leche ?
You've still got your sense of humour. ! Good on you !
But what a bummer ! Eh?
Kat - I hate to think of you being there alone (even with wine, go faster wheels and Mcdreamy) - google maps say I'm about 7 hours drive from you and I'm almost tempted to get in the car and whisk you away to France.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the feet heal and you can continue... either that or Mcdreamy at least takes you out for spin
Katrina,Hi everyone,
Live from Leon. I will precursor this by saying this is a very sensitive topic to write about or share. For me at least.
Well my Camino has certainly taken many twists and turns so far. As is to be expected. With that comes many lessons also.
I now find myself in Leon. In a cheapish hotel near the river, contemplating the next chapter of my Camino. A second visit to a medical centre since my trip started, the first being for a sprained ankle. This time, after a 27km+ walk on my birthday no less, I find that I have a very bad infection and currently am unable to walk. Literally. I have two massive bandages around both feet, the result of not listening to my body and trying to walk through the pain.
I have been called everything from a taxigreno to a hotelgreno and all in between. Luckily most have been gentle with me at the times I have been most hard and cruel to myself. I have been advised that I am not allowed to walk at all for four days and will have to get my bandages changed daily by a doctor and my wounds seen to. My feet look like a horror film.
Which brings me to this. My new Camino. It's going to be markedly different from the one I was on. I may not reach Santiago in time before my flight leaves now. It's financially not possible for me to change my flights back to Australia. It leaves me with a huge dilemma of what is important....the walk or getting to Santiago. I have sadly missed much of the Meseta which was so important for me to do.
I have been lectured by a French zealot at a private hostal on doing it the right way and that clearly I haven't been.
So this post is just a gentle reminder to all who we see on the path that we each have our own challenges. Some may have none, others many.
A beautiful Camino friend shared with me recently her favourite Kafka quote. I think this sums it up aptly
"We are as forlorn as children lost in the woods. When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours. And if I were to cast myself down before you and weep and tell you, what more would you know about me than you know about Hell when someone tells you it is hot and dreadful? For that reason alone we human beings ought to stand before one another as reverently, as reflectively, as lovingly, as we would before the entrance to Hell."
Thank you for allowing me to share.
Katrina xo
I can understand the insurance crap as I went through the whole nine yards with them, luckily I had my wife at home who did all the work it took a lot of worries but I had a great doctor here at home and in Spain but once they accepted responsibility it was all okay. As I say I had no worries I was in hospital but my wife did a great job. She is not happy that I am going back in 6 weeks but I have to take a phone this time only had an ipad which was good till things went belly up. the time difference between Spain and Australia was a killer but its all ok now just counting down the days. All the bestI have been wondering how best to respond to all your posts, to find the right words to do your kindness justice. I don't think one can truly appreciate the impact ones written word has. It can destroy or bring life. Yours brought me hope, laughter and at times made me wonder who you were writing about as I don't relate to the person you are describing. Am not being coy, but I am far from brave and courageous. I have merely had some crappy luck on a journey I am pretty privileged to take.
I have had a really tough few days, with my insurance company pushing every button. I have lost it several times and being here alone and with limited mobility has really challenged me. I even went flying off a wheelchair ramp into a glass partition as my hands slipped and I ended up on the floor. I now sport bruises. And a bruised ego.
I still am unsure as to what will unfold. Two doctors has said explicitly I am not to walk the Camino and a third said it might be ok. I have a few days more of treatment left.
So thanks for keeping my spirit afloat. It has been to some very dark places indeed but checking in on the forum has helped me to keep going.
And because Al the Optimist is suffering feet withdrawals here I am currently watching bad TV! View attachment 11414
Quite right, I use Jameson for the same purpose. Great to see you getting better Kat.OzAnnie
Does this answer your question?
"
.. wine a part of a healthy diet, and advocated its use as a disinfectant for wounds ..."
Thanks Wikipedia for clarifying that. So if I drink it, it will disinfect my feet as well
Lotta I will look out for you as I will be in Leon main area after the hospital today so around 2-3pmThe Green hat is in Leon! Hope you're feeling better already Kat! Take care! Lots of hugs! (To day, I also wear a very Green longsleaved blouse (?).
The heavens opened up and poured down my cheeks just now.Hi Kat! So sorry, I haven't been on the forum much recently so missed this post until now - what marvellous responses you have received. Would be pleasant to have a world map and put a pin on it for each warm and loving reply.
So - I want to be supportive but I have to start with saying that you are wrong! You are wrong about yourself and wrong in thinking that you have failed your pilgrimage! This IS your pilgrimage!!
Sure, there are some arrogant unfeeling camino sociopaths who attack you and call you names - but this is what custard pies are for! One of the 'problems' with the camino is that intelligent and kind people are full of doubts and stupid and unkind people are full of certainty -
You wrote "
I have a lot of thinking to do the next few days as I need my infection treated daily. My heart is breaking as I write this. I wanted more than anything to walk this Camino, to free myself and find myself. There is much reflection to be had. And a huge part of me needs to forgive myself. I hope I can do that. At this very moment I am finding it hard to do so. I feel I have failed on so many levels."
Sorry Kat, but you are so in error here - you have not failed, you have endured. Ok, so you had a pleasant picture of how your camino would be, that doing it 'properly' would somehow cancel out your feelings of failure and grief and loss that you were suffering (as you wrote about in your first post on here), and the reality didn't fit that, so you think that you have failed - but you haven't failed - this is your camino, this is your pilgrimage. And, no matter how painful it has been it is a blessed pilgrimage, and it is still in process. Your error is in thinking that because your camino is different to the one you created in your head and expected to do that you are useless - how silly you are! What you are unhappy about is really only that the real pilgrimage is different from the imagined pilgrimage.
Were you to look at yourself from the eyes of another you might see things differently. When you finally stopped, with your poisoned feet in shreds, you had walked to that point - you had walked on those feet (yes, you know now, really stupid thing to do!) - I cannot imagine how painful each step must have been (well, I can imagine but would prefer not to - ouch!) ... yet there you were, hobbling along, in awful pain ...... and you call that failure?????????
The camino you have undertaken is an internal one, the body responses being an integral part of that, and it is going well, Kat. Painful, yes, but it is going well - it might seem strange to say it - but it is going well.
So, be kind to yourself. Let your thoughts and introspection go where they will, eat cake, flirt with the doctor - and absolutely keep posting photos!!
All is Well Kat - however it may appear, All is Always Well.
Buen Camino!
p.s. the bath photo - nice tan!
p.p.s. thank you for sharing who you are on here, open, kind, honest, and brave - a real pilgrim. We need the full spectrum of experiences on here, and you are a part of that. xx
p.p.p.s A belated Happy Birthday!
It was totally my fault. I sprained my ankle and stopped only for a day....hobbling meant I got blisters on my other foot....and this is where it all unravelled. Oh I saw the signs but stupidly ignored them. I cleaned and disinfected and all the rest when really I should have not been walking. It's called blatant stupidity.Kat -- OUCH !!!
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I would seriously consider accepting Rebekah's kind offer in your -- hrm -- shoes; though I've yet to meet Rebekah and Pat IRL, as far as hospitaleros, they are the absolute real deal !!
hmmmmmm -- couple of thoughts from my "purist" perspective (though I gave up being a "camino zealot" 20 years ago hehehe)
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hrm, first no I don't think your Camino is ended ; how it will proceed and finish is something you still need to discover, but : you are still on the Way ; remember that
second ; you may have a technical problem with your footwear --- one of the best protections against infected blisters is actually just plain old 100% woollen socks ; they're nearly as good as proper medical bandages for liquid absorption, AND they help protect the skin from abrasion from the inside of the shoes too -- YES they do need to be VERY carefully removed, and VERY carefully cleaned (making sure they are well cleansed by lengthy rinsing with clean water of all blood and sweat and cleaning products) -- though really, it's the leathering up of the skin of your feet by extensive hiking that provides the only true long-term protection...
the other technical problem may be that you might need shoes one european size half US/UK size bigger than the ones you have ; feet swell during hiking, and having shoes/boots that are too small is one of the most frequent causes of blistering
otherwise, heck, from the "purist" point of view those people were completely wrong to call you those names !!! I've myself carried the pack of someone with too sprained an ankle to carry anything heavier than her clothes, while my friends helped her limp along ; I've strongly advised more than one person to send their packs ahead by transport service, when it was clear that they were simply torturing themselves by trying to do things "properly" ; and although I'd tend to frown on it in general personally, there are obviously going to be cases where motorised travel becomes necessary (been there ; done that), and indeed circumstances will tend to put nearly every "true pilgrim" under the sun into such transport ...
The "purist" way to deal with such difficulties is to simply stop, wait, rest, then carry on -- but of course the "purist" way does not include thinking that one's arrival date in Santiago nor anywhere else is even predictable in the first place !! LOL -- so from my "purist" POV I'd say your single mistake was that one -- errare humanum est and &c though anyway, so that's given in a spirit of advice for the future, not blame for the past
Stopping somewhere then carrying on from somewhere else is something I've done ; carrying on to however far you can get then returning at a later date to finish the Camino is something that many do ; but really I'd advise you to simply follow the pathway that is actually laid before you, rather than limiting yourself to the more obvious solutions ; though I must say, it is rather a shame about your flight date not being changeable -- do try and keep on negociating with your Insurance and travel companies !!
(erm, one "purist" option mentioned by nobody would involve giving up on that flight, and simply letting the Camino take precedence, but I obviously cannot seriously suggest that except in parenthesis and as it were adverbially)
Otherwise, as a "purist", I can but heartily applaud your good cheer and continuing optimism, which are of course prime qualities for any "true pilgrim" -- and in my book, that's exactly what you are -- OK, your Camino baptism is somewhat off the beaten path, but NOBODY can become a "true pilgrim" except through the experience of whichever abject failure ; and it is through failure that the hiker is transformed in the Camino into a pilgrim
Ultreia, Kat, e Sus Eia -- and you'll see ; this will only make you stronger
good cheer, and make the most of your rest !!!!
It was totally my fault. I sprained my ankle and stopped only for a day....hobbling meant I got blisters on my other foot....and this is where it all unravelled. Oh I saw the signs but stupidly ignored them. I cleaned and disinfected and all the rest when really I should have not been walking. It's called blatant stupidity.
Everything else was in place except logic
It was totally my fault. I sprained my ankle and stopped only for a day....hobbling meant I got blisters on my other foot....and this is where it all unravelled. Oh I saw the signs but stupidly ignored them. I cleaned and disinfected and all the rest when really I should have not been walking. It's called blatant stupidity.
Everything else was in place except logic
I had walking poles too. The right shoes, etchmmmm, pretty much every day on the Camino you see people making their blisters worse by trying to disinfect them and basically well just fussing over them
OK for some people that procedure certainly works, but for others the only real solution is to pierce them, air them, and do everything possible to dry them out, including letting the skin die, or even letting a bare patch of tender new skin underneath become one's walking surface with all the pain that comes by doing so ...
having said that, men have naturally thicker skin than women, so the "macho" solution will necessarily be less effective for the ladies ...
but just resting with your feet in the open air, without fussing over the blisters except to quickly pierce them, preferably in hot sunlight (though keep your head in the shade and cool drinks at hand !!!), to dry out your blisters naturally is generally a good tactic ; also walking barefoot in the evening, including on top of blisters !!!
The feet do eventually get the message and start growing extra levels of skin, but the start of that whole procedure is as painful as you are experiencing right now ...
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hmmmm, sounds like you need either a staff or some poles ; a very light wooden staff is perhaps better than poles if your walking has been imbalanced as you seem to be suggesting ... it should be as tall as the distance from the ground to your armpit ; use it on whichever side has been causing you the more pain -- most people find the poles to be better, but if you need to protect one leg more than the other, or one leg is more damaged than the other, or one leg even slightly longer than the other, then the staff is IMO recommendable
... and lick my wounds.
Seriously it was my brain and ego that was at fault. Not the equipment.Then I'd seriously consider a staff instead next time round -- the poles are better for most pilgrims, but you might be one of those few for whom the staff is tops
Seriously it was my brain and ego that was at fault. Not the equipment.
As nice as it would be to apportion blame to something on than my intellect, or lack of, sadly I can't
Quite simply it was me and no other reason.
We have now realised the importance of listening to our bodies, and have decided that if we need to taxi a day here and there to allow our bodies to recover, then SO BE IT. Even "taxigrenos" are pilgrims. We will do the Camino our way. Better that than staying at home and just dreaming about being there.
That photo was especially for you Al! I don't get my legs out for just anyoneNobody on their Camino wishes for bad feet, but almost all of them wish to have their feet up with cafe con leche, cake and plonk!Keep your chin up babe.
Hi everyone,
Live from Leon. I will precursor this by saying this is a very sensitive topic to write about or share. For me at least.
Well my Camino has certainly taken many twists and turns so far. As is to be expected. With that comes many lessons also.
I now find myself in Leon. In a cheapish hotel near the river, contemplating the next chapter of my Camino. A second visit to a medical centre since my trip started, the first being for a sprained ankle. This time, after a 27km+ walk on my birthday no less, I find that I have a very bad infection and currently am unable to walk. Literally. I have two massive bandages around both feet, the result of not listening to my body and trying to walk through the pain.
I have been called everything from a taxigreno to a hotelgreno and all in between. Luckily most have been gentle with me at the times I have been most hard and cruel to myself. I have been advised that I am not allowed to walk at all for four days and will have to get my bandages changed daily by a doctor and my wounds seen to. My feet look like a horror film.
Which brings me to this. My new Camino. It's going to be markedly different from the one I was on. I may not reach Santiago in time before my flight leaves now. It's financially not possible for me to change my flights back to Australia. It leaves me with a huge dilemma of what is important....the walk or getting to Santiago. I have sadly missed much of the Meseta which was so important for me to do.
I have been lectured by a French zealot at a private hostal on doing it the right way and that clearly I haven't been.
So this post is just a gentle reminder to all who we see on the path that we each have our own challenges. Some may have none, others many.
A beautiful Camino friend shared with me recently her favourite Kafka quote. I think this sums it up aptly
"We are as forlorn as children lost in the woods. When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours. And if I were to cast myself down before you and weep and tell you, what more would you know about me than you know about Hell when someone tells you it is hot and dreadful? For that reason alone we human beings ought to stand before one another as reverently, as reflectively, as lovingly, as we would before the entrance to Hell."
Thank you for allowing me to share.
Katrina xo
Damn right David..... I didn't sign up for this!!!We have been concentrating on Kat's feet - completely ignoring that she has had to suffer days and nights of Spanish tv!!!
Cheeky! I find watching the Spanish news with subtitles is a great way of improving your Spanish. Anyway a cookery program, is a cookery program, is ... no matter what the language.That photo was especially for you Al! I don't get my legs out for just anyone
Thanks Kevin,The Camino as I have planned to complete in the near future, in my mind, is not about the physical walking or getting to a particular place. While those are milestones of measurement, the true journey is in the reflections on self, the community of your life, and your connection with a higher purpose which is different for each person. From what you have described I suspect that you have had plenty of experiences from which self-growth and insight has occurred. Even if you return to Oz tomorrow you will do so as a different person aware of so much more than simply being a person who walked a very long way. The physical destination is different for all but for all the journey of reflection for all is the true destination.
Best wishes - Kevin B.
That is such an interesting observation about the Camino family. I was pestering poor RobertS26 about feeling invisible and alone and if I would find a Camino family. Well I did and now I have an even bigger one than I could ever have imagined.Many newcomers to the wonder if they will find e camino family. Well one thing is for sure Kat has! She has made a bigger one than anyone being lucky enough to walk all the way! Like everyone else you didn't know what the way had in store for you. And very few meet Dr McDreamy!
Happy travels Jabba!!!Yeah I agree -- it most certainly IS a Camino de Kate, because the Camino is one size each, not one size fits all.
I'll be starting my own Camino de Jabba very soon now BTW ...
Damn right David..... I didn't sign up for this!!!
Thanks for the well wishesHi Kat,
I hope you are getting better day by day. Please keep us informed.
Wishing you quick recovery,
Zsu
By "NOT a Frog" do you mean not a Frenchman??Kat,
Next time you're out and about, whether it is where you are now or in Santiago or Finisterre,
and you see a frog (NOT a Frog, please!) pick it up and kiss it.
Who knows?
Right back at you !!! After you left I met the Hells Angels so my life continues to be full of randomnessKat! It was soooo lovely to meet you! As you know we took the train too Astorga and I have been thinking a lot about how great the camino is! You know... The camino provide thing! We are soo happy that we had the pleasure to spend the time with you - and - on saturday Linda and I will put your stones at the Cruz de Ferro and start a Kat mountain! Lots of love! Lotta n' Linda
View attachment 11497
Me too, probably!By "NOT a Frog" do you mean not a Frenchman??
By kissing a frog are we hoping for what exactly, a prince or warts or a combo of the two?!?
I am sure to be reprimanded soon for my non Camino chat
You improve your chances of success if you prepare with conditioning and knowledge. Put that knowledge to use when you walk. Know the pitfalls and the remedies. There are a lot of hot tips in what chilledKat has written, so put them to use. Don't be surprised by the physical and mental challenges of the Camino, but if you are surprised, make sound, reasoned decisions. The Camino is not easy, so don't treat it casually. Conflicting goals are the hardest to deal with. For example, you are exhausted, but want to keep up with a group. You have to choose between the potentially negative physical outcome and the beneficial social outcome. If the physical outcome is tendonitis, then choosing the social benefit may set you back three days to a week. You can have both if you take a taxi, but then you have to reconcile the goal of walking every step and staying with the group. Know what is important and what is not. If you make the right choices, you WILL succeed! Buen camino.I am about to embark on my Camino and I know I too may not be able to walk the entire route, even though that is my goal.
.....like I don't deserve to eat dessert because I didn't finish my dinner . Make sense?
You improve your chances of success if you prepare with conditioning and knowledge. Put that knowledge to use when you walk. Know the pitfalls and the remedies. There are a lot of hot tips in what chilledKat has written, so put them to use. Don't be surprised by the physical and mental challenges of the Camino, but if you are surprised, make sound, reasoned decisions. The Camino is not easy, so don't treat it casually. Conflicting goals are the hardest to deal with. For example, you are exhausted, but want to keep up with a group. You have to choose between the potentially negative physical outcome and the beneficial social outcome. If the physical outcome is tendonitis, then choosing the social benefit may set you back three days to a week. You can have both if you take a taxi, but then you have to reconcile the goal of walking every step and staying with the group. Know what is important and what is not. If you make the right choices, you WILL succeed! Buen camino.
Hi everyone,
Live from Leon. I will precursor this by saying this is a very sensitive topic to write about or share. For me at least.
Well my Camino has certainly taken many twists and turns so far. As is to be expected. With that comes many lessons also.
I now find myself in Leon. In a cheapish hotel near the river, contemplating the next chapter of my Camino. A second visit to a medical centre since my trip started, the first being for a sprained ankle. This time, after a 27km+ walk on my birthday no less, I find that I have a very bad infection and currently am unable to walk. Literally. I have two massive bandages around both feet, the result of not listening to my body and trying to walk through the pain.
I have been called everything from a taxigreno to a hotelgreno and all in between. Luckily most have been gentle with me at the times I have been most hard and cruel to myself. I have been advised that I am not allowed to walk at all for four days and will have to get my bandages changed daily by a doctor and my wounds seen to. My feet look like a horror film.
Which brings me to this. My new Camino. It's going to be markedly different from the one I was on. I may not reach Santiago in time before my flight leaves now. It's financially not possible for me to change my flights back to Australia. It leaves me with a huge dilemma of what is important....the walk or getting to Santiago. I have sadly missed much of the Meseta which was so important for me to do.
I have been lectured by a French zealot at a private hostal on doing it the right way and that clearly I haven't been.
So this post is just a gentle reminder to all who we see on the path that we each have our own challenges. Some may have none, others many.
A beautiful Camino friend shared with me recently her favourite Kafka quote. I think this sums it up aptly
"We are as forlorn as children lost in the woods. When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours. And if I were to cast myself down before you and weep and tell you, what more would you know about me than you know about Hell when someone tells you it is hot and dreadful? For that reason alone we human beings ought to stand before one another as reverently, as reflectively, as lovingly, as we would before the entrance to Hell."
Thank you for allowing me to share.
Katrina xo
I'm here in Santiago..... When I arrived off the very late trainthe heavens had opened up and the rain was heavy. I got a cab to the hotel which is a ten minute walk from the old town. I will greet it tomorrow when I am refreshed and ready to take it in.
I asked the hotel receptionist for a stamp in my credencial and within seconds she produced an ugly mass produced self inking stamp and made her mark upside down on my battered yet treasured paper. 'Fragile' by Sting was playing in the background
"......On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star, like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are, how fragile we are..."
It was like the ultimate movie scene unfolding with the perfect soundtrack.
I bit my lip to stop the tears cascading down my face.... I think the receptionist thought I may have been upset re the stamp.... And made quick exit to my room where I bawled my eyes out.
Now I am doing a Hemingway....am drinking in the bar downstairs
I will keep you posted. Thanks for keeping me afloat through this. There is so much heartache and pain in the world at the moment so my little problems mean nothing, that I know. But for what it's worth I couldn't have done it without you all.....
Xo
Dear Kate - so now you know what the Camino is really about - its about finding yourself, falling over, picking yourself up and starting all over again. The Camino forum is now your very extended family - the real respect and love that has been extended you is the more typical of the Camino. Not those uncaring, unthinking ones who suggested that you have failed. You have not failed (I would have put it in capitals but shouting is bad manners!!) - the unthinking ones are the failures.
As an Aussie I fully understand the tyranny of distance - I was in a similar boat on the VDLP last year when I lost feeling in my left foot. Fortunately for me two fellow pilgrims told me that I could not walk the next day (or the day after) the trail was to rough and too isolated. Being a bit older I accepted the advice. A doctor I saw in Salamanca confirmed the advice - I had to become a tourist (no longer walking 20-30 km per day).
It may not seem like it but you are very fortunate to have had the medical treatment you have had. (Is your doctor married?? - may be he can take care of you for the rest of your life!!)
Your feet are going to carry you for the rest of your life and doing permanent damage is not a good idea when you are going to live until you are 90!! Hopefully you will get to experience some of NW Spain - a train or bus to Santiago and a bus to Finnisterre - see the sunset into the Atlantic!!
Keep smiling and Buen Camino!
I'm here in Santiago..... When I arrived off the very late trainthe heavens had opened up and the rain was heavy. I got a cab to the hotel which is a ten minute walk from the old town. I will greet it tomorrow when I am refreshed and ready to take it in.
I asked the hotel receptionist for a stamp in my credencial and within seconds she produced an ugly mass produced self inking stamp and made her mark upside down on my battered yet treasured paper. 'Fragile' by Sting was playing in the background
"......On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star, like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are, how fragile we are..."
It was like the ultimate movie scene unfolding with the perfect soundtrack.
I bit my lip to stop the tears cascading down my face.... I think the receptionist thought I may have been upset re the stamp.... And made quick exit to my room where I bawled my eyes out.
Now I am doing a Hemingway....am drinking in the bar downstairs
Ah the tears I can still taste mine after my release from hospital and I ent to the pilgrims office and was bawling like a baby, remember Kate tears are part of our lifes and should not be embarassed by them. Just drink and may I suggest use both hands that way life dose not seem as bad have a wonderful time in Santiago as you made it no matter how or by what transport you are a pilgrim first class.
I will keep you posted. Thanks for keeping me afloat through this. There is so much heartache and pain in the world at the moment so my little problems mean nothing, that I know. But for what it's worth I couldn't have done it without you all.....
Xo
I have been wondering how best to respond to all your posts, to find the right words to do your kindness justice. I don't think one can truly appreciate the impact ones written word has. It can destroy or bring life. Yours brought me hope, laughter and at times made me wonder who you were writing about as I don't relate to the person you are describing. Am not being coy, but I am far from brave and courageous. I have merely had some crappy luck on a journey I am pretty privileged to take.
I have had a really tough few days, with my insurance company pushing every button. I have lost it several times and being here alone and with limited mobility has really challenged me. I even went flying off a wheelchair ramp into a glass partition as my hands slipped and I ended up on the floor. I now sport bruises. And a bruised ego.
I still am unsure as to what will unfold. Two doctors has said explicitly I am not to walk the Camino and a third said it might be ok. I have a few days more of treatment left.
So thanks for keeping my spirit afloat. It has been to some very dark places indeed but checking in on the forum has helped me to keep going.
And because Al the Optimist is suffering feet withdrawals here I am currently watching bad TV! View attachment 11414
So true I had the same thing about my Camino sorry it did not work out or what a stuff up but to me it was MY CAMINO I loved every minute, I got to meet some great and nice people and I am full of memories and this year I will create new memories with my second walk.In Canada we have a saying "Life is short, eat dessert first!".
I haven't been on this site in months but reading this thread has brought back many memories from last year when I did part of the camino. Plantar fasciitis after two weeks. Also my fault because I ran out of time to break in new boots and wore my old comfy ones that didn't hold up like I was hoping they would and instead of taking a taxi in to town like my daughter suggested I continued to hobble. I can still hear the volunteer who wrapped my foot in Santo Domingo telling me to "walk properly". I always hear it in his Spanish accent. I had tears from "walking properly" with the pain but so glad I listened to him - he said if I didn't put up with the pain I would just cause an injury somewhere else.
There are hop on and off bus tours where you sit on an open deck of a bus and get a tour of the city. I never would have dreamed of riding these before my failed camino but we went to Barcelona and Madrid and this was the only way of seeing anything. Check out Santiago, I am sure they will have one. You don't have to hop on or off, just ride the whole loop like we did.
I like to think of my injury as a glimpse into behind the scenes of the camino. You know not everyone gets to experience this so in a way we are "special". LOL!
I walked the camino with my then 20 year old daughter and after my diagnosis and being told I would be good to walk in 3 days my daughter went on ahead with plans for us to meet up. I actually met a number of people who said they were also told 3 days but our injuries were all different so that kind of became a running joke for me. Our only means of communication was thru email because we didn't have phones or tablets with us. The computers in the albergue I was at for 2 nites kept crashing. I had to find a locatorio which meant I wasn't staying off my feet. My daughter couldn't remember her email password so finding her was a whole adventure in itself.
If any one is stuck in Burgos the Hotel Gothica has notebooks with free wifi in each room.
We were flying home from Madrid and decided to head away from Santiago with plans to return again. Not having a computer lead to a lot of experiences that most people with computer access can avoid. Next time we are bringing some sort of communication even if it is just a tablet. We ended up for two nights in a hotel (with no computer) in a train station totally away from the city we thought we would be staying in. It down poured the whole time and we did laundry like pilgrims and hung all our clothes all over the bathroom. We watched Harry Potter in German. In Barcelona we watched a Doris Day movie in Spanish - the one where she sings Que Sera Sera.
Before our trip we planned which albergues and paradors we might like to stay in. Totally forgot about Ibis hotels which led to some very expensive hotels - not good when you haven't budgeted for that. Next time we will also remember the nice people here who have good priced accomodations that allow people to stay for more than 1 or 2 nites.
When we were learning Spanish we only learned touristy type words and phrases. Next time we will learn something that will come in handy when riding a bus or talking to a Doctor. The Doctors were excellent and luckily the people I dealt with who used google translate (excellent invention) didn't need reading glasses.
For two weeks we were tourists in Spain dressed like pilgrims. We felt very sad when we took our shells off our back packs. After being off the camino for less than 1 week we had a meal with French fries and it was so comforting. I found some individual cartons of red wine we brought back home and drank while looking at our photos.
I am still in pain today but not as bad as I would have been had I tried to continue the camino. I only passed two people the two weeks we were off the camino, I was keeping track.
In Santiago there will be other people like yourself. They are all over the camino. It took me a bit to come to terms about how my camino ended but then we realized it didn't end it just took a different direction. Some one said they heard my camino was a disaster and that is the furthest from the truth.
As Doris sang "Que Sera Sera". Enjoy your last days in Spain and know that when you return it will be a whole different experience.
I think that photo should have come with a warning Jenny!! Ewwww'Blisteringly' current news from Santiago ...
ChilledKat is definitely on the mend ... A pic for you all, taken this afternoon ...
View attachment 11632
Receiving that healing feeling through laughter and stories in the company of Camino friend Anne and Forum Friends AJ and BiarritzDon, plus some medication of the fermented grape kind!
Cheers - Jenny
I remember doing almost the same thing more than once along the way!Saint Teresa of Avila made her pilgrimage in a coach and four with servants - no one called her a false pilgrim or told her she wasn't a 'true' pilgrim.
On the way the coachman toppled the coach into a ditch in heavy rain. No one was hurt. Teresa crawled out of the carriage, into the mud, stood up, drenched and muddy (and most likely a little scared), thrust her fist into the sky and shouted to God "no wonder you have so many enemies if this is how you treat your friends"
I like that.
We are all 'true' pilgrims, those who travel to the cathedral in Santiago.
Buen Camino
Actually B, forget following the yellow marker, I am shedding skin by the bucket loads. I think Jenny photoshopped my feet as they are actually looking pretty disgusting.Yeah, Jenny! As long as you are there maybe you could talk to Ivar about a new "FBA" symbol (Food and Beverage Advisory) to mark posts that could cause loss of keyboards from spilled coffee, tea, whatever.
Seriously though, it is looking pretty good, Kat. Congrats!
But do keep the "Before" photos to yourself - - at least until there is an "FBA" marker in use here.
B
Have you upended another cup of coffee ???
Hi B -Yeah, Jenny! As long as you are there maybe you could talk to Ivar about a new "FBA" symbol (Food and Beverage Advisory) to mark posts that could cause loss of keyboards from spilled coffee, tea, whatever.
Seriously though, it is looking pretty good, Kat. Congrats!
But do keep the "Before" photos to yourself - - at least until there is an "FBA" marker in use here.
B
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