Suspension
I woke up with a headache. Took Tylenol and I'm hoping it goes away soon and my sense of adventure returns. I made a split moment decision to book myself into the hotel I had already booked for the week end and to leave the Hostal. I'm just not comfortable there. The people are all very nice, but it is not a comfortable place for me to rest. I'm just lying there in my bed while other people are going in and out. It feels weird. Plus there's only one bathroom for two rooms full of people, because the one downstairs is "out of order." At times the whole building is quiet, I'm the only one in the building, and it is spooky. Not scary, but spooky. And there is no freezer or refrigerator in the whole building. I can't use my gel pad on my knee. So each time I need to ice my knee, every two hours, I have to go down the stairs and around the corner to the store and buy frozen peas.
Anyway, I'm sniveling and feeling sorry for myself. The Hostal offers a breakfast at their Erasmus Cafe, but it's a couple of blocks away. I look at the ticket and it says, "Un Desayuno (café/té y tostada) in my grumpy mood I know that tostada doesn't mean the yummy dish of a baguette size roll, cut it half and cooked on a skillet or grill. It means American white bread cooked in a toaster. I envision Harriett Nelson in her skirt sweater set, pearls, and heels vacuuming and popping toast into the toaster. Oh lord, what have we wrought. You couldn't even buy American white bread in Spain when I first came here. Now it is becoming the standard. Even on the Camino, that's what is offered. I usually choose to skip breakfast rather than eat that. If I were starving and there was nothing else to eat, I would stuff it in my mouth to fill the space and try not to taste it. That would be easy, because it is basically tasteless. Sometimes I think the only good thing the United States has exported is Alcoholics Anonymous.
So I made an executive decision and went to my favorite cafe and had a croissant a la plancha. I'm eating it now and I am happy to report it is yummy. It may even improve my mood. I'm just a little cranky pants this morning. So I'm sitting by the window watching kids and doggies go by. That ought to improve my mood, right? Oh, I forgot to mention there is a SMOOY frozen yogurt place on the Plaza and it's right by my hotel. Yummy. I discovered SMOOY in Santiago last year and had it for lunch or snack almost every day.
Life is so funny and my God has such a strange sense of humor and timing. This has not been a good day. My knee is not worse, but it is not really better. I checked into the hotel and it is ok, but not nearly as nice as the Hotel Rua. The room is small, even by European standards. Tomorrow I will be changed to another room because I had tacked this one night on after my original reservation. Maybe the one tomorrow will be a little larger. Lord knows it couldn't be smaller unless they leaned the bed up against the walls and harness the guest into it. But it is a bed and a room and it has a shower. Normally, I don't care about the size of the room because I'm never in it. I'm always out wandering. And I love albergues, with my own little space on a bunk bed. Well, mine and Mr Burple's little space. ; ) I guess if I'm just lying around all day it doesn't really matter either. It's not like I need a dance floor or a squash court.
Then I went to reception to see if I could get some ice. She told me to just go through the connecting door to the bar/cafeteria and ask. I went in and asked for some ice for my knee. I even brought my own little zip lock bag. The gal I asked was really rude. She talked really fast and said something to the effect of this is a business and don't ask again. In all the times in Spain that I have asked for ice for my knee, either as a preventative measure or because it was hurting, I have never, ever had a response like that. Even though this hotel and the bar/cafeteria are actually on the Camino, I don't think they see many pilgrims. Oh well. I tooled my hard earned ice up to the room and iced my knee, then I used it again two hours later. After that I went to the Día and got some frozen peas for my next two or three icings. There isn't a proper refrigerator with a little freezer in this room like there was at the Hotel Rua, so I can't keep the ice or pes frozen for continuous uses. But I may try the bar again when the "Her Royal Rudeness" isn't working.
After I went to Día, I iced my knee and then walked downstairs to SMOOY, got a frozen yogurt, sat outside on the Plaza, ordered a café, and sat watching all the people on the Plaza. A couple sat next to me. They are traveling through Spain for six weeks in their Caravana (RV.) so we exchanged Caravana stories. John and I also traveled around Spain in a Caravana. It was a hoot. These folks were from Southampton , but had lived in London for many years. From Southampton they just drove 30 minutes from their house to the ferry boat, drove their RV onto the boat, had a cabin that allowed their dog to stay with them, and when the boat docked, they drove into Spain. How convenient. I think it would be a long ferry boat ride for us.
While I'm chatting I get an email from the woman who assigns hospitalera. She had written me the other day to ask if I wanted to work the last two weeks of June in Salamanca. I wrote back and said I was so sorry that I couldn't do that. I will be volunteering in the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago those two weeks. I thought that was the end of it, but she wrote asking if there was any other two week period I could be a hospitalera. So maybe if my knee doesn't get better, she may have a spot for me the first two weeks of July. Maybe that's what I'm supposed to do. Who knows. I don't seem to have the play book. lol
I was tempted not to post the first part of this when I was rolling around in self pity and being a cranky pants, but I decided those that love me don't care, they love me with all my warts. So there it is with all my warts.
Whatever will be, will be. Que sera sera.
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