I writing this from the public library in Aviles having taken, despite all the good intentions in the world, another rest day because of this bloody left foot of mine. Last night, when I returned to the albergue, those two lovely Hungarian men were waiting for me, with gifts! They had obviously been very concerned by my rather pronounced limp and had decided to take action! The younger man gave me a cream which had been prepared by his wife, a doctor, and which is supposed to be more efficacious than Voltarin for the pains I´m experiencing. The older man (who speaks no English at all but beams brightly and nods his head earnestly) insisted on filling a small jar with a concoction of honey, royal jelly and sundry herbs which he has prepared himself. I am instructed to take one tablespoon every night as a ´general panacea´- apparently this is a very efficacious mixture and well known in Hungary! I have to say that certainly this morning my foot felt more comfortable. John Webb - these are the second lot of beekeepers I have met on the Camino and I am beginning to think quite seriously about the merits of keeping bees!
Unfortunately, there was very little sleep last night. Three people came in very late - somehow I don´t think they were genuine pilgrims since one of the women carried a smart handbag and another wore extremely flimsy pumps, not the kind of footwear for muddy tracks! The three examined the bunk beds and facilities (not very clean, to say the least) with great distaste, but stayed anyway. The man, smelling strongly of tobacco and wine, snored very loudly all night and, of course, was in the bunk next to mine. They had left the light on and none of us in the room were sure whether to turn it off or not.
This morning, it rained heavily. I was already very apprehensive because I don´t have a detailed guide to the Camino between Oviedo and Aviles and when I finally left the albergue, following the instructions I had been given by the hospitalier (which were completely different to those from the Tourist Information Office), I ended up walking many kilometres in circles. Not fun. Eventually, after a shop keeper told me that it was too complicated to explain the route and that anyway it was easier to take the bus, so I caved in and decided this was going to be another rest day. 2 euros and one hour later, I arrived in Aviles, having saved myself 28 kilometres of walking in the rain. Additionally, the albergue was open (normally they don´t open until late afternoon), so I´ve been able to leave my rucksack on the bed, eat a really filling meal for a change, and have a look at the town, even being able to go into three of the local churches. One of which, by the way, is dedicated to Thomas of Canterbury and was one of the recognised pilgrim stopping places on the Camino. It´s one of those days when you ask yourself whether there´s any point in trying to be good! (Yeah, right!) Maybe it´s just a reminder YET AGAIN to keep things in balance and to focus on what is at the centre.
The amazing thing was that as I came out of the bus station, I met Regina, the German woman I had encountered in Llanes - she was delighted that I had taken the bus, and explained that she is basically walking for two days and travelling by another means for two days until her own foot injuries are better. And essentially, to complete the Camino, you only need to walk the last 100 kms - anything more than that is a bonus.
Thank you thank you thank you to the gods behind Penguin Classics. After having nothing to read (apart from the Spanish dictionary) for the past few days since I finished the Jodie Piccoult that I had found at one of the albergues, I´ve bought Dostoyevsky´s ´Crime and Punishment´ for 3 euros. At last, something to read!!! Tomorrow, it´s about 33 kms to Soto de Luna - probably no internet access there. This time last year, we had the ´Exciting the Future´event - so many thoughts today of the Edmund Rice network and my good friends who are part of the network. Also Mark´s bone marrow transplant - so thoughts of his family and Drs Osborne, Bardy and Toh.
God bless - much love to all.
