Saturday, April 27, 2024
Last night was interesting.
The municipal albergue in Reliegos has a bunch of bunk beds spread across two rooms. The beds line the outside of the room, and down the middle there is another double row of bunk beds right next to each other. So they are really like one giant row of double beds.
Betty and I were so excited to “share” a bed. But River somehow made her way between us so that was short lived.
Then, at about 2am, we all woke up to a giant thud.
Ian, who had been sleeping with Kimball on the double bunk above us, had rolled off the bed and plunked down onto the floor right next to me.
It woke up everyone in the room (another 8 or 10 people). The guy next to us was very concerned, and because he was Spanish he expressed his concern with a generous supply of curse words.
For his part, Ian handled it all pretty well. He had smacked his head pretty hard and fallen onto his hip.
I just pulled him into bed with me and River and Betty, and after making sure nothing was broken or bleeding, we tried to get back to sleep.
But after something like that, it’s pretty hard to just fall asleep. I kept wondering if Kimball or Alicia would fall off the bed.
So it wasn’t my greatest night of sleep. But I haven’t had a great night of sleep since February, so that’s nothing particularly new.
After the excitement of the night, I decided to let everyone sleep in a bit. We had already planned for a short hike today (12k only about 8 miles). Ian’s hip was pretty sore, so we sent his pack ahead. That’s been the biggest blessing for us.
The hike itself went well. Ian’s hip didn’t bother him at all while hiking. It’s just the pressure of the belt.
We made it to our albergue just as the rain started. That makes it since the first two days of the Camino since we haven’t had to hike in the rain. Cold and windy, yes. But no rain. It’s such a blessing -- maybe a Camino miracle. Certainly a tender mercy.
Our albergue for tonight is really nice. A bit pricier, but we have a room all to ourselves, and we are all on bottom bunks. And it’s very warm, so warm that Betty asked me to open a window. I’m hoping she has an especially good sleep.
Since tomorrow is Sunday, I decided to go to Leon this afternoon to get some new shoes. Ian’s have completely fallen apart as well, so he came with me.
The bus to Leon wasn’t working today because it’s Saturday, so the hospitalero just gave us a ride into town (about 15 minutes).
We went to the Corte Inglés, which is a huge department store that many people disparage, but I actually love. Ian loved it too. He told me visiting the Corte Inglés was his favorite thing we’ve done on the trip. He especially loved the toy and book sections.
We both got some new shoes, and then we went and got KFC for everyone because our albergue has no kitchen. That meal turned out to be a hit when we got back.
I’ve been exhausted all day, so I took a nap and spent a bunch of time just catching up on track videos. I think I needed a little break. River was also exhausted, and she’s been trying everyone’s patience. I hope she can get some good rest tonight as well.
We are closing in on two thirds of this trip done, and everyone is starting to feel like the end is close. But soon we will be off of the flat meseta and we will have to cross a pretty formidable mountain range. I know Betty’s foot isn’t 100%, and my right Achilles tendon and knee are getting sore as well. Hopefully the new shoes will help.
Just a couple more weeks, and we should be headed home.
