Day 25 Ruitelan again

I haven´t written up the last few days because I have been so tired - probably because I have an infection.  Today Carlos, the hospitalero, took me to the Communidad Salud Centre (community health centre) where the doctor confirmed my blisters were infected, prescribed antibiotics and ordered me to have today and tomorrow off.  The doctor was free and I got the antibiotics and packets of anti-inflammatories and paracetamol for under EU10 all up. 

The trip back to Villafranca was an eye opener because that was yesterday´s walk.  Definitely not the 16 km in Margit´s book - closer to the 26 km in my book.

I was ok with the rest until Carlos informed me that tomorrow Margit would walk to O´Cebreiro and he would drive me and then drive me to the next albergue.  That was a bit of a shocker.  I had thought that I would rest until well enough and then walk.  But no one asked what I wanted and I don´t have enough language to tell. 

Margit is distressed because her card has stopped working.  We try to arrange something with her brother over the phone but it is messy.  She needs to skype the bank tomorrow so she is going to talk to the hospitaleros to see if that is possible. 26 year old Sonja, having walked all the way from Austria, is also resting here today due to the pain in her hips.  She has finally come to the conclusion that she will have to stop and come back some time to complete the trip.  She is emotionally more settled having decided.

The size of the box of antibiotics shocks me until I realise that I have four sachets not pills.  I have been given fast acting dissolvable stuff.  I keep asking should I take the first dose now and the next at seven pm and being told no, wait until seven and then take one at seven in the morning again.  I take Sonja and Margit to the cafe for coffee and hot chocolate and to give the hospitaleros space then come back and sleep most of the afternoon.  Margit tells me that it is from the antibiotics and I tell her again that I haven´t taken any yet.  When we discuss it we realise that there has been a misunderstanding and I should have taken one this morning.  Now she is worried that I am running a fever.  I´d already worked that part out and am taking paracetamol.  Roll on seven!

Hopefully tomorrow I will be somewhere I can write up the days a bit.  Got to get something out of an enforced rest.  Also I have been able to upload some photos so hopefully those who read this can also access the photos.  Let me know if you can´t.