A day for minimal walking

Though I´ve had many hard days on many caminos, I have to say that the last two days are really the only two where I gave serious thought to calling it quits.  I have somewhat turned that corner, but I know that I´ll be going slow and that it won´t be a walk in the park.  My feet are not quite as bad as they were on my very first Camino, thankfully, but I have a ton of blisters on all sides of both feet, quite incredible really.  That plus the bruising from my very amateurish effort at bushwhacking has left me pretty beaten up. 

This morning, I slept till -- gasp -- 8:30.  After trying to pad my blisters as best I could, I started out on the short 3 kms up to the ancient monastery where the true cross sits behind a gate and in a huge gold piece. Though the monastery dates to the 6th century, it has undergone a lot of renovation and is not as ancient as I had hoped.

After visiting the church and cloisters,  I wisely (and uncharacteristically) resisted the urge to walk another two kms up to see the holy cave where the monks hid out in time of attack and instead decided to try to hitch a ride back to Potes (another unusual decision for me, I must be maturing).  The first car stopped, and the owner went on at great length about how he was unable to give me a ride because he worked for an outdoor adventure company and he had to record everyone who entered the car and this was extremamente prohibido.  I said muchas gracias, lo comprendo, and started to walk.  What he said next will not surprise anyone who has spent much time in Spain -- Suba Ud.  (get in).  So after the lecture, I got the ride, and he dropped me off right in front of this comfortable public library where I am now benefitting from the government of Cantabria´s efforts to connect everyone to the internet.  In these small towns, though, the only ones who seem to want to be connected are the tourists, and most tourists don´t know that these libraries always have free internet.  So I´m in a room of ten compters all alone and the librarian is gabbing away with her girlfriend uninterested in how long I might be on this machine. 

I have visited a pretty amazing exhibit on illuminated manuscripts, which takes up three floors of a beautiful old building. 

I have bought a new pair of pants, on sale for 30€ and a new hat that cost just as much.  So I have all the equipment I need, now I just need to see if the body will cooperate.  I´m going to go find a nice waiter who will give me a bag of ice so I can ice the unblistered parts of my body where I have some muscle pain on the sides of my shins. I´ll be back later today, and I´m sure you´re waiting with bated breath.  love you guys!