Depart Time: 11:00 Temp: 51F RH: 90%
Walked: 2 mi. Camino 2024: 147 mi.
So, last night Linda developed an upset stomach and had a similar experience to what Jim experienced two nights ago. Maybe we got a GI bug (<24hr) instead our of previous guesses. By early this morning she was over the trauma part, but was weak and had a headache, but no fever… much like Jim’s experience.
The new plan for the day is to extend the albergue normal checkout time from 8:30 to 11:00, allowing Linda to rest and sleep instead of attempting to walk, as we might have done on previous Caminos.
Extending a checkout time for any albergue on the Camino can disrupt cleaning crew operations, adversely affecting the overall operations for receiving new pilgrims. We are extremely grateful for the support and generosity of the owner of Albergue de los Templarios.
We called for a taxi to take us from the albergue to our reserved Hostal in Sahagún at 11:00 with the hope be able to checkin before its regular 12:00 checkin time. This will allow Linda to get settled in her new environment, continuing our R&R strategy, enabling her body the maximum healing time, so she can safely rejoin the Camino ASAP.
Today will also be another opportunity to experience the healing powers of the Camino itself… something we have observed and experienced firsthand in the past.
The taxi picked us up on time and took us to our Hostal in Sahagún, 9 miles away but only 10 minutes in the taxi. We were able to checkin shortly after arriving and Linda has been resting and sleeping all day. She doesn’t have much of an appetite but is keeping hydrated with water and tea, nibbled on some crackers and had a banana.
As our drama was unfolding earlier this morning, the daughter-in-law of the Los Templarios albergue owner told Linda, as we waited for the taxi, that the “bug” we apparently have/had is running rampant around the area and that one day recently as many as 4 pilgrims at the albergue had it.
All albergues on the Camino, in particular the ones we have stayed in, have and maintain very strict protocols for sanitizing everything that we come in contact with, a positive outcome of the pandemic. The pandemic closed down the Camino completely along with their livelhoods for over a year… they take it very seriously.
While Linda was working on healing, Jim racked-up a couple of miles “walking” some errands which included: reloading our € stash at an ATM, visiting the nearby, small grocery market (closed for noon- 2:00 siesta) and a “Dia” a chain grocery store, where he spent time familiarizing himself with their inventory. And, subsequently, he selected a few items that might appeal to us for lunch/dinner in the sanctuary of our large, comfortable room. He also selected several tasty snacks “for-the-road” as both our appetites return to normal.
We’ll review our situation in the morning and decide whether to proceed on Camino 2024 to our next stop, via taxi, like today, or on foot.
Jimandi 