Day 38 - 23 Kilometres

San Martin Del Camino to Astorga

Remember all those nice things I said about Compeed? Yeah, I take them back. Compeed is evil. Compeed may work to PREVENT blisters. Compeed may make blisters feel better for a while. But then, THEN, Compeed binds to your blisters, so when they come back with reinforcements you can do nothing. Nothing, that is, until you check into a pilgrim hostel which happens to have blister hospital set up.

Astorga is a pretty nice city with a lovely cathedral and a castle (well bishop´s house) designed by Gaudi that looks like a giant sand castle. For me, however, it will always remain "the city with a blister hospital."

We stayed at the Parochial Albergue, which we have learned are usually donativo (run by donation), and usaully among the nicest in town. This one had a book at the registry where pilgrims could sign up for an appointment with the resident nurses to have their various ailments tended to.

The appointments were supposed to be 15 minutes. I had some seriously impressive blisters. One and half hours, half a bottle of solvent (to remove the evil Compeed), half dozen lancets, two syringes of iodine, an loads of gauze later my feet were patched together again enough to walk almost normally.

I have a very high pain tolerance. I nearly fainted when they were doctering me. Cz who hates blisters and needles almost as much as he hates walking stuck by my side...and held me down. Literally. I pity what would have happend to the blister doctor had Cz not been pinning my legs.

The blister drs thought i was nuts to keep going, but loaded me up with gauze and antibiotic ointments. So long as nothing gets infected, I should be fine.