06 January 2014

Fighting the injury

08.10-09.10.2013

I stayed in an albergue in Villafranca del Bierzo resting for almost all afternoon and evening wondering what I should do the next day. And as it happens in life, so it did on my pilgrimage and I was given what I exactly needed at the time. One of the people working for the albergue came up to me when I was lying on my bed, we talked, he asked about the leg and then told me what exactly was the problem. Also, he gave me some advice on how to treat it and what to avoid and since that my leg was improving every day until Santiago. It still was a few days before I walked for the first time without feeling any pain and I continued to limp until I reached the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela but I was able to walk and it was a reason to be happy. In the evening of the next day, together with a woman from New Zealand (we have helped each other a lot on your way up O Cebreiro and if you happen to read this report, thank you for the company walking up the mountain!) and two guys from Germany, I have made it to the top of O Cebreiro having walked 30 km. I was really proud that I had been able to hike that much with the injury. The village has developed in a very close relation to the Camino de Santiago, although, now it is also a popular tourist destination. To be honest, when I was entering it I heard two people talking and one of them was saying that this is a place through which pilgrims to Santiago pass. 26 people live on a permanent basis in O Cebreiro and the albergue run by the Xunta de Galicia (from Spanish, the government of Galicia) has 100 places for pilgrims. This fact shows how important is the Camino de Santiago for the village. Most if not all the buildings have been renovated and the effects make an impression on you when you get there. During the night, there are almost no lights around so you can see the stars perfectly. One of the Germans knew about the starts so when we were coming back from the dinner he was explaining all about them. The next day I was descending from the second mountain range in Castile and León and although going down was the hardest type of walking for my leg, I did arrive in Triacastela feeling okay. The leg was improving


 Photo: Galicia, shortly before O Cebreiro, the Camino de Santiago

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