Life's a Stitch

Long day, long post. We passed the ruins of a Pilgrim Alburgue and hospital built in 1185. That gives you a feel for the numbers who have made the pilgrimage over the centuries.

The primary affliction of those on the Camino has to do with feet. There are worse things. We have passed several memorials dedicated to those who have died on the path, usually at the top of a steep segment. I imagine someone who trudged to the top and stopped to catch his breath when that artery finally gave out.

Back to the feet. We saw a young man wearing one boot and one flip flop due to severe blisters on one foot. A man from Vancouver WA needed to see a doctor for bruises on the bottom of his feet. This woman from Sweden was treated at lunch by two Camino Angels, who roam the Way by car seeking pilgrims in need of footcare.

Footwise we're doing pretty well. I learned an important lesson in making sure your socks are on straight. We're using toe sock liners and one crookedly lined toe resulted in a large blister. C told himself he won't get blisters, but he's having issues with pain in his little toe so he's had a day walking in his soft shoes.

We've walked through many vineyards sampling the grapes along the path. Reds:

And whites:

In the vineyards we've come across many interesting stone buildings designed for storage and shelter.

Inside that one there was a variety of artwork left by pilgrims.

Tomorrow will be a shorter day, 9 or 10 miles, with two stretches of up.