I had no sleep last night as every little movement caused my knees to flare in pain. The left knee is swollen and bluish, the right is just swollen. This morning I gave one of my clay shells to Mette to carry. She liked it when she saw it tied to my walking stick and I was unsure at that point whether I could continue all the way to Santiago. The pain almost got me to pack it all in. However, I called Sandy and she talked me down and propped me up. Onwards to Puente la Reina!

So I walked, painfully, on. During the fourth day the ibuprofen and the codeine were starting to work their magic and my swelling did go down some and the walking became easier.

Somehow I made it to Puente la Reina, much to the surprise of many people. Mette’s jaw latterly dropped. They thought I was going to get a hotel and see a doctor in Pamplona. However in my state I had been unable to accomplish it.

I can’t believe I made it.

I had an amazing pilgrim’s meal, some good company including Kim, Mette, Anne, Mo, and Rupert. I drank a lot of water as my body rebelled at the thought of drinking the wine. I said hello to Peter and Morag as well. I had not seen them since just outside of Zubiri. They seem to be doing well.

With the help of a variety of drugs and the first decent meal in a couple of days, I slept. Indeed, I slept in. When I woke up, the dormitory almost empty. Whoops!