Fourth Time's a Charm...

Okay, so let's get this out of the way... I'm not dead, my feet haven't fallen off, and I haven't given up the ghost and returned to Canada.

Having said that, there is no doubt that I undervalued the importance of foot maintenance, assuming that, as the last 54 years have transpired, my sore, achy, reddish troll feet would just heal themselves and I would continue on...

My arrival in Ribadasella was a wakeup call of sorts... I literally couldn't walk, and was barely able to hobble up and down the stairs for dinner. Something had to give...

It's not that I hadn't tried, though. On arrival to Ribadasella, I went straight to a pharmacy, and asked for Polysporin, or whatever the Spanish topical antibiotic equivalent would be. Imagine my surprise and confusion when the pharmacist told me that in Spain you need a prescription for this.

So, it's late Saturday evening, Sunday everything is closed (although they do leave one pharmacy open), which means the earliest I will see a doctor is Monday, and then a couple more days to heal the wounds... this is bad!

So I start to do some research, and I formulate a plot. I have read that you have about a 50/50 chance to get a pharmacist to give you the ointment without a prescription, if they feel it's warranted. I will find the open pharmacy on Sunday and see what I can do... aaaand.... it turns out it's the same one I went to yesterday..... aaaand.... it's the same lady working behind the counter... rats, foiled!... but persistence can pay off, so I go into the pharmacy.... and look at bandages and ask her questions... then I leave, and come back a few minutes later, and purchase an antiseptic spray... and then I leave again and come back half an hour later and hobble around the store so she can see I'm in a bad way... then i leave again, and come back 5 minutes later, and ask about gauze... this is the big moment I have planned!... she comes out with giant gauze pads, and I shrug, pointing to my feet, where I already have my sandal undone so I can show her my infected toes... she takes one look, gasps a little, and goes into the back room, coming back out a moment later with a tube of antibiotic cream! Success!!!

After going back to the hotel and washing, antisepticing and antibioticing my little swabbies, I wait... Pretty sure I'm going to have to spend two days here to give myself time to heal, and the urge to go look around is big, but I can neither get off the bed with these clogs, nor do I think it's a smart idea, so I spend most of the day catching up on my blog..

Having said all of this, I did get out a bit on Monday, and the following photos and video I took in Ribadasella are combined from both days...

As I mentioned in my previous post, there was a cider festival over the weekend in Ribadasell. Unfortunately, I just wasn't up to participating, but I did get this video as I passed by on Sunday afternoon in search of a cafe..

The harbour, which is surrounded by a bunch of fantastic restaurants...

A view of some of the streets in Ribadasella...

While filming the street scene, I spot a chocolate shop, and am certain that you, the viewers, want to know more about it, so I go in and purchase a small sampling... Lemon in white chocolate, chocolate covered Walnut cream, glazed mandarin orange sweet, and chocolate dipped orange... you're welcome...

A commercial fishing boat heading out to sea...

I am alone for dinner Sunday night, and I am glad, because there was no way I was going to share this tuna tartare, layered with a spicy guacamole and garnished with seaweed... so fresh!

Main tonight is Pixin Negro, or monkfish... prepared in much the same way as I had it in Castro Urdiales, with fried garlic and potatoes, it was very good but didn't quite match the first offering. Interestingly, monkfish do not have spines, or the standard fish bones we are used to, so they are perfect fish for introducing children to, as they only have a cartridge that runs along the middle of the fish, and is easily separated from the flesh...

For dessert, Death by Chocolate, which looks better than it is, being slightly boring and uninspired... guess I'll just stick with flan from now on...

Kind of the same view as yesterday, but I'm a sucker for bagpipes..

Update! The big toe turned out to also be infected, with a deep tissue infection that I lanced on Monday evening. After extracting a foul smelling pus, and pushing to blood, it immediately felt much better, and I slathered it in ointment as well...

Exploring the town...

These colourful buildings just pop!

The local church...

I keep seeing these trees with beautiful hanging flowers, and absolutely love them!

Somebody's ready for dinner... I think the bird is too...

I'm in luck! A commercial fishing boat is pulling into port, and about to unload its haul...

So many different types of fish...

Some of these sea monsters are pretty ugly!

This little fella is cute, though...

A room with a view...

In the afternoon, as I sit on a patio updating my blog, Lorrine surprises me with her arrival in town... We make plans for dinner, and along with a guy I don't know from Switzerland, we find one of the few restaurants on on a Monday night...

We start with a bottle of cider, served mechanically this time...

Ready for dinner...

We had to line up for a table, as most restaurants are closed on Monday in Spain. I wasnt holding out much hope for food quality, but we saw several tables with these grilled scallop appetizers, and they did not disappoint! Once again, we were so excited when they put the platter down we dug in before taking a photo!

Main course was a creamy rice (don't think you'd call this a risotto) with octopus and prawns... absolutely stunning... we were full by the end of this and skipped dessert...

Distance walked over the 2 days- 3 kms

TOTAL DISTANCE WALKED SO FAR- 468KMS