19: Zarautz and a tick

The descent into Zarautz is much like the descent into many other towns on Spain's northern coast. After walking through mountainous terrain and rugged shorelines for a while, the view opens up to show a beach right beneath you, with a city to its left and the blue waters of the Bay of Biscay to the right of it. There was a beach promenade further down, and a golf course as well.

I soon found the clinic. I was getting heartily sick of the weight I was carrying, though. Even though I'd only been walking for four days, I could already tell by the feeling of my pack whether my water bottle was full, half-full or empty. I wondered for the umpteenth time if I should get rid of the guitar.

I walked right into the most positive experience in a clinic of my entire life. The people were friendly and forthcoming. My Dutch insurance card got me in completely hassle-free -- not only was I charged no money, but I did not need to fill in any paperwork. I did not have to wait more than five minutes in the waiting room.

The nurse was friendly and we chatted about my pilgrimage. She had done part of the trip herself and was going to do another leg this summer. She removed the tick with a pair of sterile tweezers and killed it. I had felt a little self-conscious, going to a clinic because of a stupid tick, but that was put in order. I told her it's been over ten years since my last tetanus shot, so she gave me one then and there. This was great, because it meant I wouldn't have to worry about this every time I scraped my knee or whatever.

At the end she gave me a lot of advice for my pilgrimage. She told me to wear two pairs of socks to avoid blisters on the feet (I had been doing this already) and to get another pair of shoes or sandals or slippers or whatever (which I was reluctant to do, since the weight on my back already felt excessive). She remarked on my sunburn.

I headed out. I followed the signs to the Franciscan monastery. I saw that there was a church service about to take place, so I went in and sat down. I had never been in a Catholic Church for mass before, and had been hoping to remedy that for a long time. I decided this would be a good opportunity to stop procrastinating.