Salamanca

As you can see I haven't had reliable wifi for a few days so I am trying to catch up.  Salamanca is a lovely place. Oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe. It is a bustling place but there are also lots of flats and shops for sale or rent.  We go out to dinner with Andy's family ( two brothers and a sister and their partners) it is a merry group but the place we choose for drinks is shaded and we all get cold. Ivar and Susie are celebrating their wedding anniversary and order champagne. We think the bar has to go to a bottle-o to get it because it is so long in coming. The main square is filled with people and young people all dressed up. It is their graduation day. Others are hens groups or stag groups. There is a tradition here that couples dress in costumes and parade around town doing silly things before they get married. There is a superman and half a dozen Robyns .Eventually we get given red fleecy shawls to wrap up in! 

Katharina in her shawl from the restaurant.

Karen makes an early exit as her leg is aching and I am starting to feel unwell. We find an alternative place to eat and the taking of orders is total chaos. The poor waiter gets so confused. Andy's family are a bit like herding cats.
I cough all night and can barely breathe the next morning so Peter and I take the tourist train around Salamanca. 

My breathing deteriorates and I decide that I can't walk on tomorrow. I feel really disappointed but I can barely breathe and though I have decongestant from the chemist and my Ventolin I can't get enough breath. Dinner is agony as my voice goes and I don't feel hungry. I just want to lie down but I just cough and cough.

Monday 5th May and Andrew and Peter set off. This leg is 63 kms over two days. I can hardly breathe to walk around the room so setting off would just mean I would probably fall over somewhere there isn't medical help. Karen and I head for the hospital in a taxi. It is private so not a great wait. The doctor sees me after I have paid my €95 and diagnoses broncioasthma. She puts me on a nebuliser for twenty minutes. Relief at last. I can take a breath. She prescribes Seratide and antibiotics which cost me another €80. Being sick is expensive. We head back to the Hostal and pay one more night. I have abandoned this leg and will take the bus to Zamora with Karen which will give me another rest day. I feel disappointed about missing this leg but I can't see me managing unless I break it up into 3/4 days walking on my own. I am halfway now but that leaves another three weeks. Hopefully we will both resume the walk on Thursday. I spend most of the day in my room listening to the ebb and flow of life in a Salamanca street. There is lots of singing by groups of young people which is intriguing. A busker has been singing Flamenco all afternoon.
I can feel the antibiotics are starting to work as my chest starts to loosen up finally. Karen was a godsend helping with the doctor. Her Spanish has improved a lot since she has had to be recuperating from her ligament injury.