October 3, 2004
Sunday

Güermes to Santander

In spite of sleeping in such a nice place, I had a terrible night. What is worse than having a mosquito buzzing around your head? Having a mosquito stop buzzing around your head! Then you don’t know where it’s landed! To make matters worse, the bed was too short and I couldn’t get comfortable. I hate mosquitoes and after several attempts to slay them all, I decided to fall back on insect repellent, although I hate the smell of it and don’t like it on my skin. But I was desperate, so I jumped up to find my bottle of repellent in my back­pack. But I couldn’t remember where I’d put it, so I had to empty out about half my pack.

I was still tired when the alarm rang at 8:00 o’clock, but I felt compelled to get up (remember it’s just barely light at 8:00 a.m. in Spain) because Don Ernesto would be joining me. As I entered the library, I found that he had already made coffee.

As we sat and chatted, I asked him about the name of the albergue: Cagigal. He said it’s a type of tree found in the area. And that there used to a big one down in the valley under which pilgrims would find shelter. The house was built by his grandfather, but he himself built the albergue. It’s under a special trust for its continuation. Again, this is the spirit of el Camino.

After he took my photo for his collection, Don Ernesto wished me a buen camino and said the route to Somo, where I would get the ferry to Santander, was easy. As I walked down the path, my new four-legged friend galloped up to me. So, I stood a few minutes talking to him (a horse can’t talk of course. . .) and patting his soft forehead. I actually think he was sorry to see me go.

After a few miles, a carrilbici (bike track) appeared along side of the road. Don Ernesto was right — the way would be easy. At least it should have been. But I tired easily, and stopped at 10:30 for coffee, and again at 12:30 at a gas station for water. I felt really tired, so I tested my blood: 90. This was in spite of the fact that Don Ernesto’s breakfast consisted of British-style shortbread crackers (read cookies) and marmalade. Not wanting to go hypo in the hot sun, I bought an ice cream cone — something I don’t normally eat. (Note: three hours later my blood was 96 — low in spite of the sugar in the ice cream.)

I attribute the low blood sugar level to the stress of a bad night. It is a fact that many things affect glucose levels. Most people think that it’s a simple matter of watching what you eat or just simply taking more insulin. It’s not that simple! Once when I complained to my diabetes specialist about the unpredictability of controlling glucose, he said, “That’s diabetes for you.”

Thus, diabetes requires ongoing monitoring and ongoing adjustments. This is why I test three or four times a day (sometimes more when I’m hiking). This is also why I carry some type of candy or sugar in case I over adjust. However, I’m reluctant to use the candy because I could end up in an over/under cycle that can be harmful.

By the time I reached Somo, I was feeling much better. I made my way to the wharf and only had to wait about 15 minutes for the next boat to Santander. The passage across the large bay saved a couple days of travel, which is why most pilgrims throughout the centuries have generally used this mode of travel.