This is getting old
I stayed in all day yesterday in Madrid, resting up and utilizing the hotel's wifi for frivolous pursuits, but the affects on my condition were disappointingly subtle. I'm not sure what to do. Throwing together a treatment plan for myself would be fairly simple if I could find a pharmacy, but the chances of anything other than an emergency department being open on Easter Sunday are almost nil. My current malady certainly doesn't warrant such urgent attention. Today is a day on the road, with stops at Burgos to eat lunch and visit the grave of El Cid, and then continuing to Bilbao, where we will be taken for sightseeing before going to our hotel.No one can stay in the bus during these stops, and so I must find a place to settle myself outdoors until they're willing to let us back inside. At Burgos it will probably be about 2 hours. As much as I'd enjoy the leisure to explore if I were in fighting shape, this is not going to be fun. They can best give me my money's worth today by getting me to my next bed as soon as possible.
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We were, as predicted, dropped in Burgos for 2 hours. I inadvertently left my hand sanitizer in the bus, which was completely inaccessible during our visit. I didn't want any food, really, or any souvenirs, but I needed a lavatory, which meant the public WCs were my only option. This is normally not a disaster, but today it was bad enough to drive me to tears. I'll spare the details, but let it suffice to say it was inexcusably filthy and left me with no way to wash myself, then topped that off with trapping me inside for a couple of minutes, fearing that I was about to get sprayed down(maybe I should have let it?). This is not something I easily tolerate, but I thought surely there would be another place to wash my hands or to buy sanitizer. After walking the streets for an hour, in and out of shops and even consulting the tourist information center, where I was regarded quizzically and directed to a public fountain, I found no solution. Finally, I simply walked to the back of a restaurant to find their facilities and use the sink. I had every intention of patronizing their establishment afterward, but a sign on the bar specifically said not to disturb them because there was no service at the bar. In an attempt to be compliant, I found an empty table and waited. This had no apparent result, and so I left and bought bottled water and a bag of walnuts at a candy store instead. The cathedral in the center of town has a beautiful facade, but I felt no desire to go inside with a mass in progress. I sincerely feel like I can't think straight today. It's as though simple problems, which I should be able to solve easily, suddenly seem insurmountable. I know more than enough Spanish to communicate my needs to anyone in town, but I draw a blank when I start to try to ask a question or explain myself. I can't figure out why. I'm not nearly sick enough for my illness to be causing any psychological symptoms, unless they're purely a result of sleep deprivation. I want to feel normal again so I can write happy and coherent things.
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I'm feeling a little better now, but should definitely be in bed rather than at the center of Bilbao, where we'll be staying for the next hour by popular vote. I found a nice bench, and it's not so bad out here at the moment. We'll try this again tomorrow. For now, guess which installation at the Guggenheim makes me say "NOPE" in multiple languages...
laguia.
