Okay, I was in the women’s this time and a man came out. Single holer, so it didn’t matter, but damn!

I’ve got on both pairs of long Johns and double socks. I’m waiting till the others fall asleep to be a blanket thief.

Yesterday I eventually figured out that even though my map wasn’t giving me directions, I appeared as a blue dot and I could track my progress. Until the cab driver, I was so far off the map from my destination I couldn’t even see myself.

And I realize that money is a protection. Had I the funds, I could have taken a nice safe cab. But I wouldn’t have had the adventure (even wracked as it was with visions of street sleeping and police stations.) With more money, I might have stayed in a safe, comfortable hotel with a helpful concierge to smooth my way. I wouldn’t have had the trouble and worry and exhaustion of yesterday.

But armor is not only protection, it is insulation. It keeps out things you might want to let in.

I saw what great care the Spanish take of their elderly, as I passed pair after pair of someone giving an older person their arm. I saw parents walking with their children, person after person walking their dog. And cars that actually SAW ME, a pedestrian. I felt respected by the traffic even though I was walking. In the USA the attitude is “Well, if you didn’t want to get hurt you should have been in a car like a sensible person.” That’s if they even realize they hit you. Drivers in the USA, or maybe Texas, more accurately, only see other drivers.

Anyway, back to money. Schwab did an override and released my funds early, but I still don’t have a lot. ( I can just get to the little I have.) And I can pay another $10 to be a little blue dot again. That will save a lot of the stress and worry. BUT I won’t be as willing to reach out for directions. Insulation as well as protection.

I think I’m going to do it though. Once I get to Pola de Allande I won’t be going much of anywhere, and I do have the money coming from the rental of the house.

So when I go to the Prado, today’s adventure, I will be a blue dot on a bus. It’s too far to walk and now that I can access more than four euros I’m comfortable spending the money. I just hope not to need a bathroom.

I could not figure out how to flush the toilet on the plane. I eventually concluded it would do so automatically when I opened the door. Not so. I left a mess for the next person.

So the toilet I used this morning wouldn’t flush. It had a knob on the top that came off in my hand. And I thought, “ I can’t leave a mess again; I just can’t.” But how much more complicated than an American toilet can a Spanish toilet be? So I took the top off the tank and pushed on the part the knob was to control. No dice. So I pulled. It flushed. And in getting it back together I dropped my phone in the tank.

FORTUNATELY, I insisted on a waterproof case for my phone, even waited extra days to get one. And I’m pretty religious about putting the charging tab back in. So all is well. But I would really like to have an adventure that doesn’t involve getting lost or a bathroom.

I looked up directions to the grocery before I left. It was quite a walk and I forgot a bag so I had to buy one. I bought bread, salad, an apple, and Coke Zero. They have caffeine-free Coke Zero here! That’s it. I’m moving.

So I go to walk back and my map won’t work. Or at least it won’t give me any directions. So I make a guess and start out. I discover being a pilgrim is very different from being a tourist. The trail for a pilgrim is marked, and if you get off there are people who know you are lost just by looking at you. Not so if you’re just an elderly lady with shopping.

I’m not in a tourist area so there is very little English. I tried a farmacia, thinking they would need English. Nope. Tried a fruteria (fruit stand,) because I was desperate. Most helpful was a cab driver. I couldn’t take the cab because I only have four euros cash left.

Since the last good long sleep I got was Saturday, after walking so many miles (not sure how many; Apple Watch died) I was so exhausted I had to nap before I could even finish this post. I hope the salad I bought is still good in the morning. Maybe I’ll risk it in the communal fridge.

I went to Reception and got a towel. (“Toalla” pronounced “toe-Ahd-ja.”) Now I’m going to go wash off some grime, brush my teeth, and take my medicine so I can sleep. I’ve had all the adventures I can afford today.

They don’t speak much English here and don’t quite know what to do with me. But until I get the money from the house (which finally rented!) I don’t have a lot to spare. And pennilessness is the stuff from which adventures are made!

I couldn’t get onto the airport WIFI so I’m paying $10 for today. I couldn’t find where to catch the taxis. I found the buses, but I find bus schedules confusing even when I speak the language. I found Uber, but I don’t have the app downloaded and I couldn’t with my cellular data. Walking wasn’t an option; the pack was too heavy and airports are necessarily nowhere close to town.

I finally found them. The driver didn’t speak English, so I showed him the address. “PERO,” I said, “Tengo treinta y cinco euros. Can I do it for that?” Menos,” he replied. So the taxi ride took 30 of my 35 euros but I didn’t feel I had a choice.

The hostel is not terribly nice but it is cheap, which is what I need. My money showed up on my Schwab card so I don’t have to use my credit card. I can’t check in yet but I got the password to the WIFI and I have a place to sit. If I wasn’t afraid of losing it I’d go to a nearby bodega and get a drink. But I can survive. It’s all good