To Find a Dentist - CDN Pause
I’m sitting here on our rented couch three hours after having a root canal on one of my teeth. Half my face is numb, but I am happy. Tomorrow we get back on the trail.
My tooth has been getting worse since Paris, and as we had been planning a rest day in Bilbao, I mentioned to my accomplice that I had tooth pain and would like to see a dentist.
Its not easy to accomodate these things as a perpetual traveller, especially when on route with no fixed address.
It’s daunting to find a dentist on short notice in a foreign place. But the only thing to do is try. My accomplice is worth her weight in gold. She reached out and got me an appointment in Bilbao for 1030 Monday morning.
We went and learned I needed a root canal on one of my teeth. However, they could not do the procedure. So we had to look for more options.
The next city up the pike was Santander, and so we searched again, this time finding a clinic that had availability and the ability to do the root canal. They said they could do it Wednesday morning.
So that is what happened. We readjusted things and headed to Santander. We are skipping 64 miles of trail, but I’ll make up for it next time. And 64 miles out of a 510 mile trail isn’t the biggest sin. Sometimes your teeth hurt, and you must attend to them.
We did a bit of city walking in Bilbao and Santander. Here’s a few photos of our findings.
The best tortilla we’ve found yet. This one in Santander. We found a small cafe, with mom and pop running the show making homemade unpretentious good food.
They also made a rockfish carrot leak onion pate we had on toast. We didn’t know what we were ordering, but it was a specialty of the house. At first, we weren’t sure about it, but we couldn’t seem to stop eating it. And by the end we decided it was very good.
I have a new favorite white wine. Alberino. I love Spanish wine. I think they are probably the best all around wine makers in the world. Of course, they are pairing their wine with excellent food, so that helps. And who doesn’t think more fondly of the food and drink you’ve had on a journey or a holiday? That’s human nature!
We took advantage of our down tome to make our own table tapas.
We found another Chamber of Ham!
We walked through the Bilbao Cathdral to the voice of a beautiful singer who had started singing outside the door. Her voice was angelic. She made this cathedral soar.
I’m happy this chapter is over. I’m happy I don’t have any more tooth pain. I’m ready to get back on the trail. Our bodies are rested. It’s time to go!