April 15, 2019
I slept so well. Though I couldn’t walk this morning. It was brutal. After a lot of ibuprofen, water, stretching, Biofreeze, and Tiger Balm, I was able to hobble out of the room to find a stamp for my passport, some food, and some help for what to do about my aches and pains.
Boots is one of my favorite stores in the UK (though I heard Walgreens purchased it) and it didn’t let me down today. Aside from my run-of-the-mill foot pain, the pharmacist told me there is really only one thing my behind-the-knee pain could be: popliteal fossa strain. I picked up some ointment called Voltarol and decided to keep my jaunt around town relatively short so I wouldn’t aggravate it.
I grabbed a coffee and got a stamp for my Pilgrim passport. The woman was very proud of Dover’s stamp. She said is was a medieval priory shield, and they had it especially made for pilgrims.
Though I’d been to Dover a bunch of times while I lived in in the UK, I never stopped; we always just drove through and onto the ferry to France, so I enjoyed seeing a bit of the town.
I walked along the water to make sure I knew the route to the foot passenger check-in station for the ferry tomorrow. Then it was back to the room to wash some clothes in the sink, tend to my popliteal fossa, post the blog, and go to bed early for the ferry tomorrow.
Oh, an update on the ongoing battle of pack weight: I’m down to 26.1 pounds without water! It’s just taking some creative refiguring. 🙂
I’ve decided to call my pack Brunhilda (“Hildy” for short) after Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia who has a complicated history/myth and is tied to the Roman Roads, particularly in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the region I’ll be walking for the next week or so. In fact, a chunk of my walking on April 20, 21, 22 will be on or near Chaussée Brunehaut, the Roman Road named after her. It’s said that she was sentenced to death by being dragged by horses down that road. As I learn more, I might make a post about her in the “More” section.
Calais tomorrow!
Canterbury to Rome 