Difficult it has been to discern what to do once it became clear that Anne’s knee would not tolerate continued walking on the Camino.

At first we played it day by day. Putting weight on the left leg was painful: would this improve?

We took buses forward along the Camino route,  from Estella to Los Arcos and then to Logroño, capital of Spain’s wine growing district,  La Rioja. When we reached Logroño it happened to be September 24, Feast of St Matthew, celebrated with great enthusiasm with meat cooked over open fires, wine and drink,  music and bull fighting.

Another bus ride brought us to Burgos, a place that we long hoped to revisit. Burgos Catedral is the only Spanish cathedral which is,  on its own (not part of an historical district) a World Heritage Site. Scores of inspired artists and craftsmen from across Europe created a marvel of the “new” style — Gothic — in north central Spain, the kingdom of Aragon and Leon.

By this time we determined that we would spend another couple of weeks in Europe and then seek medical attention for the knee back in the States. We decided to visit two places that we wanted to see for the first time — Zaragoza, Spain and Naples, Italy — and then visit our dear family in Ireland.

Zaragoza is a dynamic city with the Goya Museum and much to see. Also, it was blessedly warm and sunny,  compared to the chilly dampness we left behind on the Camino route.

From Naples we fly to Ireland with hope to return to Washington DC by October 9.