Day 21: Yup, Still Pau🤣😎, 🌞, 34°

Progress!!

This morning while laying in bed, I decided that I was going to try and take matters into my own hands. There had been no email from the insurance people overnight, which led me to conclude that they had made no progress. Time to get things sorted out.

After a refreshing cold shower, it was so warm all night, I went down to the nearby patisserie and picked up a usually reliable pan aux raison.

I was pretty disappointed, but at least my tea was excellent. I didn’t get the name of the place as I won’t return.

I figured out the bus and then walked over to where I could pick it up. It took me straight to the hospital which was super.

I went inside and there was some sort of screen computer to get a number ticket so a person could get served by one of various departments. However, there was also an information desk. I went over to speak to the woman there and asked her if she could find someone in their administration who could speak English with me.

About 10 minutes later, a woman named Isabelle came up to me and asked me to follow her to the admin offices. Wonderful, I didn’t have to wait through the long lineup. I happily tagged along. 🙂

We went into the back office area on a separate floor, and she invited me into her section. Everybody was super friendly and when they heard I was from Canada they gave me lovely smiles. How welcoming, right?

Isabelle got down to work and quickly found my file online. I slowly explained everything I was going to require and she made several phone calls. Eventually, she found the right people and they promised to come down with printed copies of the test results that were performed on Friday in emergency including the doctor’s reports. We were definitely making progress!

We then moved on to a discussion about the stress test that the insurance company requires before I can be approved to fly home. She said she would take me up to the appropriate department in the hospital where this could be scheduled. Once again, I was greeted really nicely by the office staff in the cardiology department. A detailed explanation of my needs followed, and I was told that I would receive a phone call to confirm an appointment. Great!

Isabelle walk me down to the main hospital entrance, where I thanked her profusely. How nice of her to take the time out of her busy day to help me sort out things! I walked to the bus stop and took the bus back into town. I walked to a brasserie where I had a cold drink, it’s so hot here! They had the misting sprinklers above the tables which helped me to stay relatively cool.

I proceeded to take photographs of each of the documents. I almost felt like a spy from a cheap novel!😅 I then attached the documents to two emails addressed to the insurance company in Windsor Ontario together with a covering letter explaining what I had managed to accomplish this morning.

While I was sitting there people watching I received a telephone call from the hospital asking me to come to the cardiac department this Friday at 2:30 in the afternoon for the stress test. Dennis, the stress test is going to be conducted on a bicycle in my walking shorts and sandals.👍 Finally a little exercise!😆 I received two follow up texts, confirming the appointment and also asking me to be there 45 minutes earlier. I wrote a third email to the medical insurance folks, advising them of the details of my test and asking them to phone me to confirm everything. I need their confirmation before proceeding with any further test, even though they have already told me that I’m supposed to have this test. I’m just trying to follow their rules.

I was so pleased with my mornings efforts that I decided to have a really good lunch today. So I went looking for a restaurant, and I eventually found a really good place called, Les Pyrénées which I thought was completely appropriate. I was supposed to be climbing over the Napoleon pass in the Pyrenees today.

The food is excellent! I’m writing this as I eat my lunch.

I’ve been a little frugal with my eating and spending because of the potential insurance claim. I’m not quite sure why?🤣 However, today I said the hell with that, and I’m delighted that I did. Great to get out of that little apartment, which is beginning to drive me a bit batty.

I had a good chat online with my Camino buddy, Ken and we sort of decided that I could come back here again with the idea of walking the Camino Madrid to Leon and across the Camino San Salvadore to Orviedo where I would turn left and cross the Primativo Way. Or perhaps I dream this?😏

I’m hoping to have a good conversation with my friends, John and Cordu in Germany later this afternoon. They have been in touch with me repeatedly these last days, which is just great. The three of us met in 2014 on the Via de La Plata and have remain good friends ever since. We’ve talked often, and finally had the opportunity to again meet each other face-to-face a couple of years ago in the Netherlands. So I’m looking forward to our chat. I’ve been fortunate to develop a lovely community of distance walking friends.

John and Cordu have just completed the next section of a Camino route that they are following from the Baltic Sea to Santiago. They started in the north of Germany during Covid and after a pause, they have managed to walk another section down to the German/French border.

I certainly picked the right restaurant. The food was amazing and the music they’re playing contains a lot of my favourites. I just told my waiter, who I think is the owner, that the meal was amazing, and his response was a fist pump!😂

From here I will return to my little apartment, after getting a few groceries, where I will turn on the fan and strip down to my underwear in an effort to keep cool.😎 I expect to hear from the insurance company very soon when they get to work in Ontario, just 6 time zones away from here. Hopefully everything can get finalized.

And that’s about it from here. A productive day. Ah, now some massive lightning and thunder just above my little apartment! Woke me up from a heat and beer induced afternoon nap!

Cheers!🍻

Geoff