Tortosa. 2.

Walking across town from the Hostal Virginia (€30), where I had shower and relaxed an hour under the welcome Aircon and it's all about different pharmacy led displays suggesting the temperature is climbing steadily towards the mid thirties.

Imagine walking in the afternoon without any shade along the side of that canal - It'd kill me for sure.

Is there somewhere in Spain where the thermometer is not gradually increasing so I can hide away? Staring at four walls isn't ideal, although there is some physical relief, but bordem levels increases and I get a little neurotic about tomorrow. Now I am lacking motivation to carry on on the Camino del Ebro. It's too hot to do much, but I can't control it. Imagine working in it?

Perhaps I stop the Camino... There will be other times. Perhaps I head back to the coast and stay near the sea? I know there is a sea breeze and the sea to take the edge off.

Tomorrow the suggestion is to  walk as far as Benifallet and make a decision about which direction to follow: the GR99 follows the river, where the Camino del Ebro goes up to the mountains: where I will find no respite from the scorching hot sun.

Tortosa is the end of the train line which heads all the way to Barcelona. Perhaps I chuck it and head there? It's been years since I stayed anywhere close to it...

This is fizzling out.

***

And that's all folks!

Bed bugs crawling all over my body! It was just gone midnight when I felt irresistibly itchy. It's the third time I've been in a similar situation, but the first where, as I was about to go to find the hostalleros, I locked myself out of the room! Luckily I was dressed, at least from the waist down!

In the lobby I called the hostess and she understood no English and I no Catalan. I had to knock on the nextdoor neighbours door, then the hostess and husband came and I could show them the whopper of a biter I'd discovered... I'd killed a few who were clearly full of my blood leaving the squashed bodes on the white sheets.

The room, although small, and without a view of any kind from the window, was clean and functional so bed bugs were truly unexpected! At €30 the room has no view...

So I got moved to another room around one and, finally, slept well and now I am heading back towards the Delta rather than put myself in harm's way with nowhere to stay. I will stop walking after I've returned along the GR99 to Deltebre, which I didn't visit last time as els Muntells is miles from somewhere, anywhere, nowhere. 5 nights in an apartment  and no more walking in the blistering heat; well that's my plan. Today I just go with the flow. In this establishment, Panadería Alqueza, I had a slice of pizza for breakfast which is very unexpected, but they were fresh from the oven and 'every little helps' towards coronary... I've a long day ahead of me.

Last night I stayed away from the temptations of Tortosa. If I'd gone back into town from the Hostal then the discovery of bedbugs with too many beers might've got me locked out, nude and entirely incomprehensible. I've been locked out nude on a couple of occasions before, but never with bedbugs as the opponents to a good night's rest!

Last night I had no dinner, supper or late night snack so the slice of pizza for breakfast was the correct thing to do?