08/12/07 CÁCERES #2

Mary and Betsy picked me up at 11:30 at the Placensia bus station and we drove to Cáceres to sight see. After looking and eating we drove back to the Casa Rural where we had dinner and a good night sleep. The following morning we drove to Trujillo which is a town with a wonderful squre and just a nice place to do some sight seeing. The three of us went our seperate ways and after about 1/2 hour Mary and I joined up on one side of the square and we could see Betsy sitting in the shadow of a large statue of a horse and a conquistador catty whampus across the square. The next thing I knew Betsy was sitting on the ground in the square and I said to Mary something like, 'I wonder why Betsy is sitting in the square?' as that is what it looked like she was doing. Just sitting there. I walked over and by that time someone else had gone up to her and as I arrived she informed me that she thought that she had just broken her foot. She had absent mindedly walked off a 2-3 foot step which was right next to the stairs. She was looking at us and her camera and never saw that the identical looking stones were actually way down there. So, the ambulance was called but it couldn't come so a police car came and took Mary and her to the hospital. I went to get the car which was a fair distance away. By the time I got to the car Mary called me and told me that they were being loaded into the ambulance to go to the hospital in Cáceres as the foot was broken and there were better and more experienced doctors for such problems in Cáceres. I followed in the car and Mary was able to help me find the hospital. The ambulance driver used his siren and zipped off over the horizon. We spent all afternoon at the hospital and after the x-rays it was established that she had broken her foot in a couple of places. Fortunately everything was still where it was supposed to be but she would have to have a pin put in after a couple of weeks so that it will heal properly. In the mean time, she has a 1/2 cast and has been advised in the most firm tone that she is not to put any pressure on that foot and cast. Explained in Spanish and English! During much of this time I was standing outside the hospital shooting the bull with a Spaniard who had worked as a back hoe operator for 35 years in Germany as only one relative was allowed in the hospital with the patient and they had kicked me out.
We finally got out of the hospital without paying anything; the Dr. said that it was up to the hospital and the insurance co. in the USA to solve. In the discussion about the money the Dr., who spoke some English, thought that Betsy had asked him if the hospital would pay her any money and the look on his face was worth a million words! We explained that the question was how we should pay for the services. OH, everything was understood!
We are in a nice room here in Cáceres with three beds in one room. This morning we internetted and were able to arrange a Business class non stop flight for tomorrow afternoon out of Madrid for New York JFK for Betsy. Her son and/or daughter in law will pick her up. She should be able to keep the foot up in Business class which is important according to the Drs.
After we get Betsy situated Mary and I are going to go to Guadelajara just East of Madrid and reevaluate our trip. Make a new plan so to say.