The last few days have been through a region called Bierzo. Still technically part of the Castilla y León province, but has distinctly different geography and climate from points further east on the Meseta. It’s probably my favorite part of Spain. It’s after the Meseta, but before the green heavy dampness of Galicia. The topography consists of beautiful rolling hills, and there are charming little villages, nestled into the valleys. Some of the best wines in Spain are made in Bierzo, and there are other regional specialties as well, such as Pimientos de Padrón and miel (honey). Just before O Cebreiro, you enter Galicia, the most northwestern province of Spain.

I’m still struggling with the shin splints. I think what aggravated it is the fact that the last four days have been primarily walking on asphalt and concrete between villages. I can immediately tell a difference in the pain level when I’m walking on a dirt or gravel path versus hard pavement. It’s frustrating. Although when I walked the Camino in 2024, I had an injury that required me to stay put for a week, I was largely without pain on the journey. This time around, it’s felt different. I’m battling pain on the daily. Whether it was pain in my heel bones from my original shoes which were not suited for me, or shin splint pain, or knee and hip pain that came from altering my gait due to the shin splints, it’s ever present. I don’t think my fitness has declined in two years, and my weight is about the same as it was two years ago, so I’m unsure of the reasons why I’m struggling so much physically. Accompanying this struggle, of course, is the mental challenge of remaining present in the moment despite the pain, and not skipping over the absolute beauty that I’m seeing all around me.

My original plan for today going into the iconic mountain top village of O Cebreiro was to ride a horse to the top! I was assured by people who had gone on a few days before, that there was plenty of availability and one needed only to message the horse guy a day or two ahead of time. That turned out not to be the case, and he said that he was booked up all the way to November! So, my options were to power through (1600 feet of altitude gain over 5 ish miles) and risk seriously impacting my ability to walk relatively pain-free for the next week and a half, or to make other arrangements. I chose the latter, and arranged a taxi from the little town of Vega de Valcarces.

I’m currently sitting outside a little cafe in O Cebreiro drinking sangria, looking out over the mountains, and listening to great music (apparently the owner of the cafe is a huge Tom Waits fan).