A Strategic Decision

We have been on the road for more than a month now.  The last night in León, we had to make a decision. We have found a comfortable pace and rest schedule, and we are steadily progressing toward Santiago. However, we are taking much longer than we anticipated, and we cannot just speed up. So, do we delay our return for 10 days, or find a way to make up time?

The latter was an option as we were in a big city, with all the transit options that entails. Since our goal was always Santiago, and we’re doing it for our own convenience, we decided to skip ahead by train. Next we had to decide how far: a day and a half to Astorga, or three days to Ponferrada. The former doesn’t buy us much time saving; the latter puts us back on our original schedule of finishing after about a month of hiking. As far as the Compostela is concerned, all that matters is the last 100 kilometers. So we jumped a train to Ponferrada and walked ahead to Cacabelos.

This got us past the next mountain, and more importantly, a very steep downhill segment near Ponferrada where many have fallen. The weather has been favorable, and we are now in the el Bierzo region, a microclimate which reminds us of home. Hemmed in by mountains, they have a wet, temperate climate which makes great roses and wines.

While we are getting more up/downhill segments and rain, the trails have been very good and the temps warm enough to make the rain just a nuisance. We still haven’t solved the challenge of timing our meals. When we want dinner, they are only serving tapas; when we want tapas, the bars are on siesta. We stayed in Cacabelos last night and la Portela tonight, before heading to o’Cebreiro tomorrow. That is the beginning of Gallicia, an ancient Celtic region where the cuisine turns more toward seafood, and the music and climate resembles Ireland.

All things considered, we are in a good rhythm, and even my cold has cleared up. We look to finish strong in the coming ten days!