May 10, 2026

I am in the region called Bierzo, part of León. Bierzo, like Rioja, is a wine producing area. The Camino meanders through many vineyards in a hilly landscape. There also are fruit trees, and right now the cherries are ripe and very good.

Ponferrada is the main city in Bierzo. It’s about 8k from Molinaseca (where I stayed last night) to Ponferrada.

Ponferrada has a Knight’s Templar castle. This is the castle that features prominently in Paulo Coelho’s book, “The Pilgrimage”.

Besides vineyards and rolling hills and cherry trees there are lots and lots of rose bushes in Bierzo.

Villafranca is another beautiful town. I walked around it quite a bit this evening, but didn’t feel much like making pictures. I kept wondering why so many streets in these old towns are crooked, almost like the towns were built helter skelter. And why the street names change without (in my view) much rhyme or reason.

Finally, since it’s Mother’s Day today in Spain, and, like Popeye would say, “I’m a mother myself”, here are two pictures of me eating a creamy confection while not celebrating Mother’s Day:

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there!