Urtega

Yesterday we started the Camino! We left the hostel after a friendly German boy took our picture. We zig zagged through the small streets of Pamplona's centre where cleaners were picking up the mess after the revelry the previous night. The road out of the city was very well marked. In no time we were at the first village where we took a short break and took a picture of the church of San Miguel. On we went. There were a lot of pilgrims on the road. It looked at times like a pilgrims highway. We were really surprised by that. Around 11am we reached the next village where we enjoyed a well deserved cup of coffee. We would need the break because after that we had to go over a hill. Up and up it went over a pad with big stones. On top there was a van where you could buy snacks and drinks. Also a van from the Refugio in Puenta la Reina. The Spanish have caught on the business opportunities these pilgrims offer! We didn't linger long and down it went. All the way to Urtega which we had chosen as our end point for the day. There was supposed to be one Refugio but there were 2. We stayed in the newer one as the original one was not open yet. That appeared to be a good choice. We doodled the afternoon away as there was nothing to see or do in the village. There wasn't even a corner store! However, the Refugio provided everything even a three course meal at night, wine included.