Day 1 Pamplona to Uterga

To recap our travels to this point, everything went smoothly, the flights were all good.  Angel number 1 appeared to tell us which bus to take at the airport in Madrid and where to get off.  Information gave us directions to our hotel 2 blocks away but we took the long way and 4 blocks later we spied it way down the street!  The room was great, very sleek and modern and resonable.  We would recommend it to anyone, the AC Hotel Atocha.  Next morning we walked 2 blocks to the train station and bought our tickets for Pamplona (the orange juice or zuma de naranja, at the station was the best fresh orange juice ever!).  Angel number 2 appeared on the bus from the train station in Pamplona.  She told us exactly where to go (a 10 minute walk) to find the Albergue Jesus y Maria.  I was sure we were going in the wrong direction as the streets in this very old part of Pamplona were narrow and empty (siesta time) but it wasn´t long before we spied some mud splattered pilgrims heading the same way we were so we followed them since they seemed to know where they were going.  We were allowed to stay at the Albergue since we were starting our pilgrimage the next day.  We paid 7 Euros each for a bed.  There were 3 bunk beds in each cubicle (6 people).  There was also a kitchen where we made our dinner, unisex showers-washrooms and coin laundry.  Angel number 3 appeared in the bunk next to ours to tell us that the next day, May 1, was a holiday and nothing would be open so we should shop for our lunch and snacks that night.  He even told us where to find the market.  When I asked him his name he said Forrest Gump, but we called him Angelo (male angel). Next day we started walking at 7 a.m.  The Way was very well marked, the weather is cool and overcast but very comfortable.  There are a lot of pilgrims on the road today, some fast, some slow like us.  Before long we are climbing and climbing on a very rough and muddy track up to Alto Perdon with the huge wind turbines we have been able to see all morning.  The steel scupture of the pilgrims is also there to greet us.  Next is a very steep, rocky descent to the village of Uterga.  Day one of the camino has us taking it easy on ouselves.  At 1 p.m. we decide to stop in Uterga, 17 kms from Pamplona.  We have seen people from all over the world, Sweden, France, Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, Holland, Norway, Spain and even Canada.  They all wish us "buen Camino".