Some history of Casa Maralotx

Last September 5th we had a surprising and very pleasant visit in Casa Maralotx: Fernando Gimeno came to visit and stay with us. Fernando is a life-long pilgrim, with dozens of Caminos on his legs, who also received a surprise himself…

Fernando is doing the Camino from Paris – the only of the four Caminos through France he had still not walked. When Fernando reached Cirauqui, he got a big surprise – a visit from his wife, daughter and granddaughter, whom he hadn’t seen since he left for Paris to start his Camino weeks ago.

All together they walked the path into Cirauqui and reached Casa Maralotx, where Fernando was hoping to stay, with no previous reservation. He was lucky and got one of our last beds that day.

The surprise for Fernando and his family was that the albergue where he was hoping to get a bed for the night was located in the very same house they remembered as “Jesusa’s house”. Fernando and his wife, Ana, had walked through Cirauqui in 1982 and 1993, and both times they met Jesusa, the previous owner of the house where Casa Maralotx now is.

Fernando and Ana told us that the first time, in 1982, Jesusa insisted on walking with them, with the assistance of her walking cane, from the village to the Roman Bridge – as in those days the Camino was not as well marked as it is now, and many pilgrims got lost trying to find their way out of the village. They then walked her back to her home, in appreciation. And then in 1993 once again Jesusa walked them to the Roman Bridge and again, they walked back with her to her home.

Here are two photos of those two visits of Fernando and Ana to Jesusa at her home’s doorstep, which Fernando has very kindly sent us, scanned from the original negative film: