Oohh, Casa Morgade. I have such good memories. I posted about them a few years ago, and will paste it in here, because this is a very special place.
I can tell you that the family who runs the casa rural in Morgade is absolutely delightful. I stayed there in 2000, when it had just opened. At that point it had a six room Albergue, and a small café for drinks. The woman who owned the place made the five of us dinner downstairs. She told us a lot about her life story, a young woman from the big city of Bilbao who fell in love with a farmer from Morgade. To the disbelief of her urban family, she picked up and moved to the farm. She told me she had never regretted it, and had become quite an expert at doing things like making chorizo and sausage, helping out with the livestock, etc. And a little Albergue kept her busy as well.
Fast forward 15 years, and I once again passed by Casa Morgade, this time just for a drink. I asked the young man serving me whether the woman from Bilbao was still involved in what had expanded to a huge restaurant and rural hotel. He took me into the kitchen, and there she was, still working, still smiling, still loving it. She was now being helped by two more generations of family members. Though she didn't remember me, we sat and talked for a while and she reflected on how her life changed all those years ago when she left Bilbao as a young girl in love with a farmer. She was obviously, and justifiably, very proud of the business she and her family had built.In my opinion, the Casa Morgade is an absolutely great place to stop. Good quality, honest business people, and very good treatment. They deserve all of the business they get.
So often, people who devote themselves to serving pilgrims get burned out and resentful as the years go by. Not this very special family.