Discover Jueus Village (Tondela), Hiking, Trekking, Walking Trails, Tracks, Pedestrian Routes, Portugal

The television has a weak signal of TDT (Digital Terrestrial Television). The image hides behind a flashy and noisy sandstorm. The internet access is very slow, almost nonexistent, at least in our room. And it’s good to be “offline”!
The perfect conditions were set for a quiet weekend with the family.

I am in Jueus village in Serra do Caramulo, municipality of Tondela. I arrived with the sun almost hidden behind the mountains and the cold weather invited the population to take shelter in the warmth of the fireplace.
Saturday catholic mass ended recently in the Chapel of the Child Jesus and I meet some old women with the traditional black shawls, who venture out into the open and are now returning home.

I walk the cobblestone streets where pieces of snow stays in the eaves and gutters of the doors. Smoke from the fireplaces dances in the chimneys in this late afternoon.

I hardly feel my fingers and I avoid taking them out of the pockets, just for the time it takes to take a picture. In Serra do Caramulo an icy blanket falls with the approach of the night.

I walk the cobblestone streets where pieces of snow stays in the eaves and gutters of the doors. Smoke from the fireplaces dances in the chimneys in this late afternoon.
In the village, the lights come on gradually. It reminds me that there is still life inside those walls. A hard, simple and quiet life. I guess a happy life, too.
The small gardens resist to the cold weather as they can, sheltered between walls of granite rock. The landscapes for the Besteiros Valley fill my chest, not of cold air but of a reassuring comfort. I take a deep breath. The smoke continues to come out of the chimneys in endless dances, and the night finally comes.
I return to the warmth of the room in this mountain village.