Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 In : Carnival
 Is it a celebration of Carnival or is it a protest against the governments austerity measures? Probably a bit of both. Not only in Lissabon, but even in the sleepy village of São Marcos da Serra, people are getting fed up and angry with the government´s measures to master the crisis. Today, there were demonstrations of protest near the Football Club, at the church and next to the village donkey. Here the pictures that speak for themselves. ... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 In : Carnival
 The children of the village celebrate Carnival 2012.  Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Sunday, January 8, 2012 In : way of life
When you ask one of the older inhabitants that has lived in São Marcos da Serra his/her entire life, to tell you about the past, you will probably hear a deep sigh first. "Aaahhhh, when I was young, things were very diffent here...." The village was prosperous, the hills were clean from weeds, there were no ruins and the montes (houses) were full of life and people.
In the fifties of the last century São Marcos da Serra was indeed a busy place. There were around ... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Monday, December 26, 2011 In : information
 Since 22 years Hortense Dias is the proud owner of Agencia Funeraria Pimentel Dias. Not only is this the funeral agency of the village of São Marcos da Serra, but Hortense Dias is also the local expert on mushrooms that grow in the serra. Local people pick the wild mushrooms in the surrounding hills and take them to Hortense. Here you can buy the fresh, wild mushrooms, but most of the harvest is exported to Spain and is sold to Germany, Switserland, Italy and t... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Sunday, December 11, 2011 In : sport and entertainment
 Come and join the New Year´s celebration 2011-2012 in the Serrano Futebol Clube in São Marcos da Serra. On December 31 there will be live music and dance as of 21.30 hours with Caria Santos and Yone Santiago. There will be caldo verde soup, shrimps, suckling pig, snacks and deserts available. Sign up at the Serrano Futebol Clube in the village! ... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 In : nature
While the winter months arrive, many people love to drink a nice hot cup of tea to warm up. The people in the area of São Marcos da Serra love their teas. And they don´t only taste good, but they are also great for your health. Here are 2 of their favorite ones: 
Chá Bela Luisa or Lúcia Lima (Aloysia triphylla) This plant is native in South America and. The leaves of this plant are used (preferably fresh from the garden) to brew a lovely calming tea. The Por... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 In : nature
Since last year the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), called Gorgulho Vermelho in Portugal, has appeared in São Marcos da Serra as well. Anybody loving his palm trees should watch out!This pest originated in India in 1891 and spread through Egypt to Spain in 2004. Since 2007 this beetle has entered the Algarve. At first it was only active at the coast, but it is spreading rapidly inland. It now has reached the border to the Alentejo. Th... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 In : food and recipes
In Portugal the acorn is so important that they have a different name for each type of acorn. The acorn of the cork oak (sobreiro) is called a lande (or landre) and the acorn of a holm oak (azinheira) is called a bolota (or boleta). The acorns mainly serve as food for the pigs, but the bolota also used to be a very important source of food since the ancient Lusitanian people populated Iberia. It was a welcome addition to the shortage of cereals in the w... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Friday, November 11, 2011 In : nature
After the first rains of the autumn visit the Algarve, the mushroom season starts. Of course you have to make sure that you know exactly what you are doing, otherwise leave them alone. Each year there are people dying because they made a mistake with mushrooms in the wild. So be careful!
This mushroom for instance is a Parasol (Macrolepiota procera), Roco in Portuguese. It is a very common mushroom here and many people go into the serra to look for them now. If you... Continue reading...
Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Friday, October 14, 2011 In : sport and entertainment
 Football is omnipresent in Portugal, you might even speak of "footballization" of the Portuguese society. This also goes for São Marcos da Serra. Here the football-a-holics are divided between the clubs of Benfica and Sporting (or should I say Sporting and Benfica?). Anyway, the third important national club, Porto, is out of the picture here.A little bit of history Football was brought to Portugal in the late 19th century by Portuguese students who ret... Continue reading...
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