New Year celebrations will be more indoor than out

It has been a wet and stormy week for most of Greece and conditions are only expected to improve gradually from the north west after New Year. Here on Symi it has been overcast all week and today's webcam shot is no more inspiring than Tuesday's was. At least when it is wet and overcast it is a bit warmer as it is the southerly winds that bring the rain. It looks as though the New Year celebrations will be more indoor than out but we hope to have some photos for you all on Monday.

There is no bus service at the moment as the bus is in for its annual service and inspection and Lakis is having a well-earned break. As the prospect of lugging shopping up the Kali Strata in the rain is a dreary one the supermarkets in Chorio are doing well. On the whole, however, there are so few people about at the moment that even the duty taxi is idle much of the time.

It is a good time of the year for wandering around the lanes in Chorio, looking at the old ruins and noticing details usually invisible in the blinding summer sun. It is truly amazing how many different plants can grow out of a dry stone wall and the rain brings out the colours in the scraps of tinted whitewash. I vary my routes to the shops to take in some the areas that I seldom visit in the course of the summer.

Have a peaceful and joyous New Year.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

Fresh litchies, strawberries and papayas

After a clear cold Christmas weekend the clouds rolled over the Vigla on Monday morning and it has been raining intermittently ever since (see today's webcam). The outlook for the rest of the week is more of the same, punctated by gale force winds on Friday and Saturday before the next lot of rain descends upon us. Thunderstorms are also forecast. On a more optimistic note, one of my almond trees has started to open the first tentative blossoms.

Christmas is very much a family affair here and most people celebrated at home with friends and loved ones. Gifts are brought by Agios Vassilis (St Basil) on 1 January and the festive season culminates with the Ephiphany ceremonies on 6 January so this is just the beginning of a fairly long period of celebration. The shops have been well-stocked as ferry disruptions were minimal and Symiots have been able to enjoy such exotic delicacies as fresh litchies, strawberries and papayas as well as the usual seasonal citrus fruits.

Have a good week and, for those of you travelling, kalo taxidi!

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

Dinky little Christmas decorations

It is a chilly grey day on Symi and the same can be said of the rest of Greece, the only variations being in terms of depth of temperature and shade of grey. It is about 7 degrees and the snow is clearly visible on the Turkish mountains. The halogen heater at the office is not making much of an impact on the solid bulk of cold air and the cherubs on the ceiling probably wish they were more warmly attired. A palm frond doesn't do much at this time of the year. There are very few people around as those who are not tucked up in doors are over in Rhodes, doing their shopping.

Last night we were dazzled by the new streetlights now zigzagging up the Vigla behind our farm, complete with their dinky little Christmas decorations. When we bought our place 10 years ago we were in the depths of the country and the nearest street light was nearly a kilometre away. Now Symi suburbia is shining in through our skylights!

Have a peaceful Christmas.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

White horses are galloping across a cold blue sea

Temperatures dipped to freezing last night with a strong northerly wind and there was ice on the puddles when I walked to work this morning. White horses are galloping across a cold blue sea and there is not much human activity to be seen, apart from the crew of the Symi who seem to have more rust to chip than the Forth Bridge. They have, however, found time to decorate the saloon with baubles and festoons of green plastic foliage which swing ever so queasily in time to the motion of the boat. The susceptible are advised to brave the elements on the after deck and watch the horizon instead. The clear winter light reveals features invisible in summer's haze.

The low angle of the winter sun means that our side of the harbour is in more or less permanent shadow now (see webcam) and the moss is thick on the Kali Strata. The wind is yanking at the shutters and when I went up onto the parapet to adjust the webcam I was practically blown off my feet.

The schools have closed for the holidays and many people are away until the Epiphany on 6 January. The ferry yesterday morning was packed as there had been a gale warning in force over the weekend and many more will be leaving tomorrow. The Met office has forecast a clear cold Christmas for most of Greece with moderate northerly winds. While it will be well below freezing for much of the mainland, the Cyclades and the northern Aegean, here on Symi we should be looking at about 3 degrees minimum and about 9 maximum, give or take a bit for wind chill.

Have a good week - and remember, if you eat all the goodies now, there will be no surprises to look forward to on Christmas Day...!:-)

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

Big black clouds are lumbering across the horizon

The weather turned wet and windy on Wednesday and we have had some fairly heavy downpours, some of them generously laced with the sands of north Africa. Big black clouds are lumbering across the horizon and it looks as though it is still raining over Datca. Although it is calm enough now there is more on the way and gales are forecast for the weekend with more heavy rain on Sunday and Monday. After that it will turn dry but very cold with night time temperatures just above freezing and day time ones in single figures.

Many parts of Greece will have a white Christmas but we're not expecting one on Symi. At least I hope not... The last time we had snow here, in February 2004, there were extensive livestock losses on the island as few farmers have adequate shelter for their lambs in extreme temperatures and winter is the lambing season here.

Much of the harbour and Harani is without electricity today as DEH is doing some maintenance and the power is off until 3 pm. Our turn will no doubt come.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

Sunlight bouncing off the Symi's funnels

A big storm system is slowly heading this way with a deep low over Libya. It is expected to reach us tomorrow night and there are already gale warnings in force for much of south western Greece. Looking at the long range forecast we could be in for another period of sustained wet and windy weather lasting about 10 days. Temperatures are expected to drop significantly throughout the country. The forecast for farmers on television last night was one of those ones where at the end the met officer gives a little speech reminding everyone to tuck up their animals and lash down their greenhouses. Many parts of northern Greece have already been hit by heavy snow and some villages are without electricity. We once again remind anyone planning to travel to Symi at this time of the year to be prepared for the possibility of disruptions to flights and ferries.

Meanwhile, here on Symi, we have all the windows open at the office and the sunlight bouncing off the Symi's funnels is lighting up the room. The merry sound of angle grinders on metal would suggest that they are trying to get another coat of paint on somewhere before the weather turns. DEH, the electricity company, is busy delivering poles to various points around Chorio so we can expect power cuts soon when the wiring is up graded. It would be quite nice if at some point some of the old stuff was actually taken away as the Symi urban skyline looks like cats' cradle these days, or one of those 1960s string art pictures but without the symmetry.

Have a good week. I'm going home to finish reassembling my kitchen!

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

The rain is holding off

The rain is holding off, which is just as well as half my household effects are still outside. The new floor is nearly complete so I shall probably be able to start reassembling the jigsaw puzzle on Sunday, which should be rather fun. Making supper in the garden in the dark has been an interesting experience but after a week of camping and hunting for things in crates with a torch it will be good to be back indoors!

Yesterday I went to Rhodes in search of a new gas cooker. This turned out to involve a considerable amount of legwork and zero choice. Dear reader, I bought the one they had... Mind you, every shop I went into was helpful enough, it is just that Greek kitchens have moved into the 21st century in a big way and most people now have proper electric ovens with fans and other features. Eventually, 10 minutes before closing time, I tracked down an all-gas cooker, with grill and oven, upstairs at Pappou department store. Despite the fact that they were cashing up and about to turn the lights out, the shop assistant made half a dozen phone calls and dragooned two employees into loading the stove from the shop floor (the only one they had) into a truck and taking it, and me, round to the commercial port and the ferry. A bouquet to all concerned. I am looking forward to playing with it next week!

Half of Symi seemed to be on Rhodes yesterday. Even Lakis, the bus driver, escaped Symi for the day. At this time of the year the people of Symi actually make quite a contribution to the economy of Rhodes town as that is where the bulk of the summer's earnings tend to be spent.

Something I enjoy doing in the winter if I have time to spare is walking around the Old Town looking at the buildings. In the summer the place is hideous with tourist tat and it is impossible to stand still and look at anything but now the place is deserted and the archaeological sites uncluttered by tour parties. What is striking is how many of the buildings are only inhabited on the ground floor, often as shops for tourists. The upper storeys are abandoned and in poor repair - not a happy state of affairs for a World Heritage Site. While churches, public buildings and other monuments evidently qualify for generous funding for restoration, renovation and the like, judging by the rash of blue signs to that effect prominently displayed, vernacular architecture seems to be left to the resources of the owners, whether they can afford it or not. This is sad as many have timber upper storeys which are vulnerable to the elements and once lost, are gone forever.

On that thoughtful note, have a good weekend!

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

The stars outshine any Christmas baubles

Today is the feast of St Nicholas. The Symi ferry is dressed over all, flags fluttering brightly in the breeze, and anyone who has nothing else to do today is at one of the two churches dedicated to that saint, eating sticky loukoumadia and catching up on the gossip. Unfortunately neither of the Symi Visitor's resident Nicholases has been able to duck off work for the holiday but suitable greetings have been exchanged and something decent will have to be cooked for dinner by way of compensation.

The last few days have been truly glorious - temperatures around 18 degrees, picture book clouds drifting sweetly across a lavender-blue sky and crisp green seedlings punching their way through the ground wherever one looks. Wild angelica and alexanders are sprouting on the Kali Strata and the ferns are uncurling between the stones. We have had some very heavy evening dewfalls and the valleys fill with mist but the night sky is so clear the stars outshine any Christmas baubles.

This idyll, alas, is about to end. Another spell of rainy weather is already moving in from the west with gale force winds in the Ionian and we can expect some strong winds this weekend with a sharp drop in temperature. Fortunately we have plenty of dry firewood to see us through.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...

The shops are starting to unpack their Christmas stock

The day started off heavily overcast - so overcast that a friend who is helping us with some painting around the farm turned up at 7.30 am, determined to get another coat of paint on in the guest room before the clouds hanging over the Vigla dropped their load. Fortunately the clouds stooged off elsewhere and are probably raining over Orhaniye by now. There is feverish activity involving paint pots, jack hammers and cement mixers going on around my place. The reason for all this is that we have a friend coming to stay from South Africa for a month and there is nothing like the threat of an inspection from the outside world to get things moving, particularly as in winter we actually have to spend time indoors and can't fudge it by setting up bowers amongst the trees etc. The boulders that have been an awkward feature of our kitchen/salon floor are currently being reduced to dust and I have been promised a 'proper' floor. The mice won't recognise the place when it's finished.

Meanwhile, down in the harbour, the crew of the Symi continue to whang away at the rust. Steel may be practical but there isn't much romance in its maintenance.

In Chorio the shops are starting to unpack their Christmas stock. Yes, I know the rest of the developed world has been Christmassed to the gills since the summer solstice but in Greece everything is enjoyed at its appropriate season, whether it be the first sweet Kos lettuces of the winter rains or the glitter of Christmas tinsel. For some strange reason it is more fun this way. Perhaps it is because there is always something to look forward to and there are still treats to be had. After a summer of sweet tomatoes and fragrant basil from the garden, I am happy to contemplate the things I will do with the fresh dill and parsley, lettuces and other greens that are now flourishing in their place and the roses are making the most of the 'second spring' that happens before the real winter kicks in.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

Read more...