The flocks have come down from the mountain pastures

A brisk north-easterly wind is whipping up small white crests across Nimborio bay and the yachts are sailing hard across to Nimos. Temperatures are still in the mid twenties but feel cooler in the wind. It is expected to warm up later in the week when the wind changes to the south west with the possibility of a shower or two. The equinox has passed and the days are shortening quite rapidly now. Beach goers set off early these days as the sun disappears behind the cliffs and hills quite early now.

The carpet seller is back. The bus stop in Chorio is draped with an impressive array of acrylic carpets in shades of gold and maroon. The voluptuous tulip motifs suggest possible Turkish provenance. His truck is also stacked high with winter work boots and those bright bouncy trainers with flourescent stripes so loved by thirteen year olds. The migratory habits of hawkers are as much an indicator of the seasons as those of birds.

The flocks have come down from the mountain pastures and we are surrounded by sheep and goats. The sheep aren't too much of a bother - they nibble until they reach a fence and then carry on following the line of least resistance, but we have had several goat incursions which are most annoying. Galvanised steel fence posts pushed flat, young trees stripped and geraniums eaten to ground level. The dog chases them off when he interrupts their dinner but if he is busy chatting to the donkey over the wall at the back of the house he doesn't always wake up to what is going on 4 terraces down. A crude but effective alarm system has now been rigged. Anyone wondering at the festoons of empty coffee cans tethered to fence posts at odd points need ponder no longer!

Have a good week!

Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor

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It is still hot in the sun

Well, after I filed my report on Friday afternoon, the clouds joined hands and rained over Yialos and Pedi. About two hours later they pulled the same stunt in Chorio. Although it was only about 2 mm of rain, the downpours over Yialos and Pedi happened at lunch time and were enough to moisten more than one portion of moussaka! Fortunately it was clean rain and did not do much damage. According to the weather forecast there may be more thundershowers passing through later this week, once again without any serious winds. If we have another shower or two the island should start greening over quite quickly.

The rain has freshened the air and the shortening days and shallow angle of the sun mean that the shade is cool. It is still hot in the sun, however, with temperatures around 35 at midday. The falling leaves are letting through more light and sun in places that were shaded in high summer. The full moon has been spectacular this week and the evenings have been mild enough to enjoy dinner under the stars, listening to the tinkle of bells as the neighbour's sheep browse in the moonlight.

The harbour is still crowded with yachts and gulets each night and Pedi is busy too. Although the season for the megayachts is largely passed, serious sailors are in abundance and there are some interesting cruising yachts around, particularly with northern flags. Holland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium. Traditional designs made of wood or steel and often built for far heavier sailing conditions than the Mediterranean summer has to offer - but infinitely more comfortable for thrashing up and down the Aegean in November and December in a Force 7 or 8 than the usually GRP flotilla charter boats with their huge cockpits, sun loungers and light weight rigging.

Have a good week!

Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor

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The annual pilgrimage to Symi

A low pressure system is passing over Greece, accompanied by thunderstorms and downpours. So far on Symi we have been treated to the welcome sight of a few low grey and white clouds, soothing to sun-frazzled eyes, and even the frog in my shade house was hopping happily out into the open this morning. Fortunately the cats were too busy chasing autumn leaves through the capsicums to notice.

There is not much wind accompanying this frontal activity and ferries are unlikely to be affected. We may have a shower or two this evening but most of the rain has already fallen in other parts of Greece and from tomorrow temperatures will start to rise again as the weather clears. Yesterday was 34 degrees but today it is more like 24! The day excursion boats from Rhodes are particularly full today - a result of the cloudy weather as people look for something else to do other than lie on the beach all day.

Day-trippers aside, the island is still quite busy and island-hoppers who have not pre-booked accommodation are finding it difficult to find places to stay. The island's regular visitors who come at this time tend to stay for long periods as it is more than just a holiday, it is a catching up with old friends, both fellow travellers and Symiots alike, and this is best savoured. Old haunts are revisited, growing children admired and various small rituals that have evolved over the years are repeated. Whether it is watching the sunset from a particular spot or visiting a favourite monastery, these are the things that complete the annual pilgrimage to Symi.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor

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Yachtsmen are enjoying the steady winds

We are enjoying fairly settled weather at the moment with temperatures in the high twenties to low thirties, light winds and only the occasional streak of cloud and it would seem this happy state of affairs will continue for the next week or so. Yachtsmen are enjoying the steady winds, hikers are enjoying the good walking conditions and there seem to be clutches of painters and photographers dotted about in every suitable location. It is a bit quieter on the beaches as people are out and about doing other things. Certainly the walking books are marching out of the office at quite a rate!

The yachts in this morning's webcam shot have long gone and I am now looking into the cavernous hold of the Symi car ferry. Various tradesmen are still unloading supplies - mainly cartons of fruit juice and bottled water. There is a chap sitting on a little folding stool next to a bollard, straw hat over his eyes, fishing. Mike the harbourmaster is recumbent on the steps below our balcony, waiting for the Panormitis to come roaring in at quarter past one. Up by the traffic boom the health hydrofoil has been tied up since mid-morning, providing the various services for which the local clinic is not equipped. Now that things are not quite so hectic it is easier for people to schedule medical treatment and catch up on other things that keep being set aside.

With the children back at school the three o'clock bus from the harbour is no longer shared with inflatable crocodiles and water wings. They have been replaced by Barbie satchels.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor

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Little white sugar cubes in the sunshine

The summer is over - Greeks laden with paximardia (rusks) are waving farewell to their island relatives and heading back to the cities. The school year starts on Monday and shops that were selling tourist tat yesterday are running 'back to school' specials on satchels today. A steady procession of familiar faces has been passing through our office of late as regulars clock in to renew their subscriptions and say 'hello'. We often hear 'I first came to Symi in 1980something' but this morning we welcomed a visitor who predates virtually everyone - he is Mack Emmett, the man who was the project manager for Symi's original desalination plant down in the town square back in the early Sixties. Watch out for the October edition of the Symi Visitor for our interview with him. Well, we can't give you ex-King Constantine of the Hellenes EVERY month...(whose previous visit to Symi was to inaugurate said desalination plant!). So many of the cast from 'Bus Stop Symi' are popping up, it's time Bill Travis paid us a visit himself.

It is about 30 degrees today with a pleasant breeze and a sparkle to the air. Nimos looks close enough to touch and the holiday villages on the Turkish coast are little white sugar cubes in the sunshine. Apart from the usual wooden gulets from Datca and cloned charter boats lining the quays, we are also seeing more cruising yachts of all shapes, sizes and budgets. These are easily recognised by their wind generators, washing lines, pots of basil and other homely touches and add quite a bit to the island's economy - not by dining out in fancy restaurants but because their shopping lists cover everything from engine oil, plastic buckets and pots of paint to sacks of potatoes, powdered milk and wellington boots.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

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Rows of purple hills and blue mountains

Autumn came whisking through on Saturday, disrupting ferries with gusts up to 30 miles per hour and causing such a swell that Rhodes harbour was closed for several hours on Sunday morning as it was impossible for the ferries to dock. Suddenly the horizon has come back into focus - rows of purple hills and blue mountains edge a deep blue sea and neat triangles of white sails glide briskly past. The temperature has dropped several degrees as the cooler temperatures of Europe blow down from the Black Sea and everyone feels more awake. It is only about 25 degrees today with low humidity.

It will warm up again towards the end of the week with temperatures around 30-35 degrees but the evenings should remain cool from now on. There are no strong winds expected down here in the next few days although anyone heading for the central or northern Aegean can expect some blustery weather and the odd thundershower.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

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The diaspora Symiots are heading for home

The bustle of bright August has mellowed into the more sedate tones of September. The last of the French and Italians are departing this weekend and their place on the beaches and in the tavernas has been taken by Scandanavians, Germans, Austrians, British, South Africans, Australians, mostly of mature age and sans children. There are fewer Greek holidaymakers around and the diaspora Symiots are heading for home. In the case of more than a few, to survey the damage Hurricane Katerina has wrought as there are substantial clans of Symiots in Florida, Ohio and Alabama.

The days may be shortening but they are still hot and life is very much outdoors rather than in. There were some mysterious grumbles of distant thunder from a cloudless sky in the early hours of the morning but it is unlikely that the rainy front that has passed over southern Italy recently will have any impact here. Gardens are looking parched and frazzled and many of the terebinth and olive trees in the Pedi valley are showing signs of branches dying back. Last winter and spring were dry and the locals are all hoping for decent rainfall this year to make up for it. Symi's water supply is dependent on the springs and acquifers of Rhodes so if Rhodes has a dry winter there is less for us too. We are busy cleaning out our various cisterns and making sure that they are ready to receive the first rains. As the first rains are muddy and wash the summer's dust off the roof, we store them in a separate cistern for garden use so as to avoid wasting what can be quite substantial downpours. The reasonably clean stuff goes into a big cistern for general household use from which it is pumped into a weekly cistern to supply the house and finally the purest of the cleanest water goes into sealed vats for drinking and cooking water for the summer. Not everyone on Symi, however, has such complicated arrangements - most just fill their cisterns from the town supply and buy their drinking water in bottles!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

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