Adriana's Symi-a Greek island diary: June 2007

A Fine Haze of Smoke

The heat is starting to ease and the breeze is almost cool. Fires are still raging in many parts of Greece and attempts to contain them are being complicated by high winds. While some of the fires may be blamed on the heatwave, others are definitely the work of arsonists who left behind evidence in the form of incendiary devices and flares. The EU is supplying additional firefighting equipment, particularly in the form of helicopters with water-dropping capabilities. Fires are a huge problem in Greece every year and cause millions of euros of damage to property as well as to the environment. A fine haze of smoke is tinting the sky over the whole country and is perceptible even here on Symi. The accompanying photograph of Pedi bay was taken at 8 o’clock this morning when the sun was already quite high in the sky and yet the light was still pink.

The weather is expected to moderate over the next few days to normal temperatures for this time of the year – mid to high thirties. As the exposed rocky surfaces of Symi have been soaking up the heat night time temperatures will remain higher than usual for some time.

Have a good weekend. I’m going to spend mine seeing what I can salvage of my heat-frazzled garden.

Regards,
Adriana

Living on Ice Cream

It is another sizzling hot day in Greece. Symi is floating in a pool of heat. The rocks shimmy and are hot to the touch. The sky is gunmetal, tinged with the haze of the recent fires on Samos. The day trippers disperse as quickly as possible in search of shade, leaving the harbour deserted, with only the restless rumble of ferry engines droning away outside our windows to indicate that it is the tourist season.

Public sector offices have been closing early in a bid to reduce power consumption in Greece. Despite these efforts, each day the media report new power records broken as the country battens down in air conditioned comfort and the power grid struggles to cope. Even Symi power station has pulled out all the stops and can be heard roaring away in the early hours of the morning when all other sound has ceased. Heat related fatalities include a 103 year old woman in northern Greece and a 17 year old girl in Crete. Yesterday the thermometers hit 46 degrees in several parts of Greece and the outlook remains warm for the next few days. The amphitheatre shape of Yialos traps the heat and it is significantly cooler up in Chorio and over in the Pedi valley where the air can circulate more freely.

Washing is dry as toast almost as soon as it is put on the line and bread turns to rusks within minutes of slicing. Anything with a high water content, such as sliced cucumber, shrivels away on the plate. We all seem to be living on ice cream and cold water at the moment as enthusiasm for eating is about on a par with enthusiasm for cooking – zip!

Have a peaceful week.

Regards,
Adriana

Spot the sheep!

The View from the Symi Visitor office late afternoon

The View from the Symi Visitor office 23 June

The Salamis Glory from Cyprus gliding into Symi harbour.

On the Beach

>> Friday, June 22, 2007 – Greece, Symi

Symi report 22 June

It is a bright sunny day on Symi and the temperature continues to rise. The Greek media have been full of warnings regarding energy saving measures to avoid heatwave related power cuts and downtown Athens is sweltering in the smog. Here on Symi a quick glance out of the window reveals very little human activity as the day trippers are in the shade of cafe bars and tavernas and visitors resident on the island are all on the beach. The excursion boats and water taxis have reported a brisk upturn in business as everyone heads for the relative coolness of the sea. Umbrellas are sprouting like exotic mushrooms on balconies around the harbour and only the foolhardy venture forth without hats.

Speaking of hats, it is now a rare thing indeed to see anyone on a motorbike without a helmet as the new traffic regulations and draconian fines for violations have spread panic amongst locals and visitors alike. With fines in three figures no one is taking chances anymore and the police have been zealous. It may just be urban legend but there is talk that someone has been fined for using a mobile phone while driving and the police are also enforcing the wearing of seat belts and are checking driving licenses.

On the ferry front, the Symi now comes direct to Yialos in the mornings, arriving at about eleven, and leaves again at 14.00 to return to Rhodes via Panormitis. The Symi II is now running a regular tourist schedule, as is the Nikolaos, but as they overnight in Rhodes there is still an inconvenient lack of 18.30 connections from Rhodes to Symi.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

The View from the Symi Visitor 22 June 2007

If you look carefully you will see that Yanni's hire boats are back in their summer location on the Nireus side of the clock tower...

The View from the Symi Visitor today

The Kalodoukas boat, Agios Nikolaos, coming alongside next to the vast bulk of the Symi ferry. I know which is prettier! Meanwhile, building materials are being off loaded by the clock tower on the opposite side of the harbour.

The view from the Symi Visitor office 19 June 2007

The View from my Office Window 18 June 2007

It is becoming very busy in Symi harbour these days, and Pedi is not much quieter. The anchorages are full every night with yachts of all sizes. We will have to see how this is affected if the proposal for the Blue Star 'Diagoras' to dock in Pedi comes into operation as its wide turning circle and prop wash will make Pedi bay an unsafe anchorage for yachts. Every visiting yachtsman knows how to avoid the water boat and the occasional freighters which slip in and out virtually unnoticed, but a large high speed passenger and vehicle ferry is a different story.

Heatwave

Temperatures are rising as Greece heads into a heatwave. The whole country can expect sultry weather over the next few days, with possible thunderstorms and downpours over the mainland. Part of Thessalonica is still without power after the lines where knocked out by a storm yesterday. This morning Nimos was draped with low cloud and thunderheads are building over the Turkish coast. Windy weather around Force 6 on the Beaufort Scale is expected in the Aegean and Dodecanese for the next few days, combined with high temperatures, so there is a forest fire warning.

The Aegli has just come over from Rhodes and will resume its scheduled service, much to everyone’s relief. That extra hour can make all the difference between being able to make the Diagoras airport in good time and having to leave Symi the night before.

We are all getting used to the new bus but it is a bit alarming having something that size trundling up and down and round and round from 8 a.m to 10 p.m and there have been a few close calls already as it is that bit longer and fatter than the old bus for round the harbour manoeuvres and tight bends.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Rainbow's End - Symi's Other Visitors

Symi's police station is once again emergency shelter to a large number of refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and other places. according to a police spokesman more refugees are expected to arrive tonight. Anyone who is on the island and wishes to contribute bottled water, food and other items to these brave and unfortunate people should please contact Symi police station.

Remember, there, but for the grace of God, go we...

The Proteus Passing Through - Thursday 14 June

The View from the Symi Visitor office 13 June 2007

Symi fishing ancient and modern. The chap in the little wooden boat has quite a good haul and we can hear the music from his radio drifting up to the office as he sorts his catch.

8.45 Departures on the Symi II as the Aegli is still out of commission.

9.55 Departures on the Spanos - as people realised that they would arrive in Rhodes at exactly the same time as on the Symi II and still enjoy an extra hour on Symi!

The View from the Symi Visitor office 12 June 07

Tsk tsk. Pity about the fenders... but at least the fender socks all match! It is a clear and breezy day on Symi today. If the plans for the wind powered desalination plant (see The Symi Visitor front page December 2005) actually come to fruition there should be no problems with finding enough wind to drive it.

Serendipity

Sunday morning started with a clap of thunder at day break and a mad dash to get the laundry in as the first rain drops pattered on the roof. Fortunately with the weird weather we’ve had this year our rain water catchment pipes were still in place and we were able to benefit from the 7 mm of rain we received in a succession of brief showers which only cleared at midday. It is quite windy today but clear and it looks as though it will remain so for the rest of the week.

On the shipping front, the Aegli has broken down so the Symi II has been doing her routes for two days. The Proteus put in an unscheduled appearance this morning as the Symi was full and lo, the King Saron is also back in operation. ANES say that it is more than likely that the Symi will continue with its existing route for a few more weeks but they haven’t actually put the timetable up on their website or amended the one at their office as this is not actually confirmed yet.

The posters are starting to go up around the town for the Symi Festival and the program brochures should be available from the town hall from tomorrow. Please note, the program of events which we have put up on our forum is translated from the schedule emailed to us by the town hall on 8 June and we do know from past experience that events are subject to change so please don’t plan your holidays around any specific event or performer as you may be disappointed. Films don’t turn up, performers change their schedules or get sick, boats break down, surprise events take place that no one ever anticipated. Serendipity is the name of the game!

Posters are put up around the town a day or so before each event and are also publicized by means of announcements on the town tannoy system. All events are at 9 pm unless otherwise stated and are free. Most events take place in the town square or St John’s church yard unless otherwise stated.

Have a happy week.

Regards,
Adriana

Cherubs on the Ceiling

A brisk overnight wind has blown away the clouds and a sprinkling of white crests is scampering through the Nimos channel. Every so often the new black and white Symi Visitor banner flaps against the wall outside. It is that quiet interval when the Symi ferry is deserted and only the occasional rasp of the vehicle ramp against the quay reminds us of her presence. The day trippers have dispersed to other parts of the harbour and those visitors staying on the island are on the beach or picnicking in the hills.

The office has been in a bustle all day as we are organizing a wedding for Rachael Harrison and Daniel Haddon from England and we have also just had an unexpected visitation from a journalist and photographer from Kathimerini, one of the oldest established newspapers in Greece. The photographer, a New Yorker, was torn between photographing the view from our windows and the cherubs on the ceiling. For those of you who have never been into the Symi Visitor office, this is what I mean:

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

The View from my Office Window 7 June

The Proteus passing through. We had quite a lot of thunder at dawn today and it has been trying to rain all morning, occasional large splats dotting the marble balcony.

Tenth Birthday Colour Issue Hits the Streets!

It's out on the streets of Symi...

The first colour edition of the Symi Visitor.

The View from my Office Window 5 June 07

Hazy and humid today - and hot.

Mud Rain

It is cloudy and humid on Symi today and a tepid breeze is flapping the symivisitor.com banner against the wall outside. The Symi ferry is running her engines, warming up to depart at 16.00, and the hydrofoil has just come in so there is a lot of bustle going on in our neighbourhood. Speaking of ferries, at present the ANES timetable is rather alarming as although the Proteus is back the Symi car ferry disappears without trace after 15 June, giving the impression that there is no evening boat from Rhodes on a Wednesday and not much else besides. We have been assured that this is because the new boat should come into operation by then but its schedule cannot be publicized until it has been approved by the ministry of the marine. So, don’t panic!

We had a visit from the military this morning in the form of four armed crash boats full of strapping lads which did a turn round the harbour and then roared off in formation. I would put up a photograph if it weren’t for the recollection of what happened to the ‘plane spotters’!

Partly cloudy, warm and humid conditions are expected to prevail this week and there is the promise (threat?) of an occasional muddy sprinkle. We’ve just finished cleaning the windows after last week’s episode. For those of you who don’t know what red rain/mud rain/blood rain looks like, today’s picture is for you! This isn’t a piece of abstract art, it’s a shutter.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Salad Days!

It is a bright sunny day on Symi and merry bedlam has prevailed down in the harbour for some time. The reason for the uproar is two fold. First of all a chain has come into service to control traffic movement around the harbour during peak periods. This is a replacement for the electric boom of recent years and old hands may remember that there used to be a chain across the road back in the 90s. Secondly, the Proteus is back in service and for various reasons docked at the clock tower to discharge various trucks and cars as well as passengers. As the Proteus came in after the chain went up the vehicles off the Proteus were trapped on the wrong side of the chain, waiting for someone to drop it and let them through. At the same time other vehicles including the taxis were building up on the bus stop side of the chain, trying to get into the harbour. Lots of hooting and shouting before it all sorted itself out. Back to the drawing board…!

Meanwhile, in our corner of the Pedi valley, we have never had such good lettuces. All that donkey manure and trench digging has certainly worked. Salad days ahead.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

The View from the Symi Visitor 1 June

Hello! The Proteus is back doing the Dodecanese island route until further notice. Keep an eye on www.anes.gr for further developments.

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About this Blog

I sailed into Panormitis Bay, Symi, by chance one windy July day in 1993 and have been here ever since. The locals tell me that this is one of the miracles of St Michael of Panormitis. A BA graduate with majors in English, Philosophy and Classical Civilisation, the idea of living in what is to all intents and purposes an archaeological site appeals to me. Not as small as Kastellorizo, not as touristy as Rhodes, Symi is just the right size. I live on a small holding which my husband and I have reclaimed from a ruin of over-grazing and neglect and turned into a small oasis over the course of the past 22 years. I also work part-time for Symi Visitor Accommodation, helping independent travellers discover and enjoy Symi's simple pleasures for themselves.

This page is kindly sponsored by Wendy Wilcox, Symi Visitor Accommodation.