Pedi, Symi, 7.45 a.m 30 July 2008
>> Wednesday, July 30, 2008 –
Pedi Symi fishing boats beach bay boatyard
Early morning calm in Pedi Bay.
Early morning calm in Pedi Bay.
On the Beach
After six days the conflagration on Rhodes is finally abating and the tourists who were evacuated from their hotels have now been returned to them. The environmental impact of the fires is incalculable, however, and likely to be felt for years to come. It takes decades for trees to grow in Greece’s Mediterranean climate with its long hot summers and short wet winters. Despite the promises made by the ruling New Democracy party in the wake of last summer’s devastating fires in Greece, there is general dissatisfaction that little if anything has been done to prevent the same problems from recurring. Meanwhile a man was arrested at the weekend for trying to start a fire in Rhodes’ famous Valley of the Butterflies.
Here on Symi it is very quiet during the day. Not because there are no tourists, although many shops and restaurants are complaining that business is down on last year, but because everyone is on the beach. On Sunday afternoon Chorio and Yialos were deserted but St Nicholas and Agia Marina were humming and the water taxis are certainly busy. There has been a good turn out at the various Symi Festival events so far and by all accounts the opening night was a resounding success. Unfortunately Nicholas and I had to miss the opening night this year which was a great pity as we normally enjoy watching it from the 'opera box' locale of a friend's house on Mavrovouni.
The meltemi has blown away the heat haze and the night skies are quite spectacular. The stars hang low in the sky and the lights along the Turkish coast twinkle on the horizon. Moonlight paints purple and silver shadows across the Pedi valley and owls hoot in the olive groves.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
Fire and Water
On Tuesday afternoon a 61 year old farmer from the village of Agios Isidoros in southern Rhodes decided to burn some brushwood to clear a firebreak. That decision has so far resulted in the loss of about 5 000 acres of woodland, the evacuation of villages, monasteries and hotels, an international firefighting operation with men and equipment from France, Italy and Cyprus, the loss of farm buildings… and water rationing on Symi.
Symi’s water, as we all know, is brought in by ship from Rhodes. The spring from which the water is pumped to the ship is near one of the areas of conflagration. So, for the moment, as the fires burn for the fourth consecutive day, the municipality of Symi is keeping a close watch on the island’s water consumption and the water has been turned off in various neighbourhoods over the past few days.
The luckless farmer has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for unintentional arson. Meanwhile the fires rage on, fanned by a particularly strong meltemi. Drifts of smoke have been tinting Symi’s sunsets and the local fire fighters are on stand by.
On a more cheerful note, tonight is the opening of the Symi Festival with Glykeria, Despina Olimpiou and Michalis Emirlis. It promises to be a good one!
Have a good weekend.
Regards,
Adriana
Another Sunny Day
It is another sunny day on Symi. The harbour is quiet as all the water taxis have departed for the beaches and the day-trippers are sipping ice cold refreshments beneath the canopies of various watering-holes.
The mega yacht season is well underway and visitors to our webcam located on the terrace at the Symi Visitor Real Estate Office by the bus stop will have found themselves admiring ‘More’ this morning. We are looking forward to receiving our new webcam which should soon be operational.
In the meantime, here is another view from my window to tide you over!
Regards,
Adriana
The Meltemi has Arrived
The meltemi has arrived, bringing a welcome drop in temperatures. Everyone I spoke to on the way to work this morning commented on how pleasant it was to have a decent night's sleep for the first time in weeks. This same brisk breeze has, however, confined the Aegli to port, as well as the water taxis and excursion boats, and there is a huddle of yachts in Yialos, struggling with suicidal gangplanks and fender chafe.
Pachos is busy and a cosmopolitan conversational mix of Italian, French and Greek is drifting up through the open window. The Proteus has just come in, bringing a crowd of heavily laden young back packers. A mule train is joggling by. The view from my window is a lively one indeed.
Regards,
Adriana
An Earthquake
An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Rhodes just after six o'clock this morning. We heard it rumbling towards us long before the roof started to rattle. Here on Symi we experience tremblers several times a year but it is rare for us to feel something this strong. Although some cracks were reported in buildings in Rhodes and a woman lost her life when she slipped and fractured her skull when running from her house, here on Symi no one seems to have experienced any damage or injury. Indeed many people slept through the whole thing.
The men from DEH, the Public Power Corporation, are busy on the island, replacing electricity poles on the Kali Strata. This has precipitated a number of power cuts and some congestion at the bottom of the Kali Strata as old poles are cut down and new ones hauled into place.
It is 42 degrees on Symi today and the heatwave shows no signs of abating. Even at night the temperature stays around 30 degrees as the rocks soak up so much heat during the day. Washing only takes about an hour to dry, even in the shade, and sliced bread rapidly turns to rusk.
Regards,
Adriana
The View from My Symi Window 12 July 08
The bunkering jetty in Yialos and the road up to Chorio.
A tangle of masts in Yialos.
Simple Pleasures
It is another sizzling hot day on Symi. With temperatures still in the forties and hovering around thirty degrees at midnight everyone is feeling a little frayed around the edges. The long range forecast promises a hesitant cloud on Sunday but that may just be someone who is fed up with pasting little sunshine icons. The whole of Greece is roasting in the summer sun. 
Meanwhile, in my little corner of the Pedi valley we have one of the best tomato crops in years. And 100% organic too! On a hot summer evening when the cicadas are chirruping away in the almond trees and the citrus scent of warm lemon leaves fills the air, there is nothing better than an uncomplicated supper of a bowl of freshly picked tomatoes, a handful of pungent basil, a chunk of feta cheese and a loaf of crusty bread. Life on Symi in the summer is one of simple pleasures and dining out in the garden is one of them.
Regards,
Adriana
The View from Symi Visitor Accommodation
Water taxis waiting in the early morning and a little orange tug over by the clock tower. It is going to be another sweltering day on Symi. Temperatures are in the forties all over Greece at the moment and there are widespread fire warnings.
The Sphinx and the Triton
The view from the new Symi Visitor Accommodation office has a mythological flavour...
This aloof sphinx graces the roof top of the house next door to us in the lane. I took this photograph from the side balcony.
And there goes the Triton, laden with happy visitors... The Gorgona is already out for the day and Stavros is busy fitting a railing round the little balcony in front of my window so there is no danger of my making an impromptu appearance in anyone's laundry!
Have a good day.
Regards,
Adriana Read more...
The View from my Window
The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office is very busy with lots of shipping and yachting activity. 
The Symi Visitor Has Expanded
In 2004 The Symi Visitor moved from above the gyros bar by the bridge to the Mastorides mansion near the bus stop. Four years later The Symi Visitor has expanded again.
That’s right, after a hectic week with paint pots and telephone technicians Wendy and I are now happily installed above the Sunflower laundry, next door to Pachos cafeneion. The Symi Visitor now has two locations – The Symi Visitor Newspaper and Real Estate divisions still flourish beneath the cherubs on the ceiling in the stately home and Symi Visitor Accommodation has moved to a compact central location that is more convenient for our visitors. Small but perfectly formed, it makes sense for us to be in the heart of the harbour, next to that landmark gathering point, Pachos.
Look out for the Symi Visitor Accommodation sign above the Sunflower laundry. Our entrance is round the corner, in the same lane as Loukas and Taxas Supermarkets and Dinos Chandlery.
Both offices will handle The Symi Visitor Newspaper subscription enquiries and renewals so drop off your subs at whichever one is more convenient for you.
Oh, and you might have noticed I have another enviable View from my Office Window!
The second Symi Visitor webcam will be installed in the next few weeks to provide you with a new angle on the activities of the harbour. Speaking of webcams, unfortunately the switchboard at the Symi Visitor office went into melt down yesterday and until the problem is sorted out the original webcam is off the air, as are the +30 22460 72755/4 numbers so please call us on +30 22460 71785 or fax us on +30 22460 71787. (Ever noticed how these things always happen at weekends?)
Read more...
That’s right, after a hectic week with paint pots and telephone technicians Wendy and I are now happily installed above the Sunflower laundry, next door to Pachos cafeneion. The Symi Visitor now has two locations – The Symi Visitor Newspaper and Real Estate divisions still flourish beneath the cherubs on the ceiling in the stately home and Symi Visitor Accommodation has moved to a compact central location that is more convenient for our visitors. Small but perfectly formed, it makes sense for us to be in the heart of the harbour, next to that landmark gathering point, Pachos.
Look out for the Symi Visitor Accommodation sign above the Sunflower laundry. Our entrance is round the corner, in the same lane as Loukas and Taxas Supermarkets and Dinos Chandlery.
Both offices will handle The Symi Visitor Newspaper subscription enquiries and renewals so drop off your subs at whichever one is more convenient for you.
Oh, and you might have noticed I have another enviable View from my Office Window!
The second Symi Visitor webcam will be installed in the next few weeks to provide you with a new angle on the activities of the harbour. Speaking of webcams, unfortunately the switchboard at the Symi Visitor office went into melt down yesterday and until the problem is sorted out the original webcam is off the air, as are the +30 22460 72755/4 numbers so please call us on +30 22460 71785 or fax us on +30 22460 71787. (Ever noticed how these things always happen at weekends?)
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