Retail Therapy

The seasonal meltemi has arrived and temperatures on Symi have dropped to more tolerable levels as a brisk cool breeze rolls down the Aegean from northern Greece. The water taxis and excursion boats were not allowed to operate out of Symi today as winds are expected to strengthen to a Force 7 later this afternoon. The ferry service has not been affected and the ANES boats are running as scheduled. Even the Aegli hydrofoil is only running 5 minutes late. Flotilla yachts are struggling to anchor in the cross wind in Yialos this afternoon and last night we were watching brightly illuminated glamour yachts dragging anchors in Pedi Bay.

For regular visitors to this page who found Friday’s image distressing, last week’s bright white road markings are already showing signs of strain and will probably have worn away altogether by next week unless the plan is to redo them on a weekly basis. Traditional asvesti used for parade day markings lacks the durability of regular road-marking paint.

With the excursion boats and water taxis confined to Yialos today the shops are busy and many long-stay visitors have taken the opportunity to catch up on their souvenir shopping. These days Symi’s Yialos shopping area offers everything from traditional sponges and museum replicas to handmade jewellery and designer dresses. When I first came to Symi in 1993 I remember a particular misogynist resident saying at the time that Symi was the sort of place where a man could safely send his wife shopping with his credit card, knowing she wouldn’t find anything to buy. The past 15 years have seen a dramatic change on that score and while credit cards are still unusual on Symi, there are certainly plenty of opportunities for retail therapy in the summer!

Regards,

Adriana