The Promise of Spring Flowers and Big Bangs

It is a wild and windy autumnal day on Symi. Strong south easterly squalls are buffeting the boats in the harbour and the taxi boats are bobbing forlornly on the quay. I think we can safely say that summer is now over in our corner of the Dodecanese and winter is not far away. It is still quite mild on Symi with temperatures in the mid twenties are midday and the sea is still warm so while it might be a bit windy for sunbathing, swimming in sheltered waters is perfectly possible. The southerly winds that bring the clouds and rain tend to be warm winds from Africa and when the sun breaks through it can be quite hot and bright. The long range forecast remains unsettled with more blustery days ahead.

While it might not be beach weather it is certainly coffee and shopping weather and the harbour is humming. As many of the tourist businesses are closing down for the winter and prefer to sell off their stock rather than store it through the winter, there are plenty of bargains to be had. Other businesses are undergoing the seasonal transition from tourist shop to general dealer and the souvenirs of Symi are being replaced with heaters, fleeces, scarves and school satchels. This being Greece, however, it will be a while yet before the first Christmas items appear in the shops on Symi. First there is the big Panormitis Festival on 8 November and some of the locals are already closing up their houses and moving across to the monastery at the south-west end of the island.

While the 2009 season may be drawing to a close many of Symi’s regular visitors are already making plans for 2010 and with both Easters coinciding we could see an early start to the season with more visitors than usual in April, drawn by the promise of spring flowers and big bangs.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana