Delicious Spring Weather

After a glorious weekend of delicious spring weather a brisk north wind whisked in during the night, sending temperatures plummeting around Greece. Chilly winds are forecast for the rest of the week and temperatures on Symi will be around 18-20 degrees centigrade at midday, falling to about 10 degrees centigrade at night. Not quite time to pack away the duvets and sweaters just yet.

With the first visitors expected for Easter at the end of this month and the Symi II commencing day trips to Panormitis and Yialos with effect from tomorrow there is a sudden flurry of activity in the harbour. The owners of tourist shops are dusting, polishing and painting with gusto. It may be windy but the air is clean at the moment and visibility is good. The sandstorms of last week have been blown back to Cairo and the sky is blue instead of pink.

Easter stock is appearing in the shops at last – big wheels of cheese, sacks of flour and packets of ammonia and yeast for Easter baking, sachets of red, green, yellow and blue dye for colouring eggs, tall processional candles decorated with sprays of flowers and small toys – and amongst it all, a few imported chocolate rabbits. More chocolate may appear in the shops later but it is not a big feature of Greek Easter and in these times of austerity measures and the like, it is traditional delicacies that are at the forefront. The run up to Easter is a culinary marathon for the housewives of Symi as traditional koulouria (biscuits) and cheese pies are prepared by the hundred. Once the cake tins are full it is time to start on the Easter feast preparations. This being a hands-on sort of place, many an unsuspecting lamb is munching his last in the family allotment and will soon fulfill his function in life on a slow turning spit on 4 April.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana