Summer in a Bowl

Greece is sizzling under a heatwave and the whole country is experiencing above average temperatures. Midday temperatures on Symi are currently in the high thirties, touching 40 in some areas. It is about 25 degrees centigrade at midnight. Even the breeze off the sea is hot. We are holding out against using the air conditioner in the office for as long as possible but if these temperatures continue we may well buckle under the heat and hit the on button.

The waterfront shops in Yialos are displaying sunhats of all shapes and sizes as well as various cool cotton garments, sarongs and other items of beach attire. With some of the airlines charging extra for check in luggage quite a few people we have spoken to have arrived with hand luggage only and bought everything they need for their seaside holiday when they get here. Symi has a good selection of shops these days to suit a wide range of tastes and budgets and one way of ensuring their continued survival is by supporting them. Regular visitors have said that this makes them feel that they are doing their bit to help rescue the Greek economy and give something back to the island where they enjoy their holidays.

The warm weather may be reducing people to sticky and lethargic blobs but it is also ripening the summer fruits and vegetables. The grocers in the lane below our office are stacked with crates of fragrant nectarines and peaches. Sun-ripened tomatoes, small sweet cucumbers, crisp peppers, smoky olives and a chunk of firm feta - a Greek salad at this time of the year really is summer in a bowl. The restaurant at Agia Marina is opening tomorrow and most other tourist amenities on the island of Symi are now available.

Have a good week.



Regards,

Adriana

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Summertime Blue

It is a hot and steamy day on Symi. Temperatures are nudging 30 degrees centigrade and heat is shimmering off the stone flagged pavements. The view from my office window shows a peaceful harbour as the taxi and excursion boats are all out at the beaches or going round the island and the day excursion boats from Rhodes are only just starting to arrive. The sea is summertime blue. As there is very little wind the few yachts about are motoring sedately rather than belting along under full sail. The Proteus has just come into view so things won’t remain calm for long. In a few minutes it will dock and a cavalcade of beer wagons, long haul freight trucks and pick ups laden with fruit and vegetables with trundle down the gangplank and grind their way slowly round the harbour towards Chorio. The island’s supplies for the weekend have arrived and Friday night is a good time to go shopping for fresh produce, meat and dairy produce.


Visitors from big cities where everything is available at any time sometimes find it difficult to adjust to a rhythm of life where everything is dictated by the ferry schedule. Quite simply if it isn’t on the island it is not available – and that goes not just for daily newspapers, fillet steak and fresh flowers but also for post, SIM cards and mobile phone batteries. Old hands watch for when the relevant boat is due in and monitor what is coming off it. Word gets round quickly if a consignment of particularly succulent strawberries is seen coming off the boat, or the island’s post man is seen staggering under the weight of several mail bags. Forget the advice to avoid impulse purchases by writing a list and sticking to it – on Symi that approach does not work and quickly results in serious frustration. Instead it is a case of seeing what is in and looks good and shopping accordingly. Winter greens and broad beans are far behind us now but the voluptuous charms of sun-ripened tomatoes, curvy courgettes and opulent aubergines more than make up for their absence.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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Fresh and Perky

It is a cool breezy day on Symi. The sky is an interesting pattern of windy streaks and fat cumulus clouds. After a very dry March and April we were astonished to wake to 20 mm of heavy rain at dawn on Saturday 22 May. It is really unusual to have such heavy rain so late. Usually Symi receives little more than a passing mud sprinkle whereas this was a torrential downpour. Symi looks quite fresh and perky after this unexpected sluicing. The whole Eastern Mediterranean region is experiencing very unsettled weather at the moment and Greece can expect more thunder storms and occasional rain over the next few days. The weather is expected to become hot and dry later in the week as this weather front heads further east.

Symi is filling up as the May and June regular visitors and new comers arrive. This is a popular time for couples and those who are not tied to school holidays to visit the island. Everything is now open, the excursion boats and water taxis are running to the beaches, the weather is becoming more settled and at the same time it is not as consistently sweltering as it is later in the season, in July and August. Yialos is bustling with people enjoying breakfast before heading for the beach on one of the several taxi boats. The aromas of spicy gyros, vanilla ice cream and coconut butter mingle on the breeze that wafts through my office window. Every time I look out someone seems to be doing the Webcam Wave. A gang of regulars is out on the Poseidon today so we sent Sue along with the camera. There may be some interesting photos on Out and About tomorrow.

Both Yialos and Pedi are full of yachts. Enterprising individuals have contrived various ways to tie up alongside the quay of the unfinished marina in Pedi as the evening catabatic winds have been quite strong lately and dragged anchors are not unusual. The water boat paid Symi a visit at the weekend, causing a flurry of rearrangements as yachts tied up on the wrong side of the quay had to relocate. Although the desalination plant seems to be providing more of Symi’s water on a more reliable basis, the water boat from Rhodes is still required occasionally so the jetty has to be kept clear.
Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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Relax and Enjoy Another Night

It is a surprisingly cloudy day on Symi today and thundershowers are forecast for the whole of Greece for the next 48 hours as a large area of low pressure moves slowly eastwards across Europe and the Mediterranean. It may be overcast but it certainly isn’t cold. Temperatures are pleasantly mild in the low to mid twenties at the moment with a refreshing breeze riffling across the water. For those visitors who found the recent high temperatures warmer than they are used to, today is a good day for venturing further afield on foot and there are many walkers heading for the hills, water bottles and picnics packed.

As it is a bank holiday long weekend gleaming white power boats are starting to arrive from Rhodes and Kos, jockeying for space on the quay in Yialos. They will no doubt be joined by many more this afternoon as people finish work and head for Symi. The island is a popular weekend escape for business people on Rhodes and power boats are more practical than sailing yachts in these waters. Symi is only an hour or so away from Rhodes in a motor yacht but 4 or more hours of strenuous tacking under sail on the average sailing yacht, particularly when the wind is from north as is the case today.

This morning we saw the ‘Triton’ excursion boat towing the ‘Eye of the Storm’ away from the main quay to make space for more yachts. Some of the water taxis are now operating to the beaches and the beach tavernas are starting to offer snacks and light meals as well as drinks as there are more people about.

Yesterday’s general strike in Greece did not cause any flight disruptions as flight controllers decided to cancel their industrial action rather than compound problems caused by the latest volcanic ash episode.

The following ferry information has just been faxed to us by Symi Tours concerning the Tilos Star which will fill a serious gap in the present summer schedule for Sundays. Those of you who were worried that you would have to leave on Saturday afternoon to make Sunday flights can now relax and enjoy another night on Symi. Tickets are available at Symi Tours.

Tilos Star - Sundays Only:

Depart Tilos 7.00 – arrive Symi 7.50

Depart Symi 8.00 – arrive Rhodes 8.50

Depart Rhodes 17.30 – arrive Symi 18.20

Depart Symi 18.30 – arrive Rhodes 19.20

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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Faded Terracotta

It is a clear sunny day on Symi and the sandstorms and mud rain of recent days have been replaced by a brisk northerly wind, bright blue skies and dazzling sunshine. Temperatures have moderated to more reasonable levels for the time of year and it is about 25 degrees on Symi today. Yachts are milling about, looking for berths to the accompaniment of the mooring man’s whistle. The harbour is bustling with day trippers as the excursion boats are pulling in from Rhodes. Visitors staying on the island have already breakfasted in their favourite cafes and are off on round the island boat trips and other diversions. Those in self-catering accommodation are enjoying shopping for ingredients in the local shops. At this time of the year there is a good selection of fresh seasonal produce available on the island and it is fun to experiment.

Up in Chorio, now that the mud rain is over, there is a frenzy of courtyard scrubbing and car washing. Everything is covered in a thin film of red sand. It is not really surprising that the colour of choice for Symi houses has traditionally been ochre or faded terracotta, colours which don’t show the dust so readily.

On a more solemn note, we are sorry to report the death of Yiorgos Voyatzis, better known to the island’s visitors as Giorgio of Giorgio and Maria’s taverna in Chorio and, in earlier times, the Love Boat. He passed away on Saturday after a long illness and his funeral was held at Agios Thannassis on Sunday afternoon. He was laid to rest at Agia Marina cemetery just below Profiti Ilias. There is a strange feeling on Symi today that a door has just closed on the island’s history and there is much talk of the end of an era amongst regular visitors currently on the island. One thing is for certain, his absence will be noted by many and Chorio won’t be the same without him and his accordion.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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Years of Enjoyment

It is a hot and hazy day on Symi. The sea is smooth and calm, reflecting the pink tones of the dusty sky as a slow Saharan sandstorm drifts across Greece, sprinkling the country with mud showers. Temperatures are much higher than normal for May and everyone is feeling the heat. Cats and visitors alike are looking for shady places to cool off and the cats are doing well on the ice creams that melt faster than those carrying them can eat them.

On Thursday a group of visitors and expat residents headed for the small island of Sesklia on board the Poseidon with a mission in mind – to clear up all the rubbish left by visitors and washed up by the winter storms. The project, instigated by Captain Yanni and the crew of the Poseidon, was a huge success as can be seen by the enormous number of refuse bags filled. Wooden rubbish was burned and plastic was brought back to Symi to be taken to the dump. Many participants said that for them it was an opportunity to give something back for all the years of enjoyment that the island has given them.  For more photographs please see Out and About.

Another event worthy of comment is the removal of the Michalaki, the Valsami statue of the little fisherman, from its original place by the clock tower to the head of the harbour by Pachos. Unfortunately the statue was damaged in the process and now sports several copper bandages where the pieces were stuck together again.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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The Last of the Spring Flowers

It is a hot sunny day on Symi and as you can see from this photograph of the view from my office window today, Symi is in summer mode with glamorous yachts sparkling in the sunshine. The island is becoming busier by the day, despite all the gloom in the Greek and international media and the volcanic hiccoughs in Iceland. May is always a popular month with walkers and older visitors who prefer to miss the high season crowds and enjoy the last of the spring flowers. This is the time of year when one meets the people who first discovered Symi as youthful backpackers in the Seventies and Eighties and still come to the island for their annual ‘Symi fix’.

Symi has changed a lot over the decades as the old ruins are rebuilt and the infrastructure has improved but one factor that makes a Symi holiday unique remains – as all holiday accommodation is within the community and there are no tourist areas or tourist ghettoes, visitors to the island very quickly make friends with the Symiots and enjoy an authentic Greek island holiday experience that is hard to beat. Shopkeepers and taverna staff get to know their patrons by name and visitors often find themselves invited to various family celebrations. Everyday life on Symi carries on and visitors slot into it, catching the same bus as the locals, swimming at the same beaches, shopping at the same grocers and eating in the same tavernas and cafes as the Symiots themselves.

From this week I am at Symi Visitor Accommodation every morning so there may be additional impromptu photographs in addition to my twice weekly blog updates.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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A Long Hot Summer

It is a hot sunny day on Symi. Temperatures have been around the 30 degrees mark all week and it looks like it will be a long hot summer on Symi this year. The bunting for this year’s VE Day celebrations is fluttering cheerfully in the breeze and the waterfront shops are selling sunhats and sarongs to those visitors who packed rather too warmly for the season. Regular visitors to Symi will notice that one of the big anchors that was by the clock tower has now been moved to the head of the harbour near the Customs House. This is a far more attractive location as in its old locale by the Clock Tower it was often obscured by large vehicles waiting for the car ferries.


Up in Chorio parties of walkers are striding out with poles and knapsacks, heading for the herb-scented hills. It will soon be time to gather the wild oregano for drying. Unlike many other herbs where only the dried leaves are used, Greek rigani makes use of the dried blossom too. The fresh leaves are very pungent but dried in the warm Symi air the volatile oils seem to mellow and add their special aroma to salads and meat dishes.

Saturday 8 May is VE Day and the scene of major celebrations on Symi as the surrender of the Dodecanese at the end of the Second World War was signed here on Symi. Visitors staying on the island will be able to enjoy the colourful parade and festivities tomorrow morning as this is quite a serious local holiday.

Ferry schedules for the summer months are now available on http://www.anes.gr/ and http://www.12ne.gr/ so it will now be possible for would be travelers to check out how flights will work relative to the ferry schedules and book their holidays accordingly.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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Clear Warm Waters

It is a bustling spring day on Symi. Day trippers licking ice creams saunter past below my window and the stack of empty beer crates outside Pachos grows steadily higher. There are three excursion boats in Symi harbour today. With temperatures in the mid to high twenties it is quite busy round at NOS beach and Nimborio as locals and visitors revel in the clear warm waters of the Mediterranean. The road to Nimborio is still in the process of being surfaced and is closed every so often to allow another section of concrete to set but according to the workers it should all be finished by the end of May. The surface should be better without the alarming holes and corrugations that made travelling along the old dirt track a nerve-wracking experience for new visitors but the spectacular vistas as the road winds its way along the cliffs remain. In the meantime the old pedestrian route over the top, via Drakounta and St George is seeing a lot more use as locals and visitors take the high road for their afternoon swim.

Pedi Bay is still quiet. Apart from the occasional yacht passing through it is very peaceful indeed, as can be seen from the photographs. Work on the marina came to a standstill in December and is unlikely to resume for some time due to lack of funds. In the meantime locals use the unfinished pier for fishing and the cats for sunning themselves. As there are no bollards or other securing points it is not possible for boats to tie up to it, even temporarily.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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