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