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