On the Hottest Day
While the south of France is awash with unseasonably heavy summer downpours, Greece continues to sizzle under a scorching heatwave. Temperatures in Symi are in the forties with little relief in sight. DEH, the Public Power Corporation, has requested that people keep electricity consumption to a minimum to avoid power cuts and they are having to buy in electricity from neighbouring countries to meet the increased energy requirements of Athens and Thessalonica as everyone reaches for the air conditioning remote. Air conditioning in cities is a bit of a vicious circle as the amount of heat they pump out into the environment heats up city streets and raises the ambient temperature, encouraging the use of ever more air conditioning units. Last night, sitting out in our garden in the Pedi valley while waiting for the temperature to drop enough for sleep to be a possibility, we could hear Symi’s power station roaring away at full capacity. Locals know not to leave air conditioners running when they are not in residence as they have the huge electricity bills to meet but visitors often don’t think and leave units running all day while they are out on the beach. If you are visiting Symi during the hot months, please remember to switch off the air con when you are out – with modern units it is only a matter of a few minutes for the room to cool down after switching on, even on the hottest day.
Meanwhile, work is continuing on the Nimborio road. Big stormwater drains are being laid across the road and, as you can see from the photographs, it is only possible to get a motorbike across with some difficulty. Despite the big smile, in the end Ilias Haskas, the deputy mayor, chickened out and his bike was carried across the plank. The pedestrian route via Drakounta was the route of choice until the thermometer went over the top. Now beach goers are taking the easy option of hopping onto a water taxi or breezing over the mountain to Tolis and Marathounda on hire bikes. Flip flops have taken over from hiking boots and the walking season is definitely over until September.
Have a good weekend.
Regards,
Adriana
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I too had to 'brave the plank' last month (albeit as a pedestrian), when having walked to Nimborió via Drakoúnta, I decided in my ignorance to return via the road. A JCB was hard at work on that particular ditch, but kindly stopped for me and motioned me to carry on across the - somewhat precarious-looking - plank. His presence did at least reassure me that, were I indeed to topple off, he would be on hand to haul me out!