Picture Postcard

The Gate House shining in the morning sun, as seen from the Kali Strata

Yialos and Harani.



Symi is basking in bright blue and white light, the sunshine of every glossy brochure and picture postcard. The recent cold weather has left the air sharp and clear with no trace of haze or dust. Symi looks newly painted, even though most householders have only just embarked on the annual whitewash job. In a climate of extremes it is traditional in Greece to spend much of Lent painting away the moss and mildew of winter and prepare for the long dry summer. It takes a while for all the woodwork to shrink and there is undoubtedly more rain to come but the days grow longer and warmer and the intervals between downpours increase until finally the number one topic of conversation on the bus changes from the iniquities of the ferry companies to speculation as to when the first rains will fall.

The Mouragio section of Yialos, with some of the houses of Harani in the background.

One casualty of Symi’s wet winters and scorching hot summers is the Symi Visitor Accommodation webcam. The webcam itself is fine, thank goodness, snug in its weather proof casing, but the cabling degraded in the sun and then let the rain in. A replacement cable is being made up so all being well we should be back on the air later this week.

In the Pedi Valley the Easter lambs grow fat on a diet of daisies and every patch of greenery seems to have a ewe tethered in it. Down in the harbour men are hard at work, laying the new paving outside Pachos. March on Symi wouldn’t be the same without roadworks and the staccato of jackhammers as the townhall rushes to get things finished before Easter. With the water table still high and springs popping out of the road near the bridge, paving the road around the head of the harbour is a challenging project involving much discussion and advice from bystanders, as well as the consumption of large quantities of caffeine and nicotine by all parties concerned.

One of my favourite pediments. 

I wonder what the story is behind that little saucer in the bull's eye.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana