A Very Pretty Time on Symi

After a couple of days of overcast and humid weather, the edges of a dust storm blowing up from Libya, skies over Symi have returned to their familiar summertime blue. There is the possibility of thundershowers in the afternoons at the moment but these usually fall over the Turkish mainland or in the sea between Symi and Turkey at this time of the year and seldom sprinkle more than a few passing drops over Symi. Symi is considerably warmer than Rhodes and midday temperatures on the island are in the thirties.

In the Pedi Valley all the grass has been cut and baled for animal feed and the sheep and donkeys are doing a good job of grazing off what is left. There won’t be any fresh green stuff now until the rains start again in late October or early November. The great summertime drought starts about now. My neighbours all come round in the late afternoons to water their courgettes and tomatoes – it is too warm now to miss an evening. This is a very pretty time on Symi as the houses still look fresh from their Easter painting and although the wild flowers are fading away, those plants that are regularly watered by human intervention are flourishing in the lanes and alleyways. The pomegranate trees have started to flower, the oleanders are in full bloom and the grape vines and Virginia creepers are scrambling over pergolas and balustrades.

The Blue Star Diagoras on the trial trip on 6 May 2011

The latest news on the ferry front is that the Blue Star is now officially going to be stopping at Symi twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The routes will give Symi some connections with Astypalia and Santorini, so opening up the options for island hopping in season. More information is available on the Blue Star website. Symi Tours in Yialos is their booking agent on Symi.  Meanwhile, more locally, after a few hiccups ANES has now issued a schedule for the Proteus that runs until the end of October. This will be running what is effectively a tourist service between Rhodes and Symi in that it always spends the night in Rhodes so there will be no morning departures from Symi or evening arrivals from Rhodes with ANES. The Symi II has been withdrawn from service for the foreseeable future.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana