Spring on Symi

Little can surpass the vivid vermilion of a pelargonium.
We are at that happy stage when everything is in full bloom but the pests that eat them are only just starting to hatch.

A pastel-hued bouquet of Symi houses.  Unlike the white sugar cubes of the Cyclades, the houses of Symi are distinctive for their neo-classical architecture and also their traditional palette of ochre, pink and blue.  The hill in the background is part of Nimborio bay. The further hill on the right is on the Turkish coast.

The Blue Star Diagoras is expected tomorrow morning and the area around the clock tower is already filling up.  The copper coloured cars with white flashes on the doors belong to the Glaros car hire nearby.  The building with the Greek flag is the police station.  Those are the hills of the Turkish coast in the background.

This old house on the Kali Strata is waiting patiently for restoration.
The owners could be as far away as Australia or the USA.
The Greek Diaspora is scattered far and wide.

When I first came to Symi there were quite a few of these tractor/trailer combinations around, before people could afford pick-up trucks for agricultural use and made the most of the diesel rotavator/tractor all year round.  Most were made by Minotavros of Crete.  I spotted this one parked in Lieni yesterday, the engine carefully wrapped up against the weather.  Note the number plate and the comfy, if slightly precarious, bench seat.  Believe me, going down hill on one of these things is more than mildly nerve-wracking and the steering is quite hard work.

No need to buy lemons just yet when every lemon tree on the island is so heavily laden.

Our friend, the pelargonium, peeping out of a narrow alleyway in the old part of Chorio.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana