The Golden Light of August

Every day, without fail, the widows of Symi go up to the cemetery to tend the graves of the departed, making sure that there is oil in the lamps and that everything is neat and tidy.  I often see ladies in black heading home as I set off for work early in the morning.



Judging by the number of paw prints in the dust this old tom cat has been using the bonnet of this pick up truck as a vantage point for some time.



Boats, boats and more boats.



No black cat today, just some very expensive toys.  I overheard one chap bragging that his boat costs 600 euros per hour in fuel alone - no wonder they spend so much time in port!



Ruined mansions on the Kali Strata in the golden light of early morning.



One of the many picturesque lanes in the harbour.  The building on the left is the Albatros Hotel.



Up close and personal - a rare photograph of a cicada.  This chap was really holding his breath when we took the photograph but burst into deafening song once the threat had past.



One sees the strangest things on the Kali Strata.  I wonder why there is a noose hanging off this fence.  A publicity stunt for the Navin Dev horror film, the Judas Curse, which is going to be shot on Symi later this year?  (Funded by Kickstarter, please see www.symidream.com for more information.) Perhaps just an innocuous tether for a donkey...

Last night was the big festival at the Alethini, the church on the Pedi Road. The music started at about 10 p.m. and we were awakened by the sudden silence when it stopped again at 4 a.m.  Despite the enthusiastic participation of the local community everyone was nonetheless up bright and early this morning and many of the tourist shops in the harbour were already packing out their wares at 7.30 a.m.  to catch those leaving on the Blue Star Diagoras.

So far despite some voltage drop problems in certain areas the island's infrastructure is holding up under the strain of a population that has literally doubled in the last few days.  Congratulations to the men at the Symi power station for keeping everything going in what must be very difficult working conditions.  The internet is limping along slowly - with so many people travelling with tablets, laptops and smartphones these days Symi's network is struggling to cope. The demand for wifi has exceeded all expectations as many people have to be able to carry on with their work while on holiday and employers expect their staff to be on call regardless of where they are. While we are installing wifi in many of our houses and apartments to meet this need, until Symi's infrastructure catches up, unfortunately, speeds will remain slow during peak periods.  After the initial water problems earlier in the season we have reached half way through August without any further major water supply issues.  Hooray!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana