Normal Service Resumes

Happy Belated New Year!

In the two months that I have been away in South Africa there have been a few changes on the small island of Symi...

The wild cyclamens have started to flower.

The bitter oranges in my garden are ripening.

The almonds are in blossom.

The fig trees have lost their leaves so more of the Pedi Valley is visible from the Lieni road.  As you can see, there are no yachts in the anchorage.

The sports facility in Chorio is nearing completion and looks like a big Greek temple.

 Other things have not changed at all.

Everyone waiting at the clock tower for the Blue Star Diagoras from Piraeus which is an hour late.

The Blue Star as seen from the my office balcony.  As you can see, Yialos is very empty at this time of the year.  No water taxis or excursion boats, no yachts or day trippers.  Most of the fishing boats are out of the water, having their bottoms scraped of barnacles.  Symi in February is very quiet indeed.

It is decidedly chilly with midday highs of 15 degrees and lows of around 10 degrees.  Generally speaking, however, it has been a very mild winter here and apart from one freezing spell in mid December when the puddles froze for 3 days temperatures have been above seasonal averages.  It has been a very wet winter so far and the damp has permeated everything, making it feel colder than it really is.  Symi's climate is one of extremes with a summer drought that usually runs from May to October and then wet winters that paint the barren hillsides green and cover the stone walls with moss and ferns.

Have a good week, what's left of it, and I'll be back on Friday with more photographs and observations about life on Symi.

Regards,
Adriana