Spring has Officially Arrived

A cheerful display.

The roof of the stadium is being paved, and very splendid it will be too.  Certainly as terrace views go, it will take some beating (see below).

Cleaning frying pans. Forget conventional pot scourers. This man is using an angle grinder to grind the rust off these taverna pans.

Coffee and a gossip in the alley.  Yes, that is a gin palace in the background.  It had disappeared by the time I got round to that side of the harbour so it was probably just passing through.  At this time of the year yachts that have overwintered in nearby Turkish marinas start to come through, using Symi as a port of entry to clear into Greece.

Shabby chic - the discreet sign on the wall says, in Greek, 'Centre of Aesthetics Maravelias'.

Time to start on the whitewashing.

The young man by the lamp post is carefully gluing seashells onto plastic plant boxes for a nearby taverna.  The bus stop is to the right and the yellow Symi bus that serves Yialos, Chorio and Pedi is about to pull out.

A heavy vehicle inching its way carefully round the waterfront, traffic tailing back behind it..  The only road into town is along the quay and although it has been widened somewhat twice in the twenty years I have lived here, it is still a tricky stretch to negotiate.  There are a few gaps between buildings wide enough for on coming traffic to tuck in and wait for vehicles to pass but it is essentially only slightly wider than one vehicle width with a few tight bends and undulations.

An odd family, but they all seem to get on.

Spring has officially arrived and everyone is out, enjoying the spring sunshine and getting stuck into the preparations for the season.  The fine weather is expected to continue until Tuesday when there is a 50% chance of rain.  As this will be coming from the south west it is likely to be the dreaded 'red rain', a mixture of sand from the Sahara and North Africa, mixed with light rain which forms a dirty crust on everything. The annual spring preparations wouldn't be the same without playing cat and mouse with the mud showers.

Tuesday 25 March is a double holiday as it is the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabrielle appeared to the Blessed Virgin and told her that she was pregnant, and also the anniversary of the start of the Greek War of Independence.  On the night of 24th March blazing braziers line the road round the harbour and the ramp up to Evangelismos church in Harani, the Church of the Annunciation.  A dramatic sight beyond the capabilities of my humble camera but perhaps Neil Gosling of Symi Dream will photograph them for you.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana