Turbulent January Draws to a Close

 No, it isn't snow.  It is the aftermath of a heavy hailstorm in the early hours of Wednesday morning.  This photograph was taken at 8 a.m., about 5 hours after the storm and after several hours of heavy rain had already washed away a lot of it, hence the large puddle on the far right.

The Blue Star Diagoras in the rain on Wednesday morning.

I took this and the subsequent photographs in a brief sunny interval today, Friday 30 January 2015.  The cat seemed to be weighing up his chances of jumping aboard the fishing boat and then thought better of it.

My apologies for the slight fuzziness.  It was pouring with rain when I left home this morning so I brought my little Nikon compact rather than my 'proper' camera with me and its focus is a bit wobbly.

While the detail in the distance is not very sharp, you can still get an idea of the blinding brightness of the scene as the sun broke through the clouds.  Yes, it is that cat again, inspecting nets on the right.

Fast-moving clouds as the wind is picking up.  It is likely to be quite gusty tonight and there is already an element of uncertainty as to whether the Blue Star will be able to dock on her return leg this evening.

Symi's taxi drivers, discussing the fishing and killing time. There isn't much trade at this time of the year as very few people are working and people don't usually come down from Chorio unless they need to go to the bank or pharmacy or to pay bills.  The last few times I have caught the bus I have been one of two or three passengers.

I think that cat is stalking me.  That is the Mavrovouni area of Yialos in the background.  It is the sunny side of the harbour and a good place to live at this time of the year.

After an exceptionally wet week we seem to be having slightly better luck with the 'sunny intervals' today, although there is still a lot of rain around.  Wednesday's 3 a.m. hailstorm was something we hope not to see again this winter as it shredded many gardens.  In many areas the drifts of hailstones lingered on into the afternoon.  Temperatures are between 10 and 16 degrees centigrade but feel colder as everything is totally saturated.  The forecast remains unsettled with Force 6-8 southerly winds in the Aegean for the next few days.

During the lulls between thunderstorms one hears various bangs and thumps around the island - the sound of people wrestling with rain-swollen doors and shutters.  After they have been kicked open it can be very difficult to get them shut again, but if they are not shut then the rain comes in, so in the end one winds up living in gloom and artificial light.  If you look at the houses in the photographs, you won't see any open shutters.  Of course in certain parts of Chorio there are people with the illegal plastic or aluminium windows and shutters but the Ministry of Culture actually dictates that Symi houses should have traditional woodwork, in keeping with the island's protected architectural status. This is why Symi has so many highly-skilled carpenters.

We are often asked what the impact of the election has been on Symi. Well, so far it has been an increase in the number of accommodation bookings from outside the Eurozone as the exchange rate is now very favourable for anyone paying in pounds, dollars, kroner and the like.  So if you are thinking of coming to Symi this summer, don't delay as we are filling up very quickly!

Have a warm, dry weekend!

Regards,
Adriana

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Apocalyptic Weather and Post Election Quiet

Sunday morning - a sandstorm creeping up the Pedi Valley.

Sunday morning - the sandstorm at its worst.

Sunday morning, before the rain.

Monday morning, after heavy rain over night and before the rain resumed.  A very different picture.

At one point Yialos, Harani and Nimborio disappeared altogether.

This isn't a piece of avant garde art - this is what a black car looks like after 'red rain', the rain that accompanies sandstorms.

Raking leaves in Lieni.

Dry stone wall with a fern garden in Chorio.

The dry side of the Pedi valley is a most unfamiliar shade of green at the moment.

Look at that tail!

The new wellness centre, Ey Zhn, at the back of Yialos.

Wendy Wilcox from Symi Visitor Accommodation, Rachael Skerry Papakalodoukas from Ey Zhn and Frances Noble from Kalodoukas Holidays with the fish tank we all clubbed together and bought for Ey Zhn.

It is a wet and blustery day on Symi.  We have had all kinds of weather in the last few days, everything from gale force winds and sand storms to torrential rain and thunderstorms and it looks as though there is going to be more unsettled weather ahead this week. Friday's gales resulted in the Blue Star being 11 hours late and only actually leaving Rhodes at 6 a.m. on Saturday instead of 7 p.m. on Friday evening, which threw out its program for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday saw the opening of the new wellness centre, Ey Zhn, at the back of Yialos. This will be a venue for yoga, reflexology and all sorts of other treatments, therapies and activities.

The island was very quiet this morning, after the post election celebrations, but is slowly coming back to life now.  The schools are closed for the moment because they were used as polling stations yesterday so there wasn't the usual early morning rush hour of parents walking small children to school or giving them lifts on motorbikes either.  The kafeneions are buzzing today with everyone discussing the election results and the internet has slowed to snail's pace as everyone is on line, monitoring developments. As the euro has taken a dive, now would be an excellent opportunity to anyone from outside the Eurozone to book that long-desired Symi holiday!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi in Black and White and Colour

The landmark oak in Lieni has been shedding leaves with enthusiasm and the whole area below is carpeted.  The passing cars have blown drifts up against the walls.

Why do gnarled old trees always look so much more atmospheric in black and white?

The ends of the branches have snapped off in various storms over the years.

The tree reaches right across the road and big lorries destined for Panormitis get hooked up under this particular long branch every year.

A composition in fur and purr.

 Right, enough of the arty stuff!  The photos below show what it is really like on Symi today!  And why the Blue Star took one look and carried on past to Rhodes, leaving everyone fuming on the dock.  The wind is gusting 65 kilometres per hour at the moment but it is the wind direction that makes docking difficult in Symi.  A boat the size of the Diagoras has very little margin for safety in these conditions and has to hold herself in position while everyone disembarks and embarks by engines alone, a procedure that can take up to half an hour if there are a lot of vehicles.

Slosh!

The wind is expected to drop later today, bringing heavy rain in the early hours of the morning and we can expect unsettled and showery weather for the next week.

The disruptions with the ferry service come at an awkward time as the election is on Sunday and people have to travel to wherever they are registered to vote - often the place of their birth - so the boats are quite full and there are a lot of Greeks on the move between the mainland and the various islands.  The Blue Star is scheduled to stop off in Symi on Sunday, en route to Rhodes and Kastellorizon and the Dodecanese Seaways service will come through tomorrow and Sunday, weather permitting.  These ferry disruptions caused by turbulent weather are the main reason why winter tourism has never really taken off in the islands.  Unless you have a very flexible schedule and don't mind spending days in unexpected places, waiting for boats and planes to match up, trying to take a week or a fortnight on a Greek island out of season can be very frustrating indeed!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi Winter Greens

Pallas Athena, with her helmet, looks down from a rooftop in the harbour.

A Christmas wreath and an election pamphlet on a door on the Kali Strata.

Symi's old stone ruins become wild gardens in the winter.  This is a staircase on the Kali Strata.

Nicotiana growing in an entrance on the Kali Strata. That is another election pamphlet lying on the threshold.

Moss growing on the steps of the Kali Strata.

The wild cats seem to have found something of interest in this tree outside Agios Elefterios church in Chorio.

A fine figure of a cockerel in the Pedi valley.  Fences are no barrier to this fellow.

The first of the asphodels, ghostly pink flowers shimmering in the winter sun.  That is a fig tree to the right.

The wild cyclamens are also starting to flower.

The landmark oak in Lieni is rapidly losing its leaves now.

A fat cat not quite ready to face Monday morning.

We had a sunny weekend with heavy dew fall and misty mornings.  The anticipated rain is now forecast to reach us later in the week, With the national election coming up next week the pamphleteers have been busy and I followed a Hansel and Gretel trail of soggy electoral material all the way down to work this morning.  Those shops that are open have their televisions tuned to election debates and the conversations in the cafeneions are quite heated.

The new wellness centre in Yialos is opening on Saturday - another facility to benefit locals and visitors alike.  Apparently yoga classes will be one of the options on offer.  I'll bring you more information when I have it.  We already have aerobics, zumba and pilates classes available on the island.

We are still working winter hours at the office so if you need to contact us, please email us rather than phoning as there may not be anyone around to answer your phone call whereas emails we can pick up wherever Wendy and I may be.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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January Postcards from Symi

The carpenter's cats seem to be having a good winter.

Ditto these two, keeping a bike warm while the owner enjoys a morning coffee.  Normal service has resumed at Pachos now that the redecorating has been completed.  Purists will be observe that it looks exactly the same as before, so no need to fear unwanted change!

Yialos in January looks very different to Yialos in July.

The Blue Star Diagoras, calling into Symi en route from Piraeus to Rhodes and Kastellorizon.  This is our main lifeline for supplies in the winter months as she is the only car ferry serving Symi.

Yialos often floods in the winter, not just from rain but also when barometric lows and spring tides raise the water level in the harbour. This shop keeper was taking no chances when he packed up his tourist shop for the winter.  As I said, Yialos in January is very different to Yialos in July!

The town square in Yialos, still in shadow although Mavrovouni, the hill behind, is already dazzling in blinding sunshine.  Most of the Christmas decorations have been packed away but if you look carefully, there is still a lonely plastic Santa of lifesize proportions perched on a wall.

After 4 days of solid rain there isn't a house on the island that isn't festooned with wet socks.  I spotted this innovative use of a traditional Symi shutter latch in the lanes this morning.

A quiet street scene in Yialos.

Not much happening  here either.

It may be difficult for summer time visitors to Greece to realise, but Greek winters are so wet moss grows on the houses.  This stone balcony is devoloping an interesting velvety green finish.

After 4 days of solid rain, thunderstorms and gale force winds (including a shipping ban on Tuesday night), the sun came out this morning and we are in blinding sunshine.  Temperatures out of doors are around 15 degrees centigrade, a far cry from summer's 30s and 40s but considerably pleasanter than the sub-zero gales of last week.  The forecast is for temperatures to remain in the 12-17 centigrade bracket for the next 10 days.  The weekend will be dry and bright, with more rain sneaking in midweek. The wind will be back on Tuesday night.  Will this mean the third Wednesday in succession without a morning Blue Star? Watch this space!  Well, not much else happens on Symi in the winter and everything revolves around ferries or lack thereof - post, medicine, food, Amazon deliveries, doctor's appointments, shopping trips, catching planes...

Have a warm weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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