The Last May Postcards from Symi

Greek sponges, pumice stones from Nissyros, handmade leather goods - these are all to be found along the waterfront in Yialos, Symi's harbour.

At the back of the square in Yialos, beyond the cafes, pizzeria, bakery and gyros bar, you will find some boutiques, an agronomist/plant shop and the nautical museum with an antique and bric-a-brac shop below. The building on the right is the Symi town hall.  The ground floor offices house the water department and also KEP, the Citizens' Advice Bureau, which handles much of the day to day bureaucracy involved in living in Greece these days.

The nautical museum. This is now open after an extensive refurbishment.  Historically, this building is interesting in that it was the first house on the island to have electricity and had its own private generator.

Wherever you go in the harbour, there are interesting shops and cafes.  You won't find any chain store outlets here.  Each place is unique and the majority are family-run.

There are so many delightful and unexpected little details in Symi's architecture, it is worth paying attention when you walk about.  How many of you have spotted this face in the harbour?

Yialos is much busier now.  There are many more yachts in the harbour now as it is the start of the sailing season.

Reflections from one of my favourite peep holes on the Kali Strata.

After a very wet winter the creepers and vines are really enthusiastic.  Whoever owns this house on the Kali Strata is going to have to hack through a jungle to reach the upstairs windows.

Just visible on the right hand side of the picture is the Poseidon departing for the Agios Emilianos day trip on Tuesday.

The Blue Star Diagoras departing for Piraeus on Wednesday afternoon.  This is the early option for Wednesday arrivals in Rhodes as it leaves Akandia at 15.00 and arrives in Symi at 16.30 - much better than hanging about until 19.00 for the Panagia Skiadeni. 

Cylestial Cruises coming in, hot in the wak of the departing Blue Star on Wednesday afternoon.

These big boats manage to dock in Yialos without the assistance of tug boats - just good seamanship, bow thrusters and reliable mooring men on the quay. 

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A Typical Symi Monday

The overnight yachting fraternity, unraveling tangled anchors before setting off for the day's sailing to the next port of call.

A gypsy van is going round the island at the moment, selling clay pots from Crete and big bags of potting soil.  In the background you can see the water taxis lined up with customers already on board, waiting for the first departure of the day.

Although our office faces the sea, the entrance is in the lane to the side. This is the colourful display at the chandlery opposite our entrance.  That strange object on the right, behind the bikes, is a large fibreglass ice cream cone belonging to the cake shop next door to us.

Two very traditional shops in the back lanes. The one on the left specialises in Greek products and organic foods.  The one on the right is the tin smith who makes lanterns and other domestic items, a skill he learned from his late grandfather.

There are several cool and shady tavernas among the back lanes. The shop with the green shutters is one of the two modern butcheries in the harbour.  The third butcher is up in Chorio.

Home made traditional patisserie, fancy designer labels, a specialist sunglasses shop and a specialist wine shop can be found in this square at the back of Yialos.

The post office at the back of Yialos. The shop on the right is one of several specialist wine shops in Yialos, selling Greek and imported wines and spirits.

7 a.m. and lots of yachts lying at anchor in Pedi bay.

This blog is developing something of an equine theme.

A tangle of grave vine and pomegranate blossom in an old garden at the top of the Kali Strata

One of my fans, Joy Steptoe, came into the office this morning and asked to be photographed on the balcony as an alternative to doing a webcam wave.  Apologies for the blinding sunshine in the background!  At this time of the year many of the island's regular visitors come into the office, even if they aren't staying specifically in our accommodation.

May is drawing to a close and may go out with a thunderstorm or two, judging by the long term forecast for this week.  We will all be unplugging our modems at the first rumble of thunder as the island's lone OTE telephone technician is still rushing about, trying to repair the damage from the big thunderstorm two weeks ago!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Functioning Fine

Who needs cute kittens on the internet when Symi can provide a cute foal?

A group from the Symi Sea Dreams excursion boat, listening to a potted history of Symi from their guide.

The water taxis are back on their berths but aren't fully in operation yet as there aren't enough people around and the beach tavernas have yet to open.  Instead they have been taking locals out to waterside chapels for name days as much of Symi's shoreline is so precipitous that there is no other means of getting to many places except by sea.

Looking across at Harani and Nimos from the bend at the top of the Kali Strata.  That is a group of gulets lying at anchor off Harani.  They are large wooden motor-sailers, built in Turkey and sleeping up to 30 passengers.  Gulets often include Symi as part of their cruising itinerary although the island derives little benefit from them as they usually arrive fully equipped and the guests eat on board rather than in Symi's many waterfront tavernas and restaurants.

Wild oregano is irresistible to butterflies.

Pedi bay at 7 a.m. looking down from Lieni.

Looking up the Kali Strata from about half way down, still bearing the scars of a very wet winter.  At some point someone from the municipality will come along with bags of whitewash and do the backbreaking annual task of painting about 370 steps, working down from the top.

The carpenter's cats at the bottom of the Kali Strata.

Another view of Lemonitissa church, this time from one of the lanes at the back of the harbour. That is a caper bush growing out of the top of the building on the left.

The noddy train has a new coat of paint.

Looking across the head of the harbour from outside the National Bank.  That is Lemonitissa church with the red dome on the hill on the right.  The ruins of the kastro are on the peak above the church.  The Lemonitissa apartment and studio are in the trees to the right of the church.

It is a warm and hazy day on Symi. It is about 26 degrees centigrade and quite humid. The excursion boats are coming in and a truck has just driven past my office window, festooned with ropes of garlic for sale.  The Blue Star was only an hour late this morning, coming through from Tilos. This is the only direct connection between Tilos and Symi.  On the other days of the week one has to go via Rhodes and stay over night to make the connection with Dodecanese Seaways.

We have been hearing from regular visitors that there have been stories in the British tabloid press recently that there is no money in the Greek banks and that there is no food in the shops. Well, we can assure you that the banks on Symi are functioning fine and there is an abundance of food in the shops now that we have daily connections between Rhodes and Symi.  One can even buy such obscure items as agave syrup and a full range of sushi ingredients as well as the usual succulent sun-ripened tomatoes, crispy sweet cucumbers and voluptuous aubergines so please do not believe what you read in the tabloids!  While there are indeed many poor, unemployed and homeless people in Greece, particularly on the mainland, that does not mean that there is no food in the shops or the tavernas in the islands.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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May Postcards from Symi

The Greek flag, flying high above the harbour.

Sponge sellers along Symi's waterfront.  When I first came here, 20 years, there were lots more sponge shops along the front. some of them scions of old Symi sponge merchant families.  It is not an easy life, earning a living from a small business on Symi.  Rents have to be paid all year round, even if the business itself is only open for the summer months, and of those months, only a few weeks in the peak of the season are lucrative.

A promising sight - a water taxi back on its berth.  The engine access hatch is open, hence the eccentric angle of the seats.  The water taxis should be getting their licenses soon for the summer season.

Doing the shopping by dinghy.  They are probably from yachts lying to anchor off Harani or Nimborio, or even as far afield as Pedi bay.

Unraveling fouled anchors in Yialos - a common sight on Symi in the summer months as Symi harbour is very deep and full of the clutter of centuries.

The crew of the Symi Sea Dreams excursion boat taking advantage of a few hours in the sheltered waters of Yialos to touch up the paintwork along the waterline.  

Where's our breakfast then?  I spotted this little family living under the balcony of the flower shop in Yialos as I was walking to work this morning.

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Views from the Balcony and Other Symi Delights

Watching the soldiers marching past on VE Day, I wondered who stood on this balcony during the Second World War and watched Allied and Axis troops march past as the island passed through the hands of various occupying forces.

Just before the main deluge on Tuesday morning.  That is the water ship lying alongside the clock tower.

A small fishing boat in Yialoswww.symivisitor.com in the lashing rain.

A radiant orange fisherman.

The Panagia Skiadeni and the water boat in the rain on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning sunshine with the Blue Star Diagoras and a couple of departing yachts.

A gypsy hawking strings of garlic this morning.

The Diagoras excursion boat and one of the water taxis berthed in Yialos this morning.  They haven't started operating yet for the season but more of the commercial boats are being launched. They should receive their licenses and insurance soon for the season.

Alas, Mr Drake is on his own these days.  I haven't seen his partner for at least a week and he wanders disconsolately up and down the harbour, calling for her.

Fishing nets on the quay near the customs house.

Pedi bay on Wednesday afternoon.  My camera isn't quite good enough for you to be able to see the white sails of yachts over towards the Turkish shore.  By this time the water ship was tied up in Pedi.

The flowers are opening on the rigani bushes.  Oregano, Sage and Thyme grow wild on the hills of Symi, perfuming the summer air and making hikers hungry.

Wild hollyhocks growing from an ancient stone wall in Chorio.

Honeysuckle in the garden of a restored mansion on the Kali Strata.

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