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.