 |
| Chorio cool cat. That is a solar water heater on the roof on a house neighbouring on this taverna in Chorio. |
 |
| Bougainvillea pot pourri gathering in drifts on the Kali Strata. |
 |
| Heavenly blue plumbago against sorbet-coloured walls on the Kali Strata. |
 |
| Early morning haze off Harani. Nimos is almost invisible on the horizon. |
 |
| Lowering the tone of the line up - it takes a brave crew to hang laundry out to dry on the railings of a gin palace! |
 |
| Spot the carpenter's cat. |
 |
| Shopping for summer gear in Yialos. |
 |
| That is Pachos kafeneion in the background, one of the oldest traditional cafes in Yialos. A great people watching locale but don't expect any fancy Starbucks nonsense. This is 100% authentic Greek. |
Another sizzling week on Symi. With midday temperatures in the forties and the humidity high, even the nights remain hot and it can be in the mid thirties at midnight. Anyone who isn't on the beach during the day is browsing in shady shops or sipping the traditional Greek iced coffee frappe in one of the many cafes.
The first two weeks of August are traditionally the busiest time of the year in Greek island tourism in general and on Symi in particular. Everyone works long hours to meet the needs of the many visitors who arrive daily, by ferry or yacht and it is a hectic couple of weeks as the island's population swells to double its usual number.
Symi isn't a luxury destination, how can it be with no natural water and a landscape that is more perpendicular than horizonal, hence all those unavoidable steps? It is, however, one of the most beautiful as the island's neo-classical architecture has been strictly protected since the 1970s so there are no big hotels, resorts, swimming pools or other tourist developments. No concrete cubes and tacky neon signs or rusty reinforced concrete. Instead most holiday accommodation is within the community, in restored traditional houses and apartments or in small hotels, giving an authentic experience that has discerning visitors coming back year after year.
Symi's houses and imposing mansions are surprisingly small inside - a combination of thick stone walls, the necessity to incorporate cistern capacity for harvesting winter rains from the roof and the steep landscape which leaves no level or easily accessible ground for building. The interiors of the
houses incorporate all sorts of space-saving measures similar to those used on boats, including ladders rather than staircases and sleeping lofts and platform beds tucked in wherever there is space rather than lots of separate bedrooms. A certain agility and level of fitness is required, particularly if one is staying in Yialos where steep steps are impossible to avoid as there is very little accommodation at water level and vehicle access is limited. If you have any mobility problems, Chorio is easier as although you may still be some distance from the nearest vehicle access, there are more lanes than steps and what steps there are are not as steep!
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
Posts
Lovely.