June Postcards from Symi

Half past 8 on a Friday morning and you can already see that it is hot out there.

There are more boats in, mostly Turkish-owned as Symi is a popular cruising ground for Turks based in Datca, Bodrum, Marmaris and Bozburun.

Symi's strict architectural code means no awnings on balconies on the Kali Strata. There's no rule against ice cream parasols though as that is temporary shade.  And, of course, the colour goes nicely with the balcony rails.

The Blue Star speeding past the entrance to Pedi, en route to Rhodes, just after 8 this morning.

A bougainvillea on a smallholder's cottage in the Pedi valley provides a bright pop of colour.

There are lots more sailing yachts in Pedi these days.  On the right hand side of the bay you can see the path to St Nicholas beach quite clearly. There is a similar path to Agia Marina on the other side but as that tracks inland it is not so obvious.

The view from my desk at the Symi Visitor Accommodation office on Wednesday.

Looking across Yialos from outside the National Bank of Greece. You can just make out the ruins of the old windmills silhouetted against the skyline.  In the days of the Ottomans, Symiots had farms on the surrounding coastline of Asia Minor and brought their grain harvest over to the central hub, Symi, to grind it into flour.  Now there is a border in between and the last functioning windmill fell into disuse in the 1950s.

The view from one of my favourite 'keyholes' on the Kali Strata.

The ferry office for Blue Star ferries and Dodecanese Seaways. Symi Tours also organises tours and bus trips and is also the local agent for booking flights.

I have always loved the shopfront at Merakles taverna in Yialos.  

A modern Greek tragedy at the bottom of the Kali Strata.

An eruption of Plumbago. The locals call it Blue Jasmine but unlike its namesake it has no fragrance.  

A quiet snooze spot in Chorio.