Changing Seasons and Making Plans

As the days grow shorter the humidity rises and we are seeing occasional clouds, like this one over Nimos.  Although we aren't seeing actual dew fall it is now quite damp at night and the washing is taking longer to dry.  At first glance the gardens on the island seem pretty frazzled as no one has water to spare for irrigation but on closer examination seemingly dead geraniums are starting to make tiny shoots in anticipation of  autumn which, in this part of the world, is a second spring, particularly if the rains come early while it is still warm.

Taking a break.

Morning mist over Pedi.

A hawker, all packed up and ready to go down for the Blue Star.  This one sells cheap baggy shorts, jeans, polyester print frocks, cheerful Chinese T-shirts with incomprehensible slogans on them and a miscellany of cheap shoes and sandals.  In the 20 years I have seen the truck come and go his stock has made little concession to the vagaries of fashion and only varies slightly according to the season.  When he comes in the winter he sells camo pants, hunting boots, sweat shirts and sensible slippers - the sort with non-slip rubber soles as they are often worn out of doors.  

Saturday midday view of Pedi.  This is supposed to be the busiest weekend of the year but there wasn't much activity down in Pedi.  Closer to home, do you see the goat sheltering under the fig?  After an absence of a few years the goats are back as more Symiots are going back to the land to tide their families through the hungry gap between ever shorter tourist seasons.

The dimples on this wall are actually tiny fragments of pottery which were embedded in the original plaster when it was still wet.  When I first came here the pottery was still visible - bits of everything from willow pattern to ancient potsherds from the terraces.  It has been painted over several times since then so only the little dents from the pottery remain visible.

Grapes ripening in old courtyards in Chorio. The one on the left has green grapes, the one on the right purple so not quite so visible in the photograph.  I rather like the shadows they make on the wall.

Pedi Bay 15 August 2016 - not much going on down here.

Yialos 15 August 2016 - the view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony is pretty empty too.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is usually the busiest holiday weekend in the year and normally every corner of Yialos, Nimborio and Pedi where one might be able to anchor or berth is full of boats of all sizes.  Not this year, alas, and most of the boats that are here have come from no further afield than Datca and Rhodes.  There will be the usually late night bouzouki party with live music and dancing at the Alethini on the Pedi road so the hills really will be alive with music tonight.

With only a few weeks left of 2016 to go, Wendy and I are turning out thoughts to 2017, Symi Visitor's 20th birthday.  It seems like only yesterday that we were organising the 10th anniversary edition of the Symi Visitor newspaper and the big clean up day. The newspaper is long gone, victim of the recession and changing technology, but Wendy and I are still here, matching Symi visitors up with their ideal holiday home so we hope to have some surprises for our regular visitors who have supported us over the years as well as new Symi visitors who will be discovering Symi for the first time.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Up in Chorio

The row of traditional cafes and tavernas adjoining the Syllogos Square in Chorio. This is the main square and meeting point in Chorio and a popular venue for events such as the Symi Shrimp Festival.

This mansion on the square is in the process of being restored.  If you ever go past and the door is open, glimpse inside as it has a very imposing staircase.  Proper internal staircases are unusual in Symi houses.

The main shopping street at the top of the Kali Strata, running from the Syllogos Square up towards upper Chorio.  Here you will find a baker, a butcher, a dress shop, a shoe shop, a gyros bar, a taverna, a supermarket, a toy shop...

The upper stretch of the Kali Strata from the view point at the corner, looking up towards the Syllogos Square.  On this stretch you will find the Symi Dream shop and Gallery, a shop selling herbs and Greek coffee, the Olive Tree cafe, a boutique and a flower shop.

Pomegranates and an interesting pediment in Chorio, in a lane near the bus stop/kiosk/clinic.

Birds on a lintel on the Kali Strata.

We see all sorts of boats in Yialos. The two blue tugs, one large, one small, are part of the harbour construction project. The white one appears to have been converted for leisure use as it has a covered after deck with dining table and chairs.

Reflections in Yialos.

The Meltemi has been and gone, replaced by high humidity and oppressive heat for a day or two. The temperature is in the low forties today and everyone with any sense is on the beach.  Due to its natural amphitheatre shape Yialos really traps the heat at this time of the year.  Chorio and Pedi are much cooler and airier in August, not to mention quieter.  It is not for nothing that the majority of the locals live up in Chorio.  In another couple of weeks the worst of the heat will be over and the golden days of September will be upon us.  The nights are already perceptibly longer and the supermoon this weekend was spectacular.

Friday is a religious and bank holiday in Greece and this week is the busiest of the year as so many people take their holidays at this time.  All of our houses and apartments are full now and anyone who arrives on Symi without prebooked accommodation may well find themselves in trouble.  Symi was never the sort of place really where people met the boats advertising rooms to let on bits of cardboard and with the enforced legislation now making it very difficult and expensive for locals to comply with the bureaucracy required to let out rooms, the informal budget sector has completely disappeared.  As the hotels on the island are small they fill up quickly and the majority of the accommodation is in restored traditional houses within the community so the supply of beds is limited.  Those in the know book well ahead, often a year in advance to be sure of getting the house they want.  We will be open for booking for 2015 in October if you would like to be sure of booking your dream holiday on Symi next year.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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