Sunny and Mild

Family wheels

Symi isn't really biking country, being very steep and with few roads, but in recent years we have noticed that the children living in the harbour are increasingly using bicycles to get around and to play with their friends.  Perhaps this enthusiasm will extend into adolescence and adulthood and we will see fewer motorcycles and scooters on the island.

Keeping out the storm surge.  It is not uncommon for the harbour to flood in the winter, particularly if a barometric low coincides with a spring tide.  This shopkeeper is taking no chances.

Chatanooga choo - choo! We seem to be back to the original Noddy train, complete with Tschu Tschu printed on the front as it came from Germany.  The one emblazoned with Rodos Casino advertising has, presumably, gone back to Rhodes where the advertising hoardings are more appropriate.

Homing in on the cheese man.  

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation window this morning. As you can see the harbour is pretty much deserted now.  The main activity is over at the other end of the island, at Panormitis monastery, as preparations hot up for the big festival on Wednesday.

Good bye, sun beds!  On a clear sunny day, however, it is warm enough to swim in the sheltered beaches of Pedi.

Pedi bay.

It doesn't really get clearer than that, does it?

The tamarisk trees in Pedi have all had their winter hair cut.  Pollarding the trees lets more light into the houses and also reduces wind damage.

After a Saturday of solid rain the sun came out on Sunday and it has been beautiful weather ever since.  It looks as though it will remain sunny and mild for the rest of the week, with the next expected band of rain to only reach us on Sunday.  When we checked our rainwater gauge on Sunday morning, we had logged 60 millimetres of rain since the rainy season began.  Not a bad start!  Temperatures are in the low twenties now, falling to around 16 degrees at night.  Some people have started using their wood burners and other forms of heating, depending on which side of the harbour they live.  Location really is important on Symi in the winter as some areas are in shadow most of the day now and may also receive the full blast of the north wind.  Others bask smugly in the sunshine, their reward for bearing the full brunt of the summer heatwaves. The sea is still warm enough for swimming if you chose your beach carefully.

All the Dodecanese Seaways boats are operating in and out of Panormitis bay this week, giving Yialos a miss. Fortunately there are now plenty of buses connecting the two and we are now seeing the unusual sight of Panormitis pilgrims coming across to Yialos by bus for the day to see the harbour and do some shopping.

The tourist shops are effectively closed.  Many of the cafes and tavernas have packed up their chairs and tables for the winter and secured their premises against the anticipated storms.  Those who are not involved with the Panormitis festival are fishing or rotovating their fields in the Pedi valley. The island is slipping into winter mode.  I saw big sacks of fava, the yellow split peas that are a popular winter meal in Greece, for sale in the supermarket this morning.  When money is in short supply, the Greeks turn to lentils, fava, black eyed beans and other simple ingredients that have fed the people of the region for millenia.  A dish of pulses, a drizzle of olive oil and a chunk of bread and you are set up for the day.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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The End of November

The view from Symi Visitor Accommodation on Monday morning - grey, blustery and extreme rain forecast.  Winter has been a long time coming but it looks as though it is finally going to hit us this week.

Sunday was dry and bright and everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the last good drying day for a while to get the washing done.  I walked down to Pedi in a haze of Marseilles soap and lavender fabric softener.

Wild crocuses on the Pedi road.

Fallen olives.

The carpenter by the power station is growing some fine looking cabbages.

Washday on the sunny side of the bay.

Reflections

Bijou waterfront residence with roof garden.

This cave on the hillside could use a little work.

Wind and solar power.

This cave, on the other hand, has been fully optimised and even has a fire place.

Fishing boats large and small.

In the summer this is a tourist beach.  In the winter boats are dragged up the beaches, just as they were in Homeric times.

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Symi in Late November

The wild cyclamens are up in my garden and all the shady places in the Pedi valley.

The Vigla was wrapped in mist this morning.

A damp and misty morning in the Pedi valley.

The Christmas lights are up in Lieni.

The new shops at Kampos are taking shape.  Although everything on Symi has to be built in the neo-classical style, all buildings have to meet earthquake specifications, hence the heavy reinforcing rod frame work.  When ruins are rebuilt they have to have concrete ring beams and lintels.  These strict building regulations apply throughout Greece which is why even though we have many tremors every year, damage is rare.

Not much happening in Harani or Yialos.

Although there still hasn't been any proper rain, the heavy dew every night is nourishing the wild seeds between the paving stones of the Kali Strata, turning the cracks and crevices into tiny gardens.

We don't get autumn leaves on Symi but the Virginia Creepers more than make up for it.

Christmas stars and ornamental trees in Yialos

Symi has definitely drifted into winter mode in the fortnight I have been away.  The plastic shopfronts have been rolled down, the tourist items packed away and the smaller Christmas decorations have been put up.

Temperatures are still quite mild for the time of year and there has not been a proper start to the rainy season so few people have done their autumn ploughing and planting.  According the forecast the weather should break on Sunday night with rain and storms forecast for all of next week, followed by a drop in temperatures as the wind then changes to the north.  At the moment temperatures are around 16 degrees at midday whereas next week they will be closer to 12, dropping to single figures at night.

Have a warm weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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A November Interlude

The view from Symi Visitor Accommodation today.  There  isn't much happening in Yialos this November morning. The only yachts passing through now are ones waiting to take up their winter berths in the many marinas on the Turkish coast.

All packed up for the winter.

The greengrocer in the lane is busy all year round.  I like buying from him as much of his stock is locally grown in Rhodes and he always marks the place of origin on the price cards so I know whose economy I am supporting.

A bird's eye view of the Kali Strata, or should that be birds' eyes?

There were quite a few clouds around early this morning. As you can see, the Panagia of the Kastro is still wreathed in scaffolding.  

A breakfast meeting at a popular hangout.

It is not much but it is a start - the first wild flower seeds are starting to germinate as a result of last Monday's rain and a light shower early on Saturday morning.  It is not very clear in this photograph but those are daisy seedlings you are looking at. They have tiny serrations along the cotyledons.

Shadow play over Pedi.  The footpath to Agia Marina beach goes past that old farm and through the hills.  If you look carefully you can just make it out.

The Turkish hills look very close at this time of the year.

A big poinsettia in Chorio. The bracts turn red as the days grow shorter and by the time I get back from England in a few weeks it will be quite spectacular.

There are a lot of people on Symi at the moment for the Panormitis Festival but as they are over at Panormitis, Yialos is pretty quiet.  Greeks come from far and wide on a pilgrimage to the monastery at this time. The lucky ones have rooms or beds in the communal dormitory. The less fortunate and the late comers bed down on the verandahs and hope that the weather stays dry. A lot of the locals went over yesterday in search of bargains as the stalls are all set up now. Today is a school day but tomorrow, the day of the festival itself, is a local holiday.

This will be my last blog for a while as I am leaving for England on Wednesday on the diabolically early Blue Star Patmos - even as a 'morning person' 5 a.m. is an uncivilised departure time!  I hope it is not affected by the stormy weather that is expected to reach this part of Greece by Wednesday.  Luckily my flight is early on Thursday morning so it doesn't matter if the boat is late, but it does matter if there is a shipping ban and it doesn't run at all!  Living on a small island with no airport has its drawbacks when one wants to travel in the winter.

While many of you may be fed up with Christmas already having been jingled and jollied since September, here the only concession to the season is that Yanni's poinsettia in Chorio is starting to change colour.  Now that is one of the advantages of living on a small Greek island.   There is a time and a place for everything and right now the focus is the Festival of St Michael the Archangel at Panormitis, Roukoniotis and Kokkimides.  Christmas starts with whatever comes in on the Blue Star at some point in mid-December.

Have a good month and I'll post from Symi again around the 25th of the month, depending on the ferries of course!

Regards,
Adriana

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November Postcards from Symi

Fresh shrimp for sale below the Symi  Visitor Accommodation office this morning.

Artisanal Cheeses from Tilos

Hand made baskets for sale.

And I really do mean hand made!

All wrapped up for the winter.

Cerberus? No, just an amiable hound looking out for customers.

Painting awnings.

Mavrovouni - the sunny side of the harbour.

First some early morning exercises in the November sunshine.

Then a leisurely pamper session.

Reflections

Symi steps

Carpets for sale in Chorio.

A late season schooner in Harani.

Friday Morning Rush-Hour

It is the weekend before the Panormitis Festival and the Blue Star Patmos dropped off a veritable cavalcade of hawkers and stall holders this morning.   There was quite a procession of heavily laden vans, trucks and battered old cars crawling up the mountain as I was walking down.  Those who arrived on Wednesday's boat set up briefly in the town square yesterday, selling cheeses, baskets and carpets.

Weatherwise, we had 24 millimetres of steady rain on Monday afternoon which has helped to break the drought but we need a lot more where that came from.  The rain lowered the temperatures quite considerably and we have had days around 19 degrees and evenings as low as 13 degrees this week. The weather will continue unsettled with some very windy days next week and possible showers.

There have been further cuts to the winter ferry schedule in that Sea Dreams which was originally supposed to be running until at least Christmas has now had a change of heart and the boat has been pulled from service.  The Panagia Skiadeni which was supposed to be running a ferry service this week and over the Panormitis festival period has lost her ferry license so cannot sell one way tickets or take vehicles. This means that the only vehicle ferry during what is a peak period is the Blue Star as there are very few vehicle slots on the catamaran and in any case it doesn't have the clearance to accommodate vans and trucks. There will be quite a rush on Wednesday morning as the boat leaves at 5 a.m. for Rhodes in the winter and the stall holders will need time to dismantle and drive across the island.  I should imagine quite a few of them will defer their departure until Friday and come over to the harbour to sell whatever didn't go during the festival on Monday and Tuesday.  What a way to earn a living but these people have little or no choice in the land  of 50% unemployment and the Panormitis festival is one of the biggest opportunities to make a little money for the winter, assuming it doesn't all go into ferry fares.

I will be one of the ones waiting to catch the Blue Star at 5 a.m.  on Wednesday morning as I will be  off to the UK for a fortnight, but there is time for one more blog on Monday!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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