Snails, Plastic and Rick Stein

The snails are back!

Wind patterns on the water in Pedi.

The acorns are plumping on old valonia oak at Lieni in Chorio.

Dusting off the outdoor heaters.

All wrapped up against the rain.

Symi's various cafes, bars, tavernas and restaurants don't have much in the way of inside seating, if any at all.  Instead they use a combination of awnings and clear plastic 'tents' to provide shelter for their customers during the autumn and spring months when there is the possibility of rain and chilly evenings.  It may seem like camping but they are surprisingly effective, particularly when combined with the heaters above.

The much anticipated rain did not come to much on Symi - about a millimetre late on Friday night, just enough to make patterns in the dust, and then another 2 millimetres early on Sunday morning which brought the snails out in their droves.  I was out with the salt cellar, saving my seedlings from the ravenous slithering hordes.  Saturday, the day which was supposed to be really stormy with heavy thundershowers, turned out overcast and very windy but with no rain. There is no more rain for the foreseeable future but temperatures are a bit lower than usual for this time of the year - mostly in the low twenties now with night time temperatures around 17 degrees centigrade and quite breezy.

Many of the seasonal businesses have now packed up for the year, particularly the ones owned by Athenians such as the new beach at Petalo.  They are usually only active in the peak months of July, August and September anyway.  The cruise ship Salamis Filoxenia was in yesterday and the Blue Star this morning brought a lot of visitors to Panormitis, judging by the convoy of mini buses heading up the hill.  One advantage of the slightly chilly weather is that there are lots more day-trippers from Rhodes visiting the island so the cafes are busy.  Rhodes is much more exposed to the wind so those who are not interested in wind-surfing off Ialyssos are on Symi, sipping lattes and people-watching in Yialos.

One late season surprise visitor was celebrity chef, Rick Stein. Wendy ran into him at Giorgio and Maria's taverna in Chorio yesterday.  He fell in love with Symi while shooting the kitchen shots of his BBC series, 'From Venice to Istanbul' in one of our houses back in 2014.  Sofia's House, the villa that he used is unfortunately no longer a rental property but we have plenty of other houses if you want to enjoy Symi like a celebrity.

Rick and Sarah Stein with Wendy Wilcox, the proprietor of Symi Visitor Accommodation.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Happy New Year from Chilly Symi

Pedi Bay during the December supermoon. This photograph was taken from high up in Chorio,  That bright light is actually over in Turkey, several miles away.  In the winter when the weather is clear one can see the opposite shore quite clearly.

As I was saying!  This was the view from Lieni this morning.

Looking the other way, those are the wind turbines between Datca and Marmaris!

The view from the  Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning.  The Blue Star Patmos has been seriously delayed due to Force 9 gales in the Aegean which precipitated a shipping ban.  It was supposed to have left Piraeus at 10 this morning but at time of writing is still tied up so unlikely to get here before midday tomorrow (Saturday).  The truck you can see in the photograph comes over from Rhodes with fruit and vegetables for the Symi supermarkets and is waiting to go back with a load of empty crates.

Yanni proudly showing off the octopus he caught in Harani recently.  Octopus stifado is a popular winter dish here. The octopus is braised with red wine, vinegar, spices and lots of small onions.  

Free range Fred looking for breakfast in Lieni.

Now that we have had a sustained cold spell the remaining leaves on the valonia oak trees are starting to turn colour like proper autumn leaves.

It has been a cold wet and windy week with heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday. This morning dawned bright and clear and it looks as though we will have a cold start to the new year with daytime highs on Symi and Rhodes of around 9 degrees, dropping to 5 or 6 at night.  Much of Greece has had snow and icy weather.  Even nearby Rhodes experienced snow flurries on the highest points at Ataviro and Profiti Ilias.  More rain is forecast for next week with a slight rise in temperatures to around 12 degrees at midday.

Rick Stein's cookery show, 'From Venice to Istanbul' is evidently being shown on TV in  Australia at the moment and we have received many emails from people wanting to book 'Rick Stein's house'. To set the record straight, the house is actually Sofia's house in Harani.  It was sold some years ago to a Symiot family who now live in it year round so it is no longer available as a rental property.  It never belonged to Rick Stein and he himself only used it as a film set as it had a big open plan kitchen dining room with plenty of space for the cameras.  He himself stayed in Iapetos Village Hotel at the back of the harbour. There are lots of lovely houses to rent on Symi and we are happy to help you book one but it won't be 'Rick Stein's house'!

Still on the subject of food, Symi has a great selection of good restaurants and tavernas in the summer so there is no need to slave over a hot stove in the heat of a Symi summer.  If, however, you do want to dabble in the culinary arts and try your hand at Greek recipes, most of our rental houses are fully equipped for self-catering and you will find the ingredients for seasonal Greek cuisine in the local shops and markets in Chorio and Yialos.

The town public address system is pumping out Christmas jingles and it is time for me to head for the bus stop.  My next blog will be on Tuesday as the office is closed on Monday. All of us at Symi Visitor Accommodation wish you a very happy new year and we'll be telling you soon about our planned birthday celebrations as we turn 20 in 2017!

Regards,
Adriana

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Celebrity Chefs and Cloudbursts - Late October on Symi

The water taxis will soon be hauled out of the water for the winter.  In the meantime the owners have started wrapping up the seats etcetera in black plastic bags.  I took this photograph on Wednesday, when the light was bright and sparkling and the clouds had not caught up with us yet.

Not much activity in Pachos this morning.  The roads are wet from overnight rain.

A rain-streaked sunrise at 8 a.m. in Yialos.  

A new construction on the waterfront in Yialos.  It is being painstakingly built with dressed local stone.  As Symi's architecture is protected all new buildings have to blend in with the old.  This will be a splendid structure when it is complete.

Pigeons being fed on the quay near the clock tower.  I'm not sure if the train is coming or going but there aren't many takers for rides around the harbour now that the weather has changed and the tourists have faded away.  That is the Blue Star Diagoras in the background, en route from Piraeus to Rhodes and Kastellorizon.  She was waiting for the ambulance to arrive as there was a medical emergency to be transferred to Rhodes.  The Diagoras will pass through Symi again this evening on her reciprocal route.

Most of the yachts now are cruising folk waiting for the end of the month when they go to wherever they are over-wintering, often in marinas and boatyards along the Turkish coast.

A peaceful scene in Yialos, Symi.

An elegant black cat by the bridge in Yialos.

Yes, it is true that celebrity chef, Rick Stein is on Symi at the moment, filming for his latest cookery programme about Mediterranean cuisine in one of our properties,  Symi Visitor Accommodation has been in tentative negotiations to arrange a book signing before he leaves the island next week.  We will know more once he is closer to completing filming and there is a clearer idea of when he might have time available in his schedule.  Once we have firmer details we'll put them up, here and on our Symi Visitor Accommodation Facebook page.

We have had a few showers but so far the heavy downpours expected have passed either to the north or the south of Symi and it has been far wetter on Rhodes than has been the case here.  The weather is expected to improve in time for the Ochi Day parade on Tuesday and then closing in again with more rain and unsettled conditions expected next week too.

There are very few visitors staying on the island now and although the 'Symi' day excursion boat is in from Rhodes, the streets are deserted.  Just a few small huddled groups in the cafes along the front, wondering if it will rain again.  Those shops that are still open are having big end of season sales as it makes sense to try and get rid of stock rather than pack it away in what may well be damp storage until April so there is many a bargain to be had if you are looking for beachwear.  Finding more appropriate clothing for the changing season is more of a challenge and we have to go to Rhodes for practical winter wear unless a passing gypsy hawker has what we need.

The bus came back from Rhodes on the Blue Star on Wednesday afternoon so normal service has resumed, much to the relief of everyone who lives up and works down or has to commute between Pedi and Yialos.

Have a warm dry weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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