August Postcards from Symi

Wild capers are among the very few plants that can withstand the searing heat  and drought  f a Symi summer.  

Sunrise over Asia Minor as seen from the top of the Pedi valley. Up until a century ago, those hills were farmed by Greek families and the produce brought across to Symi for milling and marketing.  Now those hills and mountains are Turkish but old abandoned Greek settlements can still be seen if you know where to look, particularly around Fethiye.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office earlier this week, the trusty Cypriot Salamis Filoxenia.

The Pedi valley was once the island's agricultural heartland.  Now native trees such as kermes oaks are reclaiming the land and slowly turning much of it back to woodland.

Hidden high up in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chorio you will find theSymi Archaeological Museum.  Recently refurbished, the main part of the museum is now open every day except Mondays, from 10-2.  Apparently the adjoining Hellenistic Antiquities Museum and Hatziagapitos House will be open to the public from the end of August.  Admittance is free.

The view from the terrace of the museum, looking across to the Kastro (Acropolis).  Originally the most densely populated part of Chorio, much of this neighbourhood was destroyed when the castle was blown up by the retreating Germans during the Second World War.  You can see parts of the old fortifications in the photograph.

Grapes ripening in the museum grounds.  As it is the old Farmakides mansion there are grape vines and citrus trees in the walled garden.

The lanes of Chorio old town are narrow, designed to confuse pirates and slow down any marauders.  Symi has no tradition of wheeled traffic - the terrain is too steep for that - so the only alternative to walking was donkeys.

Brilliant bougainvillea and plumbago light up an old stone wall near the museum.

Grapes don't need much attention.  This house has been deserted ever since I can remember but look at those trusses of sweet fruit!  In the days before sponges, Symi, like Samos, used to produce a sweet muscadel-type wine.

Every so often the lanes open out into a wider space, letting air into the labyrinth and providing an area for people to sit out with their friends and family from adjoining houses on hot summer evenings.

Snapped on my walk to work this morning, this truckload of hay rattled past me just after the Blue Star docked.

Donkeys, mules and ponies are still an essential part of life on Symi, particularly for the building industry as very few properties on the island have close vehicle access.  You can see a couple of foals in this photograph. They accompany the older animals, learning the routes up and down the Kali Strata and around the lanes and alleys of Chorio.  They aren't given anything to carry until they are much older and stronger.

Steps, balconies and stones polished by centuries of feet.

Read more...

The Long and Winding Road - Sevasti and Wookie

Since Olympic Holidays took on Sevasti Studios in upper Chorio this year we have had many people pass through our Symi Visitor Accommodation office, wondering where this accommodation is. The easy answer is that it is next door to one of our own rental properties, Villa Wookie, but that does not help new comers very much.  While both are relatively easy to find when coming off the bus at the Lavinia stop at the top of Lieni, wandering home through the lanes after dinner in Chorio is more of a challenge.  The trick is to follow the signs to the museum, a route which is very well sign posted.

Keep going - the museum is the building on the left.  This is the last really steep bit. I love the little whirly toy in the plant pot on the terrace to the right.

The museum, closed for renovation this year.  You need to go up the steps and then turn left.

This rather striking red house opposite the museum is a good landmark to look out for.  If you carry on along the front of it that lane leads eventually to Stavros Church, the Kataraktis and all sorts of other interesting parts of old Chorio.  It will not, however, get you home to Villa Wookie or Sevasti Studios.

If you are staying in the Stone House, a new listing with Symi Visitor Accommodation, this is the little lane you need to look out for, about 20 metres along the lane from the museum.  The Stone House is the one on the right, behind the house with the umbrella.

If you are doing the route in reverse, the lane on the right leads to the museum.

When you are confronted by this rather uninspiring wall with a window, turn right and you will see...

The lane to your destination.  That is Sevasti Studios in the middle distance.

A little way up the ramp to the right in the photograph is the entrance to Sevasti Studios.  If you carry on straight ahead you will be at the Lavinia Studios bus stop.

Sevasti Studios. The lane up to the right in the picture is the access to Villa Wookie.

Of course, once you have explored the area there are various other routes through the lanes from Giorgio's taverna to the welcome bed and I won't say that this is the quickest, but it is the most straightforward for newcomers as as long as you can find the museum home is not far away.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Read more...