Challenging Times

There are days when I can really relate to this shutter, hanging by a thread up in Chorio.

Some doors are closed to me now but others are opening.

Busy as the bees rolling in the ephemeral poppies.

There is beauty to be found, even in the most inhospitable environment.

Inspiration among the daisies.

I wonder what the story is behind this pediment in Chorio.

A quiet garden just off the road in Chorio.  Old fashioned roses grow very well here and anyone with a bit of space tries to fit in a rose bush or two.

I have delayed writing a blog post as the situation changes with such frequency, it is difficult to know what to say.

First of all, many thanks to all of you who have written in, expressing your condolences and sharing your thoughts about Wendy and her tragically early death.  We really do appreciate it and it is a comfort to her family and friends to know that Wendy was loved and admired by many people all over the world.

The situation at present is that Symi Visitor Accommodation has closed down. As everything to do with the business is in Wendy's name, the business effectively died with her.  This is why the accommodation listings have all disappeared from the website, the Facebook page has gone and the office in the harbour is closed. The Sunflower laundry is also part of Wendy's estate and as such has also had to close.  No doubt sooner or later someone else will open a new laundry on Symi but who, where and when I cannot say as I don't know. 

The webcam was provided very kindly by a private individual as a service to the community. It is now looking for a new home.

I am in the process of setting up my personal blog and reinventing myself.  Please bear with me if I go quiet for a while. There is a lot to be done at many levels.  I will let you all know what I am doing and where to find me in due course.

Regards,
Adriana

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Good bye, Wendy

Wendy Wilcox in happier times

It is with a heavy heart that I write today's blog post.  As many of you with close links to Symi know, Wendy was diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago, followed shortly thereafter by the tragic loss of her partner, Ged Horton.  Sadly, we now say good bye to Wendy who died suddenly on Saturday afternoon, in the arms of her friends.

The friendly face of Symi Visitor for more than 20 years, she brought many visitors to the island and joy to the lives of countless people, both visitors and residents alike.  In recent years she was also one of the warm-hearted founders of Solidarity Symi, the local charity that sprang out of the refugee crisis of 2015. 

Naturally empathetic, Wendy always put other people first and wanted to make everyone happy. That made her an excellent hostess and event organiser.  The happy couples who enjoyed her services as a wedding planner are part of her enduring legacy.

Her buoyant personality and vivacity were slowly dimmed by the disease that robbed her of her speech and her ability to socialise but she fought on, making the adaptations that living with a life-changing illness imposes.  Spinach smoothies and Greek rice pudding and long walks with her dog, Santouri.  It is tragic that an undetected aneurysm cut short her life and robbed us of the friend and colleague we loved so well.  She will be missed, both on Symi and by thousands of people around the world.

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March Postcards from Symi

Fishing boats at the head of the harbour.  The water taxi boats leave from this area during the season.  Our Symi Visitor Accommodation office is in the small ochre double storey with the terracotta pediment, partially hidden by the tall palm in the middle of the photograph. There are also several popular cafes along this stretch, ranging from the traditional to the trendy, to suit all tastes and budgets.

It is traditional in Greece to exchange elaborately decorated candles as gifts for Easter.  A spin off of the church processional candles, these are far to fancy - and flammable - to light.  They are decorated with small toys, flowers, dolls, emblems and motifs.  Some shops even sell them in novelty shapes including candles moulded to look like rolled up gyros, the popular Greek street food!

Dino, the chandler opposite the entrance to the Symi Visitor Accommodation office, busy painting his cupboards.

More painting and cleaning going on around the corner.  The retro purple and orange is a herb shop.  Most places aim to be open by Greek Easter, which is next weekend.  Many that are specifically dependent on foreign tourists don't open up until June or July these days as Symi doesn't have as many visitors in April and May as it did 10-15 years ago.

Hooray!  The ice cream fridges have arrived!

We don't see many early season yachts these days either.

Last minute preparations at the war memorial before the 25 March Independence Day parade on Sunday. The next parade day on Symi is 8 May for VE Day.

A brave poppy perched on the rubble left by 13 November 2017's devastating floods.  This is in the Pedi valley.

Outside the clinic in Chorio.

The dust cloud is still with us.  Apparently up in the north, in Romania, Bulgaria and Russia's Black Sea coast, they have been experiencing pink snow as the Saharan cloud mingles with the snow.  Down here we just see dust and red rain and very poor visibility.  There have been some flight disruptions this past week, particularly in Crete which was very badly affected by the dust and gale force winds. There are lots of amazing orange photos out there in social media.

Organic verge trimming on the Kali Strata.

A designer cat, waiting for the Krysallis boutique to reopen.

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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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Planning Your 2018 Holidays

Yialos earlier this week.

Looking across to the Kastro and Lemonitissa church 

Symi gold.

Symi has all sorts of interesting shops, including an organic Greek food store and a tinsmith who personally crafts many of the items that he sells.

Fork in the road.  The left hand steps lead to the old kataraktis foot path up to Chorio that runs up the back of the kastro hill that you can see in the previous photograph.  This comes out in the oldest part of Chorio.

A conifer sprouting out of top of a wall at the back of Yialos.

What's that on the wall of St John's church?

A fragment of an old marble sculpture, possibly a stele  incorporated into the structure of St John's church at the back of Yialos.

Another ancient fragment on St John's bell tower.

Free range Fred struts his stuff in Chorio.

It almost rained this morning.

September is one of the loveliest months on Symi.  Not too hot.  Not too crowded.  The children are back in school and the beaches are peaceful.  The season feels as though it is drawing to a close and the ambience is relaxed and laid back.  It is not quite over though.  Next weekend marks the beginning of October and the walkers start to arrive.  Walkers, painters, photographers - they come to enjoy Symi's golden autumn light and the beginning of the island's second 'spring'. April and May, the proper spring, are glorious in their own way, with abundant wild flowers, mild temperatures and the joys of Greek Easter but October has a huge advantage - the sea is warm!  

If you are thinking about a visit to Symi next year but are afraid of Mediterranean heatwaves, consider the end of September and the first 2 weeks of October.  While the excursion boats and water taxis start to wind down in the middle of October, many other amenities such as tavernas, cafes, tourist shops and bars stay open until the Panormitis Festival on 8 November.  Now is also the time to take a look at the ferry schedules as this year's schedules for September and October are still visible on line and provide a useful guide for synchronising flights with ferries.  You can also follow our travel blog.  Andy is already putting up useful flight information for next year as it becomes available.

We are starting to take bookings now for 2018 so why not drop us a line on symi-vis@otenet.gr?  Just let us know how many people you are, the ages of any children and any special requirements you might have and we will profile your booking to suit you.  You can always be sure of old-fashioned personal attention when you book through Symi Visitor Accommodation.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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The Sunshine is Guaranteed

The autumn leaves are starting to fall.  It is many months now since we last had rain and the almond trees are desperate.  Six weeks to go before the anticipated start to the rainy season!

The Blessed Virgin of the Castle, sporting sunshades as well as flags for the Assumption this year.

If you book your holiday accommodation through Symi Visitor Accommodation you will always be met from the ferry and won't find yourself with a pile of suitcases, asking directions from the locals.  It is all part of our service.

Off to the beach!

When I used to sail it was considered bad form to leave port trailing fenders but times have changed.

The houses that line Symi's famous natural amphitheatre harbour cling to the cliffs in a jigsaw of steps, lanes, ramps and contour paths. There was no overall master plan at the time but the overall effect is infinitely charming to the eye.

A typical August morning view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office.

If you are travelling light you can always top up your  holiday wardrobe when you get here.

The pomegranates are swelling in the old gardens of Chorio.

Orange!

Central Chorio, overlooking the Pedi Valley.

A quiet moment in Yialos early this morning.

As August draws to a close autumn is just around the corner.  The shadows are lengthening and the edge has gone from the heat.  The breeze has changed to the north, freshening the air and taking away some of the humidity.  The plants know that the end is in sight.  Wherever there is water, seeds are starting to germinate and on close inspection even the most frazzled geraniums seem to have a few tiny new green shoots.

The official Mediterranean holiday season is coming to an end and everyone who traditionally takes August off is heading back to work or school.  The Blue Star car ferry to Pireus is very busy as many Greeks, Italians and French 'drive' here for their holidays, making use of the car ferries connecting Greece and the islands with Italy and continental Europe. Clean and efficient, this is often a pleasanter way to travel than the indignities of modern air travel and you don't have to worry about liquids and whether your hand luggage meets the varying criteria of different airlines.

The Greek schools reopen soon and the island's young people will be heading off to college or university in the next week or so.  Others will be in the army as Greece still has military conscription. The demographic shifts in September as Symi's regular visitors from Britain, Germany and Scandinavia start to arrive.  If you aren't tied to the school holidays, September is one of the best months to visit Symi. The sea is as warm as it is going to get, day time temperatures are between 28 and 32 degrees so not too hot and the evenings are mild enough to sit outside without needing sweaters and shawls.  If you haven't already booked, drop us a line as we still have some availability left and one thing about Symi in September - the sunshine is guaranteed!

Have a good bank holiday long weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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