Life on Symi in August

Life imitating art?

No, this isn't the result of a sudden downpour.  At this time of the year the municipality hoses down the lanes first thing in the morning to get rid of the dust.  

There is a new ice factory on Symi, just down our lane.  Yachtsmen, you can drop off your washing at the Sunflower, pick up your cakes at the patisserie, get your shopping delivered from the supermarket and collect ice on the way back.  And that is not forgetting the chandler immediately opposite our office door.  Everything you need, all within a few metres of each other.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony this week.

Fresh fish, locally caught.

It was very humid on Wednesday, hence this very hazy view of the Blue Star Paros.

If you are looking for the Chorio museum having got off the bus at the Lavinia/Lieni stop, you will approach the museum from the side.  It is the white building on the right of the lane in this photograph and the entrance is around the corner, diagonally opposite the rather splendid red house you can glimpse in the distance.

The dividing line between town and country is very blurred io Symi and it is not unusual to see goats, sheep and chickens wandering around the lanes, looking for a snack. Remember to keep your courtyard door closed to avoid unwanted visitors nibbling the geraniums!

Weathered wood in Chorio.

I wonder how long that tin bath has been there.

Roof repairs to the Agios Eleftherias church at Kampos in Chorio. This church is unusual in that it has twin bell towers integral to the building.

Chorio colours

Morning glory flourishes in the present high humidity.

Cat nap.

The clock tower and police station in Yialos. The Schengen clearing zone is at the base of the clock tower and all yachts coming in from outside the EU have to stop there first to complete immigration formalities and customs procedures.

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Food for the Imagination

It is a bright sunny spring day on the small island of Symi in the Dodecanese. Day trippers are inspecting the racks outside the tourist shops for bargains and yachts of varying sizes and styles are rocking gently on the quay. Temperatures are pleasantly warm rather than searingly hot and it is still quite chilly in the shade. The water taxi boats are not in operation as the beach tavernas are not open yet but round in Harani the sunbeds at the Nireus Hotel and NOS Beach are seeing some use. It will be a while yet before the sea warms up but some hardy souls are already braving the waters. May is more of a month for hikers, walkers, photographers and painters rather than dedicated beach babes.

Despite a dry spring there are still a lot of flowers around and the gardens in Chorio are a wonderful sight. As there is so little arable land here Symiots have to create gardens among the rocks and make small stone terraces for planting hardy and drought resistant flowers. Courtyards usually have a lemon tree or a grape vine for shade. Old feta cheese and olive cans are often used as plant pots. Their straight sides make them fit neatly close together, shading each other’s roots and maximizing on space in a way that more curvaceous plant pots never can.

Many of the larger mansions are still closed up for the winter, waiting for summer owners from Athens or further afield to bring them to life in July and August. The rest of the year they guard their secrets behind sealed shutters and wrought iron gates, food for the imagination of those of us who pass by in the lanes. Apart from the Symi Dream Photography Walk on Sunday mornings which I mentioned in Monday’s blog there is also another guided walk in Chorio that will appeal to those who are curious about the island’s history and want to explore the labyrinth without fear of getting lost. This is run by Ian Haycox and takes place on Friday mornings from 09.00 to 13.30. For more details and to book please contact Symi Visitor Accommodation at symi-vis@otenet.gr

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Picture Postcard

The Gate House shining in the morning sun, as seen from the Kali Strata

Yialos and Harani.



Symi is basking in bright blue and white light, the sunshine of every glossy brochure and picture postcard. The recent cold weather has left the air sharp and clear with no trace of haze or dust. Symi looks newly painted, even though most householders have only just embarked on the annual whitewash job. In a climate of extremes it is traditional in Greece to spend much of Lent painting away the moss and mildew of winter and prepare for the long dry summer. It takes a while for all the woodwork to shrink and there is undoubtedly more rain to come but the days grow longer and warmer and the intervals between downpours increase until finally the number one topic of conversation on the bus changes from the iniquities of the ferry companies to speculation as to when the first rains will fall.

The Mouragio section of Yialos, with some of the houses of Harani in the background.

One casualty of Symi’s wet winters and scorching hot summers is the Symi Visitor Accommodation webcam. The webcam itself is fine, thank goodness, snug in its weather proof casing, but the cabling degraded in the sun and then let the rain in. A replacement cable is being made up so all being well we should be back on the air later this week.

In the Pedi Valley the Easter lambs grow fat on a diet of daisies and every patch of greenery seems to have a ewe tethered in it. Down in the harbour men are hard at work, laying the new paving outside Pachos. March on Symi wouldn’t be the same without roadworks and the staccato of jackhammers as the townhall rushes to get things finished before Easter. With the water table still high and springs popping out of the road near the bridge, paving the road around the head of the harbour is a challenging project involving much discussion and advice from bystanders, as well as the consumption of large quantities of caffeine and nicotine by all parties concerned.

One of my favourite pediments. 

I wonder what the story is behind that little saucer in the bull's eye.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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