Rumours of Rain

A marble profile of a Hellenic Hermes looks out on the Kali Strata.  Random fragments of Symi's antiquity have been recycled into all sorts of more recent structures.  The same areas of Symi have been in continuous occupation for centuries with the result that there are no perfectly preserved or abandoned ruined ancient sites as is the case in other areas where populations moved on to other locations.  Instead the stones were constantly reused and recreated, building new on top of old using whatever was to hand.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office as the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran passed through this morning, en route to Kos and points north.  Now that they have scaled back the schedule, this boat no longer comes through every day so always check the timetable in advance.  Otherwise you may find yourself in Halki instead of Symi!

A motor yacht pretending to be a trawler.  We have also seen motor yachts pretending to be battle ships and steamers.

Chorio cats.

The bougainvilleas are still putting on a brave show. 

Looking across towards Yialos from the clock tower, towards the bus stop and the Kastro (Acropolis) with Lemonitissa church looming over the harbour.  The famous Kali Strata steps start in the back of the harbour, a little to the right of the red-hulled yacht, and pass diagonally across that hillside. The point where I often stop to take my photographs of the harbour is just in front of the building on the top left side of the ridge in the photograph, where the Kali Strata makes a hard right turn, up towards the centre of Chorio.

Colour co-ordinated laundry in the harbour.

A luxury catamaran pretending to be a battle ship.

Pedi in the autumn sun.

Chorio chickens crossing the road.  What you can't see in these photographs are a rooster and a young tabby cat, both hiding in the bushes on the right.  The chickens joined the rooster in the bushes and the cat ignored them all.

It is a bright clear October day with a fresh breeze and lots of sunshine.  Temperatures are in the mid twenties and it is lovely in the sun.  This idyllic picture may be misleading because every forecast for the region is telling us that rain and thunderstorms are going to reach us at some point tonight and will only clear sometime on Sunday.  Even the BBC gave the Greek islands a mention in the weather bulletin this morning.

There is the happy buzz of conversation coming up from Pachos, the traditional Greek cafeneion downstairs.  It is has been a popular meeting place for decades, particularly if you prefer more traditional refreshments such as Greek coffee, frappes, Greek beer and wine by the carafe.  There are fancier establishments along the waterfront, with designer chairs and designer coffees but Pachos has served traditional drinks to Symiots and visitors since the war.

Have a good weekend.  You might be seeing some Symi rain photos on Monday!

Regards,
Adriana

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Stylish Shopping Opportunities

Every Greek taverna and restaurant has its feline residents.

Power boats by the metre.

A mysterious lane between houses on the Kali Strata. The house at the bottom has a bit nibbled out of it to allow passage between the buildings.  This now leads roughly to the high school playground, a recent post war construction. Who knows where it led before?

Soroco Lifestyle Store , Merakles Taverna and various other intriguing boutiques as well as a two stationers and a lotto shop fill the lanes around St John's Church and the back of the harbour.

Hand made goodies and decorator items next to the Albatros Hotel.

Ice cream and chandlery outside our office door.

Carpenters have cats too.

Symi is developing quite a reputation for its stylish shopping opportunities.  Instead of the repetitive and predictable tourist tat of Rhodes Old Town, every outlet on Symi has its own unique character and carefully chosen stock.  Whether you are looking for something different to wear this summer that you won't find in any high street chain, or something unusual for your home, Symi has plenty of shopping opportunities to offer.  Shops keep traditional Mediterranean hours so even if they close in the afternoon, they usually reopen in the evening so you can fit in some retail therapy before dinner in one of the tavernas.

The island continues to heat up and the first proper heatwave of the year is forecast for this week.  If it is expected to reach 34 in Rhodes we can anticipate 40 degrees centigrade here on Symi.  The beaches and boats will be busy as it is much cooler on the water or at the beach than it is in the harbour.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Honey and Vanilla

Bougainvillea and oleanders in the early morning sun.

Plump pomegranates opposite the Symi Dream shop.

Plumbago tumbling over a wall on the Kali Strata

The golden days of September are nearly upon us and those plants that have survived the endless procession of heat waves that has assaulted Greece this summer are starting to recover.  June and July 2012 will be remembered as the hottest months in Athens since records began and the statistics for August are likely to be more of the same.  Here on Symi it is even hotter but without the smog that makes city heat so dangerous.  We should see a drop to more normal temperatures in the mid thirties in the course of the week which will make the evening temperatures more tolerable.

From my office window I can see the water taxis heading for the beaches and the Poseidon is out on a round the island trip. The ANES Proteus has just arrived and a gulet is carefully docking stern-to by the clock tower. The happy babble of voices rises from the cafes downstairs and the smell of honey and vanilla is heavy on the air from the patisserie around the corner. 

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

It has been many years since the old Glafkos Hotel on the Kali Strata last opened its doors.

A neglected mansion on the right, a lovingly restored one on the left.

Virginia creeper taking over a building at the bottom of the Kali Strata.

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The Most Perfect of Weather

There's something interesting going on with the windows of the house on the right.

If you would like to wake up to this view this August, please contact us.

Symi is as famous for its steps as it is for its beautiful 19th century neo-classical architecture.  

Train-spotting Symi style.  Symi town hall's controversial 'choo choo' train as it passes the police station in Yialos, en route to Nimborio.  It is currently offering 40 minute tours of scenic Symi, departing from the town square.  

The Aegean Rally is in town.

Symi continues to steam with humidity levels reminiscent of my old home town, Durban.  Yesterday I emptied the bucket from the office air conditioner three times whereas in July it barely filled in a day.  The past two afternoons there have been big storm clouds looming over Turkey and the growl of distant thunder rumbling away. There have been reports of a few rain drops over Rhodes on Wednesday.  It was this kind of August weather that had everyone worrying about the Athens Olympics in 2004 as the stadium was roofless. That year, however, Athens did not have an August downpour and the events took place in the most perfect of weather.

This weekend the Symi Women’s Association is putting on an evening of traditional Greek and Symiot dances.  There are also the traditional name day celebrations at Megalo Sotiris, the roadside monastery just before the road descends to Panormitis.  Over at Toli Bay there is the Saturday night bouzouki at Daphne’s taverna and on the Pedi road Bloom is also offering live music.  Despite the lack of an official Symi Festival from the town hall this year there is still plenty going on on the island, and a lot of it is free.  Just keep an eye open for posters and flyers on lamp posts and an ear open for announcements over the town’s tannoy system.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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Leave the Worries of the World Behind.

Gone fishing.

Agia Marina island with thunder clouds building up over Turkey in the distance.

The little chapel on the island at Agia Marina.  This is a popular venue for wedding blessings and was where Caroline Carver and Kenny Doughty celebrated their wedding.

Even though I live here it is not often that I am able to take a Sunday off and go out on the water so this last weekend was a real treat.  The water taxi service does not start for another week or so, when they all have their licenses, and the beach tavernas are still setting up for the season, so our only companions were Symiot fishermen and locals busy whitewashing chapels and clearing weeds in preparation for the summer season.  The sea was the irresistible clear azure for which the Mediterranean is famed and the children enjoyed swimming in the warm shallows off Agia Marina.  It is easy to leave the worries of the world behind in such beautiful surroundings.

There are still some thunderstorms around, mainly over the Turkish coast, and we were treated to a spectacular display on Sunday night.   As there was a lot of dust in the air initially the lightning flashed orange and red, but once the rains started on the distant shores the air cleared to the more usual white lightning.  Much of Greece and Turkey is experiencing thunder storms and heavy showers at the moment as the hot air of the Mediterranean Basin collides with the cooler air of Continental Europe.  It will be a few weeks before this settles into the summer meltemi breezes.

If you are arriving on Symi this week make a note in your diary the opening of the new exhibition at the Symi Gallery on the Kali Strata on Friday night.  There is also live music at Giorgio’s taverna in Chorio on a Friday night, starting at about 9 so you can have a real cultural evening going from one event to another. 

Here are some pictures to whet your appetite for summer holidays to come.

Regards,

Adriana

Apostoli up the ladder, putting up the pergola over the taverna.  The other taverna in Pedi, Katsaras, is down the other side of the bay  and is already open for business. We had supper there ourselves on Saturday evening.

The foot path along the front of Pedi Bay, from Apostoli's taverna to the bus stop and the Pedi Beach Hotel.  In a few days those boats will all be launched and the shore line becomes a welcoming beach with sun umbrellas and loungers for those who want to combine lunch with swimming and sunbathing.

The rocks at the entrance to Pedi Bay are called the Paximadia which means rusks in Greek.

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