Last Minute Offers and Favourite Views

Climate change has had a big impact on Symi's trees and many well-established deciduous trees have died in recent years from the stresses of increasingly long hot dry summers with too many days in the 40s and much shorter winters.  This 35 year old almond tree, one of the last left in my garden, is weeping resin all over the bark, an ominous sign.

I never tire of this view.  

Thomas and friends, the bin cats on my corner.  As very few places on Symi have vehicle access, instead of rubbish collections from the houses there are skips at strategic points along the way.  Everyone takes their rubbish to the nearest bins  when they go out and the bins are emptied daily all year round with extra collections in the summer.  At the moment there is no viable recycling system so all rubbish is taken to a lined dump up on the top of the mountain, above Nanou bay.  Not ideal but still more efficient than the refuse collection systems in many other parts of the world.  As long as you remember to take the rubbish out with you when you go, there is no need to have smelly bins in the house and the plagues of insects that are inevitable in a hot climate.

Symi chic.  This bike has featured on my blog before, when it was sporting a Burberry print plastic table cloth.  Now it is wearing a coffee motif.  The original black vinyl upholstery will have long since cracked up and disintegrated in the Mediterranean sun.

Virginia creeper turns this old building at the bottom of the Kali Strata into something mysterious.  Who knows what lurks behind that boarded up balcony?

Another one of my favourite views, this time taken at sunset by Dawn Sproson.

September is drawing to a close but we are still surprisingly busy with new arrivals this week including many walkers.  The weather is still mild with midday temperatures in the high twenties and pleasantly cool evenings.  The long range weather forecast teases us with rumours of rain which always seems to pass us by.  The waterfront bars and cafes have not yet rigged their plastic tents - that will happen later, in October.  It is still warm enough to sit outside in the evenings with a shawl or sweatshirt if there is a breeze.

The ferry schedules have changed as Dodecanese Seaways is no longer operating its Samos service and have simplified their schedule to give the crews a break.  Remember, if Dodecanese Seaways does not suit your itinerary, you can always try Sea Dreams and the Blue Star.

We still have some last minute availability for various houses from 7 October so if you are wanting to enjoy some late Symi sunshine, please email us. We have some great properties at discounted prices.

Have a good week.

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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Symi Visitor Views and Other News

The harbour cats like to use the balcony railing as a convenient link between the roofs on either side of us.  It is not often, however, that they run into Sandouri, the Symi Visitor mascot.  The cat brazened it out.

Globe artichokes are splendidly ornamental, particularly if I forget to pick them in time, before the hairy chokes start to form inside.  By the following day, splendid giant purple thistles had opened up.

Symi is now definitely open for business.

In theory architectural gems like Symi are not supposed to have visible cables.  In reality there isn't the money to raise historic lanes and steps in order to conceal them so Symi's skyline is a tangle of cables and poles.  They are an unavoidable part of the island's urban landscape,

Day-trippers from Rhodes visit Yialos between 11 and 3 most days during the summer.  Visitors staying on the island are usually miles away by that time, enjoying themselves on a round the island boat trip or basking on a picturesque beach.

The recent showery weather has perked up the trees and the island is still remarkably green.

Cats aside, the view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony is becoming more interesting with more yachting activity.

A different view of the Kali Strata today, from about half way down, where it widens briefly into an open square which would probably have been something of a meeting place once upon a time.

It is the last Monday in May and it looks as though we may have more thundershowers this afternoon and evening.  We have had lots of sprinkles this May, all of them unusually clean bearing in mind that usually rain in April and May in this part of the world is of the dusty Saharan variety rather than cleansing showers.

Symi came third in the Youth Football Tournament at Camber Sands, England.  For videos of the prize giving, please see our Facebook page.  Well done, boys - and all the mums, grandmothers and the rest of the support team that got them there and will bring them safely home again.

As it is Symi Visitor Accommodation's 20th birthday this June (yes, it really is 20 years!) we are offering last minute discounts on June and July bookings of 5 nights or more.  Please email us on symi-vis@otenet.gr to find out about availability and rates. Remember to let us know how many people you are, the ages of any children and if anyone in the party has any mobility issues as Symi has lots and lots of steps!  We look forward to hearing from you.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi Summer Haze

A peaceful morning in Pedi. The number of yachts has thinned out considerably now that Eid is over and the majority of Turkish yachts have departed.

It is quiet, even off Harani.

The Blue Star Paros, glimpsed through a lane near the Symi Visitor Accommodation office.  The vine spreading across the street belongs to a tiny ouzerie that serves traditional drinks and mezzes.

8.30 a.m. on Friday morning in Yialos.

The Customs House looks as good as new - no one who did not know would believe that it was gutted by fire in May.  If you haven't been to Symi before, that hill immediately behind it is the Kastro and there used to be a castle on top.  All that is left of the castle are a few fragments of walls but it is also the location of many churches, the most dominant of which on this side is Lemonitissa, the one with the red dome.

Zooming in on Lemonitissa, you can see the scaffolding as the church is being repainted.  Lemonitissa studio and apartment are screened by the trees on the right.

Grapes ripening in a courtyard on the Kali Strata.

Capers in their natural habitat - growing out of a crack in the concrete on the road in Lieni, Chorio. The familiar little murky green blobs that you buy in jars in delicatessens are the buds of these opulent white and pink flowers. The buds form in the late afternoon and the flowers open at dawn so gathering the buds for pickling is a nocturnal activity.  The Symiots also pickle the most tender shoot tips and sometimes also the seed pods.  Capers flourish in incredibly hostile conditions and while they won't add much in the way of nourishment to your diet, they were a way of turning something wild into something edible when choices were limited.

An invisible cat in Chorio.  I don't think he realises that the ears give the game away.

As the world wakes up to yet another atrocity we have to reflect on just how fortunate we are to enjoy a safe and peaceful environment here on Symi. Symi has many French connections, starting with the many Symiots who emigrated to Marseilles in the 1920s to work in the sponge diving and boat building industry there and the island has many regular French visitors every year as well as French families who own holiday homes here.  Our hearts go out to all the people of France in their time of travail.  What more can we say?

Meanwhile the summer season continues to be very much quieter than usual.  There are far fewer families on the island than is usual for this time of the year and most of the visitors seem to be couples.  Temperatures on Symi are in the high thirties as the humidity is high. Apparently the meltemi is blowing hard in the Aegean but we are not feeling its affects here and the horizon is lost in the summer haze.

If you are looking for a last minute summer break, please email us - we still have some gaps to fill!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi Blues and Golds

Early morning sunshine gilds the old stones of a neglected mansion on the Kali Strata.

A pocket handkerchief rose garden in Chorio.

A serene face looks out from the pediment of a mansion on the Kali Strata.

Early morning departure from Pedi.

Bees pollinating prickly pears in Chorio.

I spotted this cat taking the early morning air in an abandoned house in Chorio.

The merchants of Symi admired the louvred shutters of France but louvres are expensive to make and maintain so they came up with this poor man's alternative by nailing overlapping slats onto a base.  While you don't get the air flow, they are a lot easier to maintain as the inside is completely smooth and they don't let in the clouds of summer dust either.

Morning glory in a wild garden near the high school at the corner of the Kali Strata.

Colours and textures on the Kali Strata.

Sheep may safely graze - a flock winding along a path through the Pedi valley.

May is drawing to a close and many things have happened, including the loss of our friend, Wendy's partner, Ged Horton. There was a tremendous turn out for the funeral on Wednesday and it was gratifying to see how many people made an effort to be there, including two friends who came from England for the day to show their support.  Many local businesses even closed for a few hours so that the owners or staff could attend.  Symiots and expats alike mourned together and celebrated together. Symi is like that.

The island is getting busier although Symi is still a lot quieter for May than it was even a year ago.  The islands with airports and big resort hotels are picking up some of the slack as nervous tourists look for an alternative to Turkish Aegean resorts but the quieter niche market islands like Symi that require a bit more time and effort to reach and don't have the facilities to attract package holiday companies remain quiet with lower booking rates than they enjoyed before the financial crisis. Many of the people visiting Symi at the moment are either regular visitors or are friends and relations of regular visitors who are highly motivated to come here.  Even the holiday companies like Olympic Holidays that used to be full from early May have very few people on Symi these days.  If you are looking for a quiet, uncrowded holiday destination, it seems as though Symi might well be it!

If you are thinking of a last minute June holiday please email us on symi-vis@otenet.gr for information about availability and rates.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

  

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The Kastro, the Kali Strata and a Cat

All that is left of the Castle the Knights built on Symi is a few remnants of walls.  The rest was destroyed when the Germans used the Kastro as a munitions store during the Second World War and blew it up during their retreat. This is why so many properties in the immediate vicinity of the Kastro are still in ruins today.  There are three churches built within in the walls of the ruined Kastro, not counting the one you can see on the right which is at the base of the access ramp.

A typical neo-classical Symi double storey on one of the access lanes to the Kali Strata.  The vine provides shade and privacy for outdoor living in the summer.  Instead of wasting space with internal stairs, the downstairs has a separate entrance from the lower lane.  There really is no such thing as a level building plot on Symi and all the houses are adapted to fit the extreme steepness of the landscape.  Symi is famous for steps, steps and yet more steps.

This three storey mansion overlooking the Kali Strata and the harbour is exactly 100 years old according to the date in the plaster on its pediment.

Today's Symi cat, snoozing on the bamboo above the Chrysalis boutique.  Note the overhanging eaves on this building.  This is characteristic of the Ottoman Empire and is one of the few buildings left on Symi that still reveals its Turkish connections. The Ottoman Empire lasted 400 years and during that time Symi was relatively prosperous, providing the Sultan with fast ships (built in the boatyards of Yialos - where the town square car park is now - and Harani) and sponges for the beautiful women of the harem.  Apparently they used the small ones, soaked in vinegar, as a rudimentary form of contraception.

A convergence of lanes at the bottom of the Kali Strata.  This was taken early in the morning, on my way to work, but in the evenings this area is humming with activity.

How to find the Kali Strata.  Look for the blue steps in the harbour and then take the left fork past the carpenter's shop. The ones that go up next to the Silk boutique are a diversion and will only take you to some ruins.  

Yachts milling about in the Meltemi breeze in Yialos this morning. The wind is bringing some welcome coolness to Symi this summer.  You can watch this view in real time with our webcam as this is the view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office balcony.

The colourful chandlery at the bottom of the stairs to our office.  Dino sells an astonishing array of goods, including brass door knockers, goat bells and agricultural implements in addition to fishing rods, flags and yacht chandlery.

Lemonitissa church looking down on the town from the Kastro.  At this angle, viewed from the side balcony of our office in Yialos, Lemonitissa studio and apartment are masked by the trees to the right of the church.

The Meltemi, the prevailing wind in the Aegean, seems to have found us this year and we are enjoying some very welcome breezes.

We are now very busy as July is high season on Symi and there is a lot of coming and going, not to mention last minute bookings and this morning I actually received an email from someone who is wanting to plan their holiday around Easter 2016.  Now that is what I call forward planning!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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