On a Hot Summer's Day

On a hot summer's day all one really wants to do is find a comfy spot in the shade and snooze....

Tomatoes are ripening fast in neighbourhood gardens, even as the heat is scorching the leaves.



Symi is famous for its beautiful neo-classical houses and even new buildings have to follow the prescribed style.



Fresh vine leaves are a beautiful sight.



It may be too hot to grow lettuce and other salad greens but cherry tomatoes in all colours and shapes make an attractive salad to nibble on.

Now that we have become a nation of back yard farmers one sees bales of hay travelling by any means possible.  I spotted this one on my walk to work this morning.



The view from the Kali Strata corner this morning. The bar does not seem to be opening there this year. 
Looking out over the sea the meltemi has blown the haze away and a few localised clouds are casting shadows over the hills.

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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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