February Postcards from Symi

Houses on Symi are generally not very big but even by Symi standards this one is exceptionally narrow.  I sometimes what what the story is behind it.  It is very surrounded by what were commercial properties in the island's commercial boom period at the end of the 19th century. The boutique hotel, the Old Markets, is just up those steps to the right and is tucked behind the buildings to left and right.  That archway you can see was the old covered souk. If you continue up to the right you are on the historic Kali Strata steps.

Another small but intriguing building at the bottom of the Kali Strata houses the Krysallis boutique in the summer.  The cats snooze on the bamboo all year round.

Looking through the ruins of one of the old mansions on the Kali Strata at the steep hillside that forms the other side of Symi's famous amphitheatre harbour.

In the summer Symi's waterfront bustles with shops, cafes, bars, tavernas, yachts and gulets.  In the quiet weeks of winter there is little to disturb the peace except the weather and an occasional passing ferry.

A stray Kos lettuce sprouting between the flag stones on the Kali Strata.

There is not much point in spending many man hours weeding the old paving stones until the rain has passed and the first tourists arrive sometime in April. At this time of the year the stuff grows before your eyes.

The view of Yialos, Harani and Nimos from my favourite look out spot at the bend in the Kali Strata. The calm before the storm.  We have a week of rain and thunderstorms ahead of us.

Up in the wilds of Lieni the free range poultry and feral cats live in happy co-existence, sharing the spoils of the skip on the corner between them.  There seems to be a serious preponderance of cockerels hanging out.  By the way, although this is quite a busy road and a fairly dangerous corner, everyone slows down to let the cats and chickens meander across the road at whim.  The poultry have their roost in a scrubby bush on the other side of the road so a fair amount of 'chicken crossing road' goes on, as you may imagine.

Wild cyclamens are everywhere now, scenting the air with a very delicate fragrance.

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July Postcards from Symi

Looking across the Pedi valley towards the windmills on the ridge of hill that divides Pedi from Yialos. That is the top of the island of Nimos in the background.

Boats lying off Harani earlier this week.

A glimpse of the harbour between the buildings on the Kali Strata.

When a hen goes 'off piste' there is no knowing where she will decide to nest. This biddy was spotted near the bottom of the Kali Strata, just up from the Old Markets hotel.

Kokkimides, one of the oldest churches on the island. Built on the second highest peak on the island during the Byzantine era, the monastery was rebuilt in 1760.  In recent years an access road has been built up to the monastery and it is no longer necessary to climb up.  There is usually someone there and I have never known it to be closed. The church is through the small entrance on the right and has many Byzantine frescoes.

One of the oldest trees on the island, up on the top of Kokkimides.  It is propped up with stones to prevent it from collapsing.

Sunset over Panormitis monastery bay, looking down from the view point at the top, before one starts the steep descent of hairpin bends down to sea level.  There is a mini bus service connecting Yialos and Chorio with Panormitis 2-3 times a day and also excursion buses.

Looking beyond Panormitis to the island of Sesklia.

The interior of Symi is rugged rocks and conifer forests with occasional small fertile valleys and ancient terraces planted with olives, figs and vines.  

Toli Bay on the west side of the island, is a beautiful place to watch the sun set and enjoy a delicious meal at the Dafnes beach taverna, so named after all the oleanders that grow wild nearby. 

If I stay very still, maybe no one will notice me.

A Greek Orthodox priest popping into the clinic in Chorio. Unlike many parts of Britain where several parishes often have to share one priest, Greece has no such pastoral problems and Symi's priests are always in evidence to lend a hand and provide support when needed.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning.

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July Postcards from Symi

The Cypriot  Salamis Filoxenia is the largest cruise ship that can actually dock in Yialos.  The rest, if they come our way, anchor off in Nimborio bay and bring their guests ashore in lighters.  

After a searing heatwave of over a week with temperatures in the mid to high forties, Symi's plant life is a bit frazzled.  The bougainvilleas and many trees and shrubs are shedding flowers, bracts and leaves with every puff of wind.  Temperatures have now dropped back into the thirties and feel quite reasonable after what we have been through recently.

Discreet advertising on the Kali Strata.  Symi is popular with artists of all kinds, inspired by the architecture, the landscape, the sparkling Aegean light...  If you are looking for somewhere to spark your muse, come to Symi!

The view from the Symi Visitor balcony is much busier than it was a week or so ago.  Ferries, cruise ships, water taxis, excursion boats, gulets, private yachts - there's always something coming or going every time I look out.

The Blue Star Paros has taken over from the Patmos for the summer.  Smaller and nippier, you can't miss her arrivals and departures as she plays little ice cream van jingles as the ramp goes down and up.

Once upon a time the sponge merchants of Symi sat out on these balconies, looking out for the fleet returning from the sponge grounds off Bengazi in Libya. That black car in the background is actually on the top of the hill on the other side of the harbour!  Symi's dimensions are Toy Town.

Keeping to the shady side of the street.

Looking up the Kali Strata from near the bottom, near the Old Markets hotel.

Summer colours

A new cantina has opened above me, at Agia Marina cemetery  (not to be confused with Agia Marina beach which is a different place altogether!).  A low budget enterprise, most of the furniture has been made from old pallets.  They will be grilling souvlaki on hot summer nights and we have already discovered that we are teased with tantalising aromas when the wind blows from that direction.

The view from the new cantina.  That is the Pedi Valley and Pedi Bay on the right.  On the left you can see over the ridge towards Nimborio bay and Nimos island.

Book your accommodation with us at Symi Visitor Accommodation and you will receive a totally personalised service.  All your questions are answered and your needs are taken into account when we make your booking.  

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Wind and Wood Smoke

A cold and choppy sea.

It was so rough this morning that the Blue Star Patmos did not stop, leaving lots of frustrated travelers fuming on the dock.

Pigeons may have small brains but they are certainly sensible.  This cornice on the National Bank is a nice warm sunny spot, out of the wind!

It may be a bit bumpy in the  harbour today but in the winter, when there are few boats and all the tourist trappings are packed away, the view of Symi's distinctive neo-classical architecture is unobstructed. That long stone building with the light green woodwork in the middle of this photograph is the highly-acclaimed Old Markets hotel.

The bus stop in Yialos.  The blue bus is the one that serves Panormitis monastery. Conspicuous by its absence is the yellow bus which serves the Yialos-Chorio-Pedi route as it is still away for maintenance.  Those cubes on the quay to the right are pallets of stone flags, similar to the ones already laid around the centre of the harbour, so we can expect a continuation of the paving project in the near future.  The ramp at the far left leads to the high school, the upper section of the Kali Strata and Chorio. 

It is not just the architectural detail that  is revealed when the sunhats and beach towels are packed away.  Walking back from the ATM at the Alpha bank this morning I noticed that this tourist shop is using an Easter themed plastic table cloth (plastic table cloths are sold by the metre in Greece) as a partition.  The other side is rather more sophisticated wood paneling as it is a posh boutique.

Breakfast for some of the street cats of Yialos. Symi Animal Welfare and various dedicated locals look after the various cat colonies in Yialos, Chorio and Pedi during the winter when taverna pickings are lean.  The shiny bag on the left seems to have shoes in it and has probably blown off the table so this is not a Symi interpretation of  the fairy story, 'Puss in Boots'!

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning.  It is not particularly obvious but the boats are all rolling in the swell.

Work has started on the new road from the new commercial harbour.  Apparently it will curve around the hill and join the existing road just beyond the bend at the top, where you can see that blue tanker parked. When the harbour is completed, the big boats will dock there instead of by the clock tower and heavy vehicles will go up the new road and over the hill to the Pedi road where all the warehouses are, significantly cutting down on heavy traffic passing along the waterfront in Yialos.  

It is a cold, clear and windy day on Symi.  Temperatures are not expect to rise above 6 degrees centigrade today and with the wind chill it is actually only just above freezing.  Water froze in exposed places overnight and there was ice on the mountain.  Tonight is expected to be even colder. When I venture out of the office I can smell wood smoke from all directions as there are cast iron wood burners in several of the surrounding businesses and homes.

The Blue Star was unable to dock in Symi this morning.  Regular readers of this blog will remember that this was often the case in the days of the Diagoras (now ploughing the waves between Morocco and the Canary Islands) but it is unusual for the more modern Patmos with its sophisticated bow thrusters and more efficient underwater profile to chicken out. We hope she can dock on the way back from Rhodes tonight as this is the island's supply line for post, food, fresh produce etcetera and the next vehicle connection with Rhodes is next Wednesday! The Dodecanese Seaways catamaran should come through tomorrow en route to Kos but this only has limited vehicle and freight capacity and doesn't have the height to take trucks and vans.

Have a warm weekend wherever you are.  It is now less than two months to the spring equinox!

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi Unfiltered

As I was waiting for the bus on Friday afternoon I saw this extraordinary sight. As it came closer I realised that it was a floating crane and a barge with concrete blocks for the new commercial harbour, all being towed by a heroic little tug.  It must have come all the way from Rhodes.

The other sight that caught my eye was The World, a sort of floating apartment block, anchored off Nimborio.

We are nearing the end of the ice cream season on Symi.  The freezers, umbrellas and sign boards will disappear in the next few weeks and won't be seen again until April.

The World again, this time seen from the top deck of the Poseidon on Saturday morning.  Yes, I have been out TWICE on the Poseidon in the past two weeks and both trips were most enjoyable.

It is only from the Poseidon that one gets to see inaccessible beach shacks on the far side of the island.

And pocket-handkerchief sized beaches like this tiny scrap of sand at the base of a seasonal water course.

Or forests that come down to the sea and ancient tumbled down walls. This is the bay of Maroni.

Looking at Datca from Maroni bay, one realises how close the ancient Greek settlement of Knidos on the Datca peninsular was to the island of Symi.  

This could be you.  No, that isn't a whirlpool, it is the splash of someone who has just dived off the top deck of the boat.

Seal cave, another popular swimming spot on the far side of Symi that can only be reached by boat.

Feast your eyes on those blues.  Yes, the water really is that colour.

Meanwhile, back in Yialos, if this is the view before you, you are on the right track for the Old Markets boutique hotel.  The archway with wrought iron doors is the entrance to the old souk which is also the hotel's logo.  The hotel reception entrance is on the left at the top of the stairs.

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