Symi Epiphany 2017

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office during the rain storm on Tuesday afternoon.  If you ever go to the webcam at this time of the year and it isn't working, it is because we have unplugged everything due to stormy weather.  As most of Symi's utility lines are above ground lightning strikes do a lot of damage, travelling down telephone lines as well as along power lines, and sorting out the damage can take weeks on a small island so we have to err on the side of caution.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning as the crowds gather for the Epiphany celebrations.  Similar booths decorated with oranges are erected at Harani, Pedi and Panormitis.

You can see the oranges and the icon quite clearly here. The priest and the mayor are behind all that foliage.

The priest casts the cross into the water from which it is retrieved by the young boys, hence the lad in the bathing trunks while everyone else is wrapped up against the cold.

Splash!

Heading back to dry land for towels, warm clothes and a year of blessings.

A fire burning near Bozburun on the Turkish coast this morning.

A plume of smoke of a very different sort.  Many Symiots use wood-burners in the winter to keep warm as these are quite economical to run and some versions can even be used for cooking.  We can't buy fancy smoke-less fuel here.  Firewood tends to be whatever is available.  The Minister of the Environment appealed to the population earlier this week to avoid using wood fires as they are causing a smog problem in the larger towns and cities.  Unfortunately he did not make any practical suggestions as to what people can realistically do for alternative heating in austerity Greece.

In the absence of heating it is not just the humans who wrap up warmly at this time of the year.  Even the cats plump out with much thicker coats.

It has been a stormy week in Greece and there is more to come as Storm Ariadne brings bitterly cold air down from Siberia.  Much of Greece will be at freezing or below this weekend and early next week.  Even here on Symi we can expect a high of 6 and a low of 4 tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.  Athens will be colder than London, Paris or Rome this weekend and the Athens municipality has announced that the main metro stations will be open to the homeless to shelter from the extreme temperatures.  No one gets hosed down with cold water in shop fronts here as there is a realisation that homelessness is not a lifestyle choice.

The Blue Star came through as scheduled this morning although those travelled on her from Piraeus reported a bumpy ride due to strong winds in the Aegean.

Have a warm weekend, planning your next Symi holiday with Wendy and myself at Symi Visitor Accommodation.

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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