Strange Weather

The silvery fingered fog that has been creeping across the Greece for the past few days wrapped itself around Symi during the night and we woke to a pearlescent gloom. Flights and shipping have been disrupted as visibility has dropped to less than 2 kilometres in many areas. Rain is expected to move in tonight and the rest of the week is likely to be wet and squally with some quite strong winds expected around Thursday.

The strange weather has certainly confused the plant life - some of the almond trees have started to flower as though it is February and many of the other deciduous trees are covered in new leaves when they should, right now, be in the process of losing the old ones and heading for a period of winter dormancy. The grapevines are still sprouting and the bougainvilleas which are normally bald by now are sending out mad shoots in all directions.



The Aegli is finally running again so the winter timetable as given is now operational. Although having a high speed connection is useful, albeit not very reliable due to its great age and inability to cope with wind and waves, there are problems with only having the Proteus running for vehicles and goods. As this is serving other islands as well as the Symi-Rhodes route it cannot provide a daily service. As things stand at present it is only possible to do a 'there and back' on a Wednesday, and the amount of time in Rhodes is only a few hours, so there are plenty of complaints, particularly from local businesses, many of which are accustomed to sending refrigerated vehicles over to the suppliers and having them filled and put on the returning boat. The glitches in the supply lines are already apparent in the island's shops and many perishable goods are in short supply or are arriving so close to their 'use by' dates as to be a liability to the shopkeepers. As the Pireus boats are ignoring us for the moment, anything being shipped from the mainland has to come via Rhodes or Kos and then connect with the Proteus, causing further logistic complications. After enjoying an extremely efficient transport system last winter this seems to be a retrograde step in the island's infrastructure and the locals certainly aren't happy about it. As they say, we await developments with interest!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com

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About this Blog

I sailed into Panormitis Bay, Symi, by chance one windy July day in 1993 and have been here ever since. The locals tell me that this is one of the miracles of St Michael of Panormitis. A BA graduate with majors in English, Philosophy and Classical Civilisation, the idea of living in what is to all intents and purposes an archaeological site appeals to me. Not as small as Kastellorizo, not as touristy as Rhodes, Symi is just the right size. I live on a small holding which my husband and I have reclaimed from a ruin of over-grazing and neglect and turned into a small oasis over the course of the past 22 years. I also work part-time for Symi Visitor Accommodation, helping independent travellers discover and enjoy Symi's simple pleasures for themselves.

This page is kindly sponsored by Wendy Wilcox, Symi Visitor Accommodation.


Adriana Shum

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