New Inhabitants

The Pedi Valley in the region of Lieni has some new inhabitants. We have been puzzled by frequent baleful lowing reverberating round the valley at odd times in recent days and yesterday I tracked down the source. A small herd of cows just below the footpath to Drakos. While Symi has never really been cattle country, occasional bullocks have been seen in the grounds of the power station over the years as much of the island’s beef arrives ‘on the hoof’ and there used to be a slaughterhouse down there, but these cows have an air of bucolic permanence. Shamble-gaited kine certainly make a change after the frolicking of the late lamented lambs.

Now that the Easter holiday is past the island is much quieter with fewer people in residence. There are, however, more day-trippers as Rhodes is becoming busier and it is still a bit chilly for all but the hardiest beach goers. The Symi ferry has just docked with several guided groups of Germans and Scandinavians. The Proteus is coming in at the clock tower as its berth has been taken by the Symi.

Greek television is still dominated by the sinking of the Louis Lines cruise ship, the Sea Diamond. Aside from the investigation into the cause of the accident and concerns about the environmental impact of the diesel spill on Santorini, there is the matter of the French father and child who are missing, presumed drowned. It has not been a good time for Louis Lines as it was in one of their hotels last year that two children died of carbon monoxide poisoning. When one thinks, however, of the millions of people who stay in hotels and travel on cruise ships and ferries in Greece in a year without mishap, tragic though these deaths are, Greece is still a very safe destination.

Have a good weekend,
Regards,
Adriana