Winter Service

It has been a stormy week and seems set to continue that way. Internet connections remain unreliable and are off more often than they are on most days. Television has been a bit wobbly too for those who don’t have satellite dishes and are dependent on the relay transmitters on the top of the Vigla.

Dodecanese Seaways has announced that it will be resuming a winter service, much to everyone’s relief as the ANES schedule for November and December is causing a lot of grumbles. (They have put photocopies of the schedule up around the town so I spent a few minutes studying it while waiting at the bus stop and it is not a particularly helpful schedule for people actually living on Symi who want to get business done in Rhodes without the expense of staying over.) Although schedules for both can be found on their respective websites, www.anes.gr and www.12ne.gr, do remember to check before traveling as it only takes one shipping ban for it all to go pear-shaped! At this time of the year we all allow for the possibility of an unexpected overnight stay in Rhodes.

Speaking of ferries, the Proteus has just docked beneath our window, about twenty minutes late. Small wonder the island seemed so quiet and empty this morning – everyone has been in Rhodes overnight. There is lots of shouting as those trying to get off become entangled with the tide of those trying to get on. The Proteus is heading northwards, next stop Tilos, so the hold is divided up into zones for each island – and vehicles have to be loaded in the order in which they will disembark. A crazy cavalcade of trucks and cars is making its way out around the edge of the harbour, laden with everything from crates of vegetables to wobbling sheets of plywood and monumental furniture. There are heaps of potato sacks and boxes of food out in the street, waiting to be collected. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Symi I of old, only on a larger scale. There is even a donkey tied to the railing at the bottom of our steps, patiently munching the grass that has sprouting through the paving in the recent rains.

It is a holiday long weekend for the children as the schools remember the events of 17 November 1973. While high school and university students use it as a reason to protest changes in educational policy, for the little ones it is a tantalizing start to the build up to Christmas judging by the huge bags from Jumbo Bebe being carried off by excited youngsters.

As usual I don’t know when I will be able to put this up – the connection is off again!

Have a good weekend – or a happy week - depending on when you get to read this.

Regards,
Adriana