Raisins in the Sun

Symi is swaddled in a stifling blanket of humidity and tempers are frayed with lack of sleep. The air conditioner in the Symi Visitor Accommodation office is producing a good four buckets of water a day and those visitors who climb the stairs are loathe to leave the relative coolness of our sofa. As I sit at my desk, looking down the stairs and out through the open door, I am aware of the greengrocers next door in the lane, trolleying past endless crates of peaches, nectarines, grapes and melons in one direction and shoppers laden with baskets and bags of the same fruit heading the other way to revive themselves at Pachos before contemplating the hot hike home.

In the Pedi valley the leaves are falling fast, crunching to dust under foot, and the grapes are shrivelling into raisins in the sun. Tipsy wasps and hornets gorge themselves on the fermenting fruit and stagger off to drown in the cats’ water bowls. Every tap has thirsty bees hovering in hope of a drop of moisture. The poor power station is rattling away at maximum capacity, struggling to cope with the load of all those air conditioners and refrigerators.

The Demitroulla has broken down, delaying the departure of many mainlanders and Italians who need the ‘big boat’ to get their vehicles off the island. http://news.ert.gr/en/c/8/34940 It is not uncommon for Italians to ‘drive’ to Symi, making use of the efficient fast ferry system connecting the two countries via Ancona and Brindisi.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Anonymous –   – (Wednesday, August 27, 2008)  

Glad to see that the Dimitroula is back on the Marine Traffic map this morning. So where is the Proteus after her bit of bother last night?

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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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