Hail Stones

It is a wild and stormy winter’s day on Symi and the Proteus car ferry is tied up alongside the clock tower in Symi harbour, waiting for the wind to abate and the shipping ban to be lifted. Although it is mid morning it is so dark that the street lights have come on along the road connecting the harbour with Chorio. There is very little human activity to be seen apart from disgruntled figures huddled under awnings waiting for either the storm to abate or the shipping ban to be lifted or both. Thunder is growling round the Vigla and water is flowing through the lanes of Yialos and squirting from every downpipe. Most of the island’s cisterns filled up weeks ago.

The whole of Greece is experiencing harsh winter weather at the moment. With force 9 gales in the Aegean and heavy snow and ice on the roads of the mainland most of Greece is battened down to ride out the storm. Although the rain is expected to ease overnight as it pushes eastwards into Turkey, gale force winds are expected to continue over Greece well into next week and we can expect further shipping disruptions. January has been exceptionally wet on Symi this year and the so called Halcyon Days, a period of settled weather in the first half of January, failed to materialize this year. Instead there have been more wet days than dry ones and the locals are feeling the pinch.

Yesterday, Thursday, was the only clear day this week and that was so cold that the hail stones from the storm the night before were still in evidence in the verges at midday. A team of workmen took the opportunity to brick up the pediments on the new sports stadium. Once the roof is completed there will be plenty of undercover work to be done and then the rain and wind won’t matter so much.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana