Fallen Leaves and Summer's Dust

Profiti Ilias on Symi, lost in the mist

The rainy season has rolled into Symi with thick clouds wrapped low around the Vigla and increasingly heavy showers alternating with periods of light drizzle. We were awakened by a heavy downpour at about half past five this morning. With a tin roof no raindrop passes unnoticed and the cats run about madly, wondering where the noise is coming from. Kittens born this summer have never experienced rain before.

Enjoying some autumn sunshine before the rains came.

As a succession of weather fronts is moving across the Mediterranean this unsettled and stormy weather is expected to continue until well into next week. While northern and central Greece are experiencing quite chilly conditions it is still comparatively mild here on Symi with midday temperatures in the mid twenties. The warm wet conditions mean that it is exceptionally humid and we are all still in lightweight summer clothes, despite the occasional deluge. Dino, the chandler in the lane by the entrance to Symi Visitor Accommodation has added assorted wellington boots to his collection of seasonal agricultural implements. As the existence of the rainy season is largely ignored in this part of the world, until the rains actually come of course, there is not much in the way of storm water drainage and the roads and lanes quickly become torrents of water, hence the need for gumboots. The Kali Strata is often quite spectacular in heavy rain, particularly in the upper reaches near the Symi Dream shop. Walking down the Kali Strata the last two mornings has been quite a slippery business – fallen leaves and summer’s dust make the wet stones quite slick. It will take quite a lot more rain to flush the steps completely clean.

This little chapel has finally received a coat of paint after years of bare plaster. 

 Note the squalls rippling across Pedi Bay in the background.

A souvenir of summer twirling in the autumn wind.

According to ANES when I spoke to them this morning the Proteus car ferry will not be running after today and with effect from this weekend the Symi II will only be doing excursions on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of the month and then goes out of service apart from a few days over the Panormitis Festival. As the Dodecanese Seaways catamarans are also running a considerably reduced ferry schedule with effect from this weekend late season visitors to Symi will be having a difficult time getting to and from the island and Olympic Holidays is having to reschedule its Wednesday departures to Tuesday. At this stage, unless something miraculous happens, there is no Wednesday morning connection from Symi to Rhodes for the rest of October. The ANEK boat, the Ierapetra, does come through Symi in the late afternoon so it is only of help to those with Wednesday evening flights to catch.

Have a good weekend. I am going home to help plant potatoes.

Regards,
Adriana