Windows and shutters going in at the Old Market boutique hotel.
Lemonitissa Church all dressed up for a name day.
The starry boat will be lit up for Christmas.
There is a chilly north-easterly breeze on Symi today and the vapour trails across the cold blue sky are blown into feathers. A cold front is moving slowly across the Balkans and the Greek mainland and is expected to reach Symi by tomorrow evening, bringing several days of thundershowers and downpours so we are making the most of the sunshine while it lasts. Windows and shutters are open to the fresh air and duvets and blankets are airing on balcony railings all over town. Workmen on the building sites are hastening to finish pouring concrete and securing sites against the anticipated deluge.
Full moon rising over Pedi Bay
The full moon has been spectacular these last few evenings and last night when we had friends round for a meal it was mild enough to sit outside, with a fire to keep off the chill. Regular readers of
this blog will have noticed that Symi’s winters are a lot milder than they used to be. When we first bought our small holding in 1995 we had to cloche everything to protect the plants from freezing in the cold north winds during the winter and the Agia Marina water course passing through our property used to flow quite violently 2-3 times a winter. Our cloche hoops and plastic tunnels have not been used for many years and the river last flowed in October 2006. Even last year, when the rest of Europe had an exceptionally harsh winter, Symi’s temperatures remained unusually high and there were still aubergines and peppers in the garden in January. We only had ice on the puddles once, in January. Who knows what weather this winter will bring our small island in the Dodecanese?
My neighbour's pigeons swirling in the dusk.
The ferry situation for the winter is still vague and limited. When I spoke to
ANES this morning they were still waiting to hear if the Proteus would be running this week. The big ANEK boat from Pireaus, the Ierapetra, only comes through once a week now, on Thursdays, and as
Dodecanese Seaways is only running one catamaran to serve all their routes, their service is also severely limited. As things stand at the moment, on Monday 22 November, the next boat from Symi to Rhodes is the
Ierapetra on Thursday 25 November, in the afternoon. Christmas shopping this year could be quite a challenge for the people of Symi.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Adriana
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