Gentle Reflections

Much of Symi's shoreline is like this - sheer cliffs rather than sandy beaches.

 The moon is full and the equinox approaches so we should be battening down for gales but right now the weather on Symi is as calm as one might ever wish it.  Sharp shadows and gentle reflections are characteristic of the light at this time of the year.  Drenching dewfalls and slowly rising temperatures are turning the lanes and steps into magical mossy gardens with nodding poppies and droning bees at every turn.  The sun shone for the Dodecanese Day Parade on 7 March, a celebration of the Dodecanese Islands finally becoming a part of Modern Greece after the Second World War.  A timely reminder, perhaps, to the mainland, that these islands on the border with Turkey do have needs and rights as well as obligations.

Despite the interminable gloom in the media, spring is in the air and with it a spirit of optimism that is very characteristic of the Greeks.  The Symiots have seen the fortunes of their small island rise and fall many times over the centuries – indeed it is the legacy of ruined neo-classical mansions from the island’s late 19^th century heyday as a sponge fishing centre that form the nucleus of Symi’s attraction as a tourist destination.  A people that has managed to carve a civilisation out of bare rocks and barren hillsides and is no stranger to hardship is not going to disappear under a barrage of negative media coverage.

Here are some photographs to whet the appetite.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

A good day for washing and drying cuddly toys on the Kali Strata.