Waiting in the Wings

At this time of the year Symi is a mass of self-sown hanging gardens, whether from natural rock formations or
from the stone walls of ruined houses.

Rush hour on the Kali Strata.
 The Old Markets boutique hotel is in a little lane just to the left of this picture.

The sunny weather broke on Sunday with showery squalls and the first red rain of the year. This phenomenon occurs in the spring, when sandstorms from the Sahara combine with rainy weather over the Mediterranean and it literally rains mud.  More of the same is expected but a lot of people were out cleaning the fine film of sand from their cars this morning as it allowed to dry it can be very difficult to remove.  It is not for nothing that so many houses in this part of the world are tinted ochre and terracotta rather than the usual bright white.

Many parts of Greece, including the Peloponnese, experienced snowfalls over the weekend.  The long range forecast remains unsettled with falling temperatures again as heavy snow is forecast for neighbouring Turkey.  Spring may be waiting in the wings but she is a very shy performer at the moment. The lengthening days, however, bring more light and warmth and as long as the Easter lambs are fattening in the daisies we know that the real end of winter is in sight.

DodecaneseSeaways have now released their schedule up to 6 May.  It is not very encouraging but does give us something to work around, particularly as the Blue Star Diagoras has agreed to continue a weekly service for April and May.  More information on how to get to Symi can be found on Andy’s TravelBlog. 

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

This mansion on the Kali Strata was carefully plastered to look as as though it was made out of far more elaborate dressed stone. As the building falls into ruin and the plaster flakes away, details of the original construction are revealed.

Stone roses and faded terracotta pigments.

Typical Symi colours - whitewash (asvesti) tinted with ochre powder.