The Scent of Orange Blossom

Bees gorging themselves in the orange blossom

Lemonade ingredients on the branch.

Olive blossom

 It is a glorious spring day on Symi and all the celebrations for St George’s Day at the various churches on the island dedicated to that saint will be making the most of the sunshine.  St George is such a popular saint on Symi that his name day is often celebrated over two days so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it at each of the different chapels in his honour.  St George at Drakounda, the chapel on the hill overlooking the footpath down to Nimborio, and St George the Far, the chapel at St George’s bay, are the two best known.

There has been a marked improvement in the weather over the past two days with few clouds and plenty of sunshine.  Temperatures are in the mid to high twenties although the breeze is still quite cool.  Anyone using a motorbike or scooter still has to wrap up warmly and the sun has yet to penetrate into the shady places.  The citrus trees are now in full bloom and the scent of orange blossom is quite overpowering in the gardens and courtyards of Chorio.  The olive trees are also flowering in the Pedi Valley.  Their blossoms are more discreet but pretty none the less.

Down in Yialos more and more yachts are passing through as they leave their winter berths across the water in Turkey and prepare for the summer’s cruising season. The view from my office window of the yachts coming and going is irresistible and webcam enthusiasts from around the world email me whenever there is a glitch in the feed.  Some boats only stay the night but others take advantage of the fact that it is still relatively quiet so early in the season and enjoy a few days of Symi hospitality.  The island’s three chandlers are certainly busy, selling warps and chains and courtesy flags for the next port of call.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Hermes in the back streets of Yialos

Yasmin, a trawler yacht all the way from the USA