Autumn on Symi

Just add water - we haven't had any rain yet but wherever water has been spilled seeds start to germinate.

An autumnal view of Pedi Bay

First of all, apologies for the lateness of this blog.  Symi had an eight hour power cut yesterday and as unfortunately my laptop battery was flat and my 3G stick could not pick up a signal I could not fall back on alternative technology either!  Apparently there was something major wrong at the power station which took longer to repair than expected.  A number of new electricity poles have also sprouted in various areas so some areas were probably ‘out’ for longer than others.

The little chapel that I pass every day on my way to work was finally consecrated on Saturday 13 October.  Most of Symi passed through its tiny courtyard in the course of the day and the little bell rang merrily.  

A tamarisk in full bloom in Chorio.

Shadows and fronds.

A perfect example of a restored Symi house in Chorio.

Symi is much emptier now.  The children are at school, the students are away at colleges and universities around the land, most of the tourists have gone home and many of the locals are battening down for a long winter.  The ferry schedule is now very much reduced and Dodecanese Seaways have now published their time table up to the Panormitis Festival in early November.  There are far fewer day trippers coming over from Rhodes.  The Big Sleep is nearly upon us.

That little blip on the horizon is a departing power yacht.

The Nireus Hotel in Harani slipping into winter mode.

The summer fruits are long gone and the greengrocers and hawkers are selling pomegranates, grapes and quinces – the only Greek fruits still in season.  It will be a while before the first good oranges and lemons start to arrive as these are essentially a winter crop, needing plentiful water in the form of good soaking rain to swell the fruits.  The Greek stone fruit harvest is over and as few places in Greece have a cold enough winter for cherries, apples and pears most of these fruits tend to be imported.  Autumn is a time to buy the new season’s dried apricots and figs and the shops will soon be selling this year’s nut harvest.  The main nuts grown in Greece are almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts, and very good they are too.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana