Another Glorious Spring Day

A spontaneous garden of yellow corona daisies.  By the time the owner returns to open up the house they will have been eaten by donkeys and the stumps browned to dust in the heat but right now they are glorious.

The annual whitewashing of the steps has begun.

The same steps but looking up.  

Spot the yacht!  In a few short weeks it won't be possible to see the opposite quay for yachts and gulets but at the moment we only have random nautical visitors.  The small boat moored in front of the yacht is a very small patrol boat flying a Spanish flag.  Probably the latest contribution to the Frontex border patrols.  As Symi is one of the last outposts of Europe, with Turkey and Asia Minor only a few miles across the water, this area is well policed.  Yachts are advised not to fool about and duck between Turkey and Greece without clearing formalities on both sides as they may well be stopped as suspected people traffickers.

Time to unpack stock, wash down chairs and tables and paint anything that needs it.

The plastic drop cloths are disappearing as the weather warms up and dries off.

The taverna and cafes on the right are all set for the season.  The tourist shops on the left are still procrastinating a bit.

Meanwhile in the Pedi Valley the cyclamens are fading away.  We haven't had rain for several weeks, the days are warming up and the humidity is dropping.  They will soon be gone completely, pale pink ghosts vanishing until the rains resume in November.

Pedi bay was like a mirror this morning. The horizon was lost in the mist.  There was a yacht motoring past in the distance but my camera isn't good enough to pick up so small a blip.  That speck in the middle of the bay isn't a smudge on your screen - it is a little open fishing boat, just sitting in the bay, probably checking nets that have been laid across the bay overnight.

Another glorious spring day - warm in the sun and chilly in the breeze.  The Dodecanese Pride was very full when it came in from Rhodes this morning - the first boat across since Tuesday night.  Many of the passengers were foreigners who own houses on the island and have come over to enjoy the delights of Greek Easter and prepare their houses for the season ahead.  The Blue Star did not come through midweek due to a strike but made up for it by only be one and a half hours late coming through Symi this morning.  As the boats that come from Piraeus stop at many other islands along the way, they can quickly accumulate delays.  It only takes one or two trucks that have difficulty embarking or disembarking or a particularly busy stop with lots of passengers and vehicles, such as Kos, to throw the schedule out.

The weather is expected to break this weekend, with strong winds forecast for Sunday, followed by thunderstorms and rain for Monday and Tuesday.  It will remain fairly windy for the rest of next week.

There is a general strike scheduled for Wednesday 9 April.  At this stage there is no mention of air traffic controllers being involved but there may be some ferry disruptions again and if you are coming through Athens there may be problems with public transport.  Andy on our travel blog is keeping a close watch on the situation as he is travelling to Symi himself that day so please add his blog to your feed.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana