Holy Week

Free grazing in the Pedi Valley.

Profiti Ilias monastery, framed by pink bindweed. According to local tradition, this was originally the site of a temple to Apollo. All that remains of that is a portion of very ancient stone wall below the monastery.

A tide of nasturtiums.

Calm but overcast.  

Everyone has to have their steps whitewashed by Easter weekend.

Ruins, run down houses and the immaculately restored are all neighbours on Symi.

Looking across the harbour and Harani from the corner of the Kali Strata.

Yachts are starting to arriving, mainly flotilla yachts heading to their summer berths but also a few live aboard cruisers.

Monday morning rush hour on the Kali Strata.  The man on the right is holding a 'pooper scooper' as the trains are not allowed to foul the pavements and have to clean up after themselves.

It is Holy Week or Big Week, the most solemn week in the religious calendar.  Everyone is busy juggling church attendance, preparations for the season and preparations specific to Easter.  The tavernas traditionally switch to a fasting menu at this time of the year, offering various seafood dishes as well as pulse dishes such as Fakes (lentils) and Revithia (chickpeas).  Even the gyros bars switch over to taramasalata and fasting food.  The butchers have cleared the decks and are taking orders for lamb and goat for the traditional Easter feast on Sunday.

The weather remains overcast with a small possibility of showers. Temperatures are around 22 degrees centigrade and it is fairly chilly in the evening as little sun is penetrating the cloud cover. 

The island is filling up steadily with Greeks returning to their families for the holidays, foreign property owners arriving to open up their houses and celebrate Easter here and some tourists including an Australian painting group that comes every year. 

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana