October Postcards from Symi

The Mouragia - Yialos

Luxury charter yacht, Ginger, in Yialos on Wednesday.  The fashionable August set may be long gone but there are still a few rich men's toys to be seen.

The tourist shops along the front are still open for as long as the day trip boats from Rhodes continue to come.

There are quite a few cruising yachts and flotilla fleets around now as sailing conditions are good in late September and October.  Unlike the megayachts and gulets of high season which arrive with fully stocked pantries and professional chefs, these boats provide some much needed trade for the waterfront tavernas and cafes before they close for the winter as they are more likely to eat ashore.

Good quality sponges make great gifts - they weigh next to nothing in your luggage and will neither break nor leak!

Looking towards the head of the harbour where the Symi Visitor Accommodation office is located, above the Sunflower laundry. That is Lemonitissa church on the cliffs to the left. The mountain in the background is the Vigla.

Gypsy basket sellers by the bridge with a couple of priests chatting in the background.

The local tinsmith is another good source of souvenirs to take back, particularly if you want to spoil yourself.  You can watch him make lanterns and other household implements using the same tools that he inherited from his grandfather who was the tinsmith before him.  His shop is at the back of the harbour, not far from our office.

Sunrise over Pedi earlier this week.

A tamarisk tree in flower.

The Blue Star Diagoras swinging into Yialos at 7.45 this morning.  With the Panagia Skiadeni out of circulation the twice weekly car ferry is crucial to bringing supplies onto the island and providing vehicle transport.

It is nearly a fortnight since we had that wet weekend and the island is turning green.  The start of the rainy season is like a second spring as the weather is still warm and temperatures are optimal for germination.  Daytime temperatures are around 26 degrees centigrade, dropping to about 18 degrees at night.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana