August Postcards from Symi

A typical early morning view of Pedi in August.  Yachts of all shapes and sizes anchor in Pedi bay in the summer as it is much cooler and quieter than Yialos.

The same scene, catching the late afternoon sun.

The Pedi marina is still not finished but yachts tie up to it as best they can.  There are no formal amenities for yachtsmen in Pedi so if you need shore power and water you have to go round to Yialos where it can be arranged on the quay.

The wayside chapel at the end of my road.  Many of the trees in the valley have got die-back at this time of the year.  Deciduous trees handle the summer drought in one of two ways. They either shed leaves uniformly all over or specific branches are literally 'shut down' as can be seen on the tree behind the chapel.

Thistles add interest to a dry landscape.  In a month or so they will start to regreen, even if there has been no rain.

The hot pinks and magentas of the bougainvillea are such an established part of the Mediterranean landscape, one forgets that they were originally a tropical plant.

Off loading supplies at the fuel station. Work seems to be on hold on the new commercial/cruise ship jetty at the moment.

Not your usual shopping - bales of hay heading up the mountain to feed the mule train which is based up there.

The remaining figs are drying out on the trees.  Don't scorn shriveled figs - they are pure sweetness as the natural sugars caramelise in the sun.

An exceptionally elaborate pediment on a small house in Lieni, the area skirted by the motor road at the top of Chorio.   Symi's main claim to fame is its beautifully preserved architecture and the whole town, both up and down, is a tourist attraction in that sense.  When people ask me, 'what is there to see on Symi?' I say, 'look around you!'

That drift of bougainvillea petals on the Kali Strata is getting deeper.

Some visitors arrive on Symi on ferries and in fancy yachts, others arrive as refugees on whatever the people traffickers supply.  All the conundrums of the modern world are here in microcosm.

No, they aren't dead.  These three kittens, all played out, are pretending to be invisible while they nap.

Two of my fans, first time Symi visitors, Kathryn and Robert, came in to the Symi Visitor Accommodation office yesterday to introduce themselves.