Kalo Mina! Happy April!

The Blue Star from Piraeus was 2 hours late this morning and overlapped with the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran heading north to Kos so this was the view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office at 9.30 this morning.

Feta cheese and olive oil cans make good plant pots.  All that is required is a lick of paint - and some nicely welded purpose built stands. 

A common sight on the streets of Symi at the moment - taverna tables and chairs piled up outside while the interior gets a good airing and fresh paint after being closed up all winter.

Mavrovouni, the hill overlooking the town square in Yialos.  Spiti Grand Helene is the pale cream house with the pale lilac shutters and red street door about halfway up on the right and Villa Iris is the house just to the left of the ruin in the top right hand corner.

A little architectural detail in the harbour.

A few cruising yachts have started to pass through. As we are so close to Turkey, Symi is a popular port of entry into Greece for yachts that have spent the winter in the Turkish marinas at Marmaris, Bozburun and Orhaniye.

Symi houses are not very big but this one next to the Old Markets hotel on the Kali Strata carries the concept of the 'tiny house' to extremes.  Someone does live there - I have seen washing on the line and yes, that is an old telegraph pole holding up one end of the washing line. The other end is wrapped around a newer electricity pole.

Everywhere there is the intoxicating scent of orange and lemon blossom.

If I keep very very still perhaps no one will see me, hiding behind this spring of wild grass...