The Busiest Week of the Year

The anchorage in Pedi is the fullest we have seen it since the end of Ramadan.  Many visiting yachts and gulets move round to  Pedi and other quiet bays to overnight as the harbour can be very hot and noisy in August.

Off street parking, Symi style.  He doesn't look too worried about the lack of room to swing at anchor in Pedi.

The scene in Harani this morning, viewed from the corner of the Kali Strata.

Bougainvillea and grape vine - two Greek island botanical icons.

The harbour and Pedi may be bustling but the only person I saw on the Kali Strata this morning was a woman toiling upwards, wanting to light a candle at the church.  I explained to her that Symi has about 300 of various sizes and directed her to Lemonitissa, the big church with the red dome overlooking the harbour from the kastro.

Potatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers and water melons - there are lots of mouths to feed on Symi at the moment.  Most of the food on the island is imported, either from Rhodes or further afield. 

Among the gulets, GRP production yachts and gin palaces there are occasional pearls like this classic wooden beauty with long overhangs and a classic rig.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning.

A visiting flotilla.

It is the middle of August and time to celebrate the Big Panagia - the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin.  All the Marys and Marias celebrate their name day now.  As this is a major religious holiday in the Orthodox and Catholic countries and it also coincides with the hottest weeks of August, everyone is on holiday.  Tomorrow, 15 August, is a bank holiday here.  The main festivities on Symi take place at the Alethini on the Pedi road where the traditional music and dancing continues until the small hours.

The weather is still very humid but not quite as hot as it has been recently. Day time maximums are around 37 degrees centigrade, falling to about 28 degrees by midnight. The breeze seems to be cooling off slightly.

With so many people travelling at this time the ferries are very full and running under a great deal of pressure. The Dodecanese Pride was unusually late on the south bound route on both Saturday and Sunday.  A five minute hold up at each stop along the way quickly builds up into a half hour delay, which is why the ticket agents always ask people to be at the point of departure in good time, ready to board as soon as the boat comes in.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana