The Weather is Changing

Pedi Bay in the early morning calm.  As the air clears, there are far more rows of hills and mountains visible on the Turkish shore and in the evenings we can see the lights of the small villages and towns along the coast.

Symi's post office is now tucked away in the ground floor of this pretty yellow and pink building in a lane in Yialos instead of sharing a building with the police station at the clock tower.  Much more convenient for all concerned and the post man no longer has to lug heavy mail bags up and down some very steep stairs.



The fresh produce for sale on Symi in the summer comes from all over the world.  The local oranges will only be ripe during the winter.

A typical view from my window at Symi Visitor Accommodation office during the week.

The Friday morning Blue Star, only about an hour late, while the fuel bunkering ship lies off in the distance.

The Greek schools opened this week.  The early morning school run for those children lucky enough to get a lift rather than toil up all those steps usually involves a large motorbike, Daddy balancing the satchels in the foot-well and a miscellany of small children clinging on for dear life behind.  Unfortunately the school teachers have announced rolling strikes from 16 September onwards, in protest at various changes to the educational system that will result in larger classes and teachers being shunted around the country.

 

The weather is changing and although it is still quite hot at the moment with temperatures in the low thirties, strong north-westerly winds are forecast for this weekend and there is the possibility of rain and thundershowers on Tuesday.  It is time to start remembering to bring things in from outside so that if we have a sudden downpour it is not too much of a panic, rushing about with plastic sheeting.  The tavernas and cafes will start rigging their plastic tents soon.  Fortunately showers at this time of the year are short-lived, although they can be very heavy and turn all the steps into fast flowing waterfalls for a few minutes.  Autumn then turns into a second spring overnight.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

Regards,

Adriana

 



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Clear, Calm and Warm in the Sunshine

Looking towards Nimos and the resorts along the Turkish coast.

Looking down on Pedi Bay from the top of the Vigla

Saturday was a perfect winter’s day – clear, calm and warm in the sunshine.  We went up the Vigla, Symi’s highest mountain,  in the afternoon, in search of snow views across the water, but the little row of clouds on the horizon perversely remained lined up along the Turkish mountain tops, masking the snowcapped peaks.  Vigla means sentinel and the name as apt as you can see from the photographs.  The ancient inhabitants of Symi would have been able to monitor any threat from the sea from all directions.

The cats of Agios Thanassis.

I wonder who put this optimistic geranium out amongst the ruins.
 Rain-streaked whitewash flakes away to reveal the colours of previous spring-cleaning.

Up in the lanes of Chorio a cat makes his mark on someone's new washing machine...  Getting domestic appliances up through the narrow lanes is quite a business as the nearest vehicle access is a good 10 minutes away - and routes have to be planned carefully to take into account sudden narrowings such as that at the top of this flight of steps.

New blossom and the last of the old nuts right at the top of the tree.

On Sunday the rain resumed and this morning the Proteus was unable to do her scheduled trip to Rhodes due to heavy swell in Rhodes harbour.  She will be going tomorrow instead.  Even in years when we have had a regular winter ferry schedule, weather frequently interferes with the most carefully made plans.  It only takes an easterly or south-easterly wind to close Mandraki and Rhodes’ commercial harbour or a Force 9 gale in the Aegean to bring shipping to a standstill.  On days like this Symi and the other small Greek islands scattered across storm tossed waters are almost as isolated and dependent on their own resources as they were in ancient times.  No wonder the island Greeks are a tough and resilient people and it is this fortitude that will help Greece survive the present economic storm.

 Have a good week.

 Regards,

 Adriana

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The Ultimate Greek Island Wedding

The ultimate Greek island wedding photograph. 

The Symi cat was entirely spontaneous.

It is a hot sunny day on Symi, just right for a Mamma Mia style Big Fat Greek Wedding. Our congratulations to Kate Elliott and Alistair Dyer who tied the knot at Symi Town Hall this morning. The wedding party has now departed on the Poseidon caique for a ceremony of blessing at the little chapel on the small island at Agia Marina. This will be followed by a mini cruise to Nimborio and an afternoon reception at the Aktaion which is, at the moment, being transformed into a pastel-tinted bower by Symi Visitor Accommodation staff. More photographs will be available later as the official photographs are being done by Jordan Blakesley of Symiart but here are two which I took of the bride and bridal party en route to the town hall this morning and a third of them passing below my window on the way to the Poseidon. What more romantic location could one possibly want?

Speaking of weddings, this weekend also marks the official opening of the Old Markets boutique hotel on the Kali Strata and the bridal suite there is really something. I had a quick preview there this morning on my way down to work and the decorators were putting the finishing touches in place. Interior photographs will be available shortly but this picture shows the location. The four windows with the pale green shutters all belong to the bridal suite which is the full length of the building. The other rooms, downstairs, are in the actual covered market so don’t have views but are unique with their vaulted ceilings, luxurious furnishings and exotic bathrooms.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Royal Wedding Fever

The Authentic Royal Wedding Bunting

Royal Wedding fever has spread as far as our small corner of the Aegean, and we even have the bunting to prove it. The Olive Tree café in Chorio is hosting a Royal Wedding Street Party today, in the lane between the Hotel Fiona and the Olive Tree. In keeping with the nature of the event cucumber sandwiches and trifle will be eaten and Symi Visitor Accommodation has donated a basket of fresh locally grown vegetables as a prize for the tombola.

The prize - with the picture book village, Chorio, in the background.

Let us not forget that the British Royal Family has Greek connections, not least of which being that Ex King Constantine of the Hellenes is Prince William’s godfather. Long term visitors and readers of the late Symi Visitor newspaper will remember that we interviewed Constantine when he visited Symi in 2005 for the Aegean Regatta. Celebrity watching is as popular in Greece as it is anywhere else and although Greece is no longer a monarchy, the Greeks are still interested in the activities of their own, now deposed, Royal Family, hence the mass media coverage when Prince Nicholas was married to Tatiana Blatnik on Spetses last year.

Kate Middleton’s hair style is a popular one in Greece where young women traditionally favour long flowing locks and waist length hair is more likely to be natural than the result of extensions so hers is a look that people can relate to. It is unlikely, though, that Symi is the honeymoon destination – we have not seen any security chaps peering into plant pots around the harbour or sealing off restaurants as was the case when George Bush senior paid us a visit in June 2004.

Have a good weekend.  I am off to drink Buck's Fizz and eat cucumber sandwiches...

Regards,
Adriana

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Experience the Real Greece

A tangle of wild clematis.

The oak in the background has lost a lot of its leaves

but in the mild weather it has already started growing new ones.

After two days of drizzly weather with sporadic showers Symi is very green indeed. Moss is growing on the Kali Strata and the verges are lush with wild flowers. The Greek islands may be very quiet and difficult to reach in the winter but from a botanical point of view this is a far more interesting time to visit if one has the time and stamina. Travelling in Greece in the winter months is not for the faint hearted. Aside from the reduced flight and ferry schedules and limited accommodation available, the weather is unpredictable and it is not always possible to plan an itinerary and stick to it. However, dedicated travelers with flexible schedules and little interest in beach culture do take the plunge and it is certainly the best time of the year to mix with the locals and experience the real Greece. For lots of information about getting to Greece, please see our dedicated travel blog.

Locals of all ages climb the 360 or so steps of the Kali Strata every day. 

It is not just the oaks that are confused.

This grape vine is still covered with leaves.

A fine example of Symi plasterwork. 

Note the little angels' faces above the windows, slightly blurred by a century of annual whitewashing.

On a seasonal note, the municipality is testing Symi’s Christmas lights. Regular visitors to Symi may remember that a few years ago bendy light tubes were wound around the street lights, creating a barber pole effect of lights in alternating white and blue during the festive season. These are left permanently in place but only switched on for the holidays. A number of these have slipped down the poles in the course of the summer, with the result that when they were switched on Wednesday the effect was more one of droopy socks than candy canes. Someone was evidently hard at work yesterday, pulling them up because last night all was neat and tidy with pretty lights all the way up the motor road through Chorio and Lieni. The light trees and other decorations are only put up a few days before Christmas. In Greece Christmas is not the commercial extravaganza it has become in the west and while Agios Vassilis (St Basil) brings presents on New Year’s Day, the period of Advent is actually a time of fasting on the church calendar and the religious aspects of the season are not forgotten.

Agios Elefterios Church in Chorio

with the spires of Agios Thannassis and Stavros Church in the background.

This will be my last blog for a while as I am leaving for South Africa to visit my family but there will be random postings on this site by my ghost writers and you can also keep up to date with James Collins’ day to day Symi diary on www.symidream.com/wp. The webcam also provides a window on the weather on Symi throughout the year. Symi Visitor Accommodation is open for booking enquiries throughout the winter so if you need to plan some Symi sunshine in your life, please email Wendy and she will be only too happy to advise you.

Wishing you all a happy festive season.

Regards,

Adriana

Symi Laundry - Symi's one and only laundry. Yacht service available all year round.

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Ochi Day Parade

As you are aware, Adriana is on holiday, so she has requested that I try and continue (nowhere near as informatively as she) to keep all her readers aware of Symi activities. As this is my first winter on Symi, I am interested in the daily aspects of Symi life and it was suggested that I should attend my first Ochi Day Parade. For those of you (and me) who don’t know what Ochi Day is, please accept my very brief description.

In 1940, the Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas was given an ultimatum, which basically stated free passage for Italian troops to occupy Greek territory. Obviously Metaxa's answer was 'Ochi' (No) hence the Ochi Day Parade.

The parade day started badly: due to a heavy downpour of rain, the smaller children had to take shelter in Chorio village school. Once the sun eventually appeared, the children were assembled outside and with their national flags and banners unfurled proceeded to march down the Kali Strata to join the rest of the parade participants in Yialos.

The mayor of Symi and other dignitaries witnessed the march past of the young people in the parade who looked resplendent in their uniforms of white and navy blue, totally in contrast to the soldiers in their olive green uniforms.

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Under the Mediterranean Sun

Symi is steaming gently under the Mediterranean sun as unusually humid conditions prevail. Mist was still hanging low over the water when the Poseidon did the dawn trip to Sesklia for the festival of St Paul at the chapel on the island. Books forgotten out in the garden overnight curl damply and heavy dew drips off the parked cars. The southerly winds responsible for these conditions will be changing to the north again later this week and we will soon be back to cardboard washing stiff on the line. Other parts of Greece have experienced extremely heavy showers and the second day of the annual Rockwave festival in Athens had to be cancelled after heavy rain damaged the stage and equipment.

Symi is becoming steadily busier although most businesses report a quieter than usual June and the island certainly seems emptier than normal for the time of year. Supermarkets are doing better than tavernas and restaurants as cash-strapped travelers cut holiday spending by taking more meals in the accommodation and buying wine to enjoy on the terrace or balcony rather than rounds of drinks in the café bars. Visitors have been spotted shopping for ripe watermelons from the hawkers and buying chops at the butchers – while slaving over a hot stove might not be everyone’s idea of a perfect island holiday, a spot of imaginative self-catering can certainly help to stretch the family holiday budget and these days most good quality holiday accommodation is equipped with a barbecue for al fresco cooking and dining.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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It’s Just Not Cricket, or Is It? - Guest Commentary

To those of us brought up in a certain tradition, what is and what isn’t cricket is a personal judgment made on grounds as much to do with morals as to the technicalities of the rules of the game. What certainly wasn’t cricket was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. This tragic and depressing event had an interesting effect on Symi’s young Pakistani and Afghan workers. Shocked as they were by the news they were not going to miss their weekend’s cricket, even if they had to play it themselves rather than watch it on TV. Did they have any equipment? No. Could they make do? Certainly. An old roof truss was cut down to make the bat, stumps (including bails) were sawn up out of scaffolding planks and a tennis ball wrapped in insulation tape completed the kit. No slap of willow on leather here. But it was a proper game, even though 5 a side cricket is a bit of a novelty. It certainly wasn’t a rounders bash about. The non-batting batsman had to use a stump to mark his position at the crease as there was only one bat. The flight of the ball tended to be a bit erratic as the tape peeled off, but several enthusiastic sixes were hit. There are certain advantages to a tennis ball!

Was it cricket? In my view it certainly was – in the best sense of the expression. This is an effort well worth supporting. These young men find themselves on this island, struggling to make money to send home to their families as a result of economic and political circumstances far beyond their control. They have made considerable personal sacrifice to get here and for them it is certainly no bed of roses. Surely they deserve some fun out of life on a Sunday afternoon? Is there anyone in the UK or elsewhere coming out to Symi who could be persuaded to bring out an old cricket bat or a couple of balls? They would be much appreciated. This match was not a one off, a second (7 a side!) was played yesterday. If anyone should be moved to put anything in the post, please send it care of Nicholas Shum, P O Box 5, Symi 85600, Dodecanese, Greece.

Nicholas Shum

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Cabbages to Carpets

The halcyon days may be coming to an end as a spell of unsettled weather is expected to bring countrywide showers over the next few days. Wind-torn high clouds already hint at gales in the Aegean and further shipping disruptions are likely due to industrial action among port workers in Greece's major harbours.

While we are all waiting to find out what the ferry schedules will be to get us from Symi to Rhodes and vice versa between now and April, a Google news alert has just popped up to advise us that a luxury Silversea cruise ship will be passing through Symi in the week starting 12 September 2009, on a voyage from Istanbul to Athens. Now that's what I call forward planning.

Meanwhile the crowds are gathering on the quay below our office window, waiting for the Proteus to come in from Rhodes. The orange seller's truck has more empty crates than full ones so bad luck, Tilos and Nissyros. The peripatetic hawkers of everything from cabbages to carpets are an essential part of island life in the winter and everyone waits with interest to see what will roll off the boat next. Limited choices are a characteristic of island life but the very randomness of what those choices are adds an element of excitement never to be found in huge shopping malls where everything is available all year round.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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The Serenade from Cyprus 19 July 2007

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On the Beach

Symi report 22 June

It is a bright sunny day on Symi and the temperature continues to rise. The Greek media have been full of warnings regarding energy saving measures to avoid heatwave related power cuts and downtown Athens is sweltering in the smog. Here on Symi a quick glance out of the window reveals very little human activity as the day trippers are in the shade of cafe bars and tavernas and visitors resident on the island are all on the beach. The excursion boats and water taxis have reported a brisk upturn in business as everyone heads for the relative coolness of the sea. Umbrellas are sprouting like exotic mushrooms on balconies around the harbour and only the foolhardy venture forth without hats.

Speaking of hats, it is now a rare thing indeed to see anyone on a motorbike without a helmet as the new traffic regulations and draconian fines for violations have spread panic amongst locals and visitors alike. With fines in three figures no one is taking chances anymore and the police have been zealous. It may just be urban legend but there is talk that someone has been fined for using a mobile phone while driving and the police are also enforcing the wearing of seat belts and are checking driving licenses.

On the ferry front, the Symi now comes direct to Yialos in the mornings, arriving at about eleven, and leaves again at 14.00 to return to Rhodes via Panormitis. The Symi II is now running a regular tourist schedule, as is the Nikolaos, but as they overnight in Rhodes there is still an inconvenient lack of 18.30 connections from Rhodes to Symi.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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