A Drizzly Day on Symi in February

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office this morning.

Yes, we do get fresh cauliflowers and celery on Symi.  They are winter crops in this part of the world.  No one has to teach the Greeks to eat in season - they always have done.  It has only been relatively recently that we have been able to reliably buy tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines in the winter. They come from poly tunnels in Rhodes and Crete.  The usual Greek salad in tavernas in the winter is actually a green salad based on Kos lettuce and various wild greens and herbs not available in the summer.

Low cloud rolling down the Vigla warns of more rain to come.  That is the bell tower of St John's church in Yialos. The buildings on the hill behind are in one of the oldest parts of upper Chorio, dating back to when the donkey path up the Kataraktis was the main route up to the village.

The view from the bridge in Yialos. The water level is very low due to a barometric high over the area.  The water, which used to be very clear, is still discoloured by all the soil that washed into the harbour in the flood on 13 November 2017.  At least the sunken boats and wrecked cars have all been removed.  There are still odd chair legs and bits of bicycle sticking out of the silt though. Further up, in the upper parts of Chorio around Stavros Church, work has not even begun on rebuilding the destruction that the torrents caused and for many Symiots and expat residents it will be a long time before life returns to normal.. The Pedi valley and the football pitch are still awaiting attention too.

The slip by the customs house this morning.  With the low water level today this marvellous green carpet of weed has been revealed.  No doubt incredibly slippery.

As you may have gathered, there isn't much for men to do on Symi in the winter except fish or chat to friends who are fishermen.  In the summer those blue booths are the ticket counters for the water taxis to the beaches.

Empty vistas.

One can always feed the pigeons.

Symi is a very vertical sort of place.  The steep slopes of the amphitheatre harbour look like a hanging garden. That is an almond tree among the conifers, unfurling its spring greenery as the blossom falls.

Lemonitissa church on the Kastro overshadows Pallas Athena on one of the island's oldest jewellery shops.

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Monday Musings from Symi

The Church of the Dormition of the Virgin of the Castle is having a facelift. Symi has no shortage of churches and there are several on and around the Kastro.

The Blue Star Patmos came through from Piraeus on Sunday after the shipping strike was temporarily suspended, bringing with it such high bulk items as toilet rolls and kitchen paper.

The dress shop in Chorio, flaunting a fabulous Christmas bow.

A flourishing fig among the ruins on the Kali Strata.

A glimpse of Christmas spirit near the bottom of the Kali Strata.

Storm clouds looming over Mavrovouni this morning. Rain is forecast from this afternoon through to early on Tuesday  morning, followed by a sharp drop in temperatures.

Yialos.

Wash day at Lemonitissa church.

The ferry didn't just bring practical things like loo paper.  It also brought these cheerful poinsettias.

The Petrides school at the back of St John's church looks wonderful with its new paint.  Whoever undertook to do that elongated meander frieze had a lot of patience and an incredibly steady hand.

Hibiscus in flower in the Metropolitan's garden next to St John's church.

Angels on an old grave stone incorporated into a bench in St John's churchyard.

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June Postcards from Symi

Iroko window frames in place and the work on the roof continues - work on the restoration of the customs house is continuing at quite a pace.

The ply sheeting and waterproofing are in place.  Next step will be battens and tiles. That is Lemonitissa church on the Kastro mound on the right and you can see the remains of the old windmills along the crest on the left.

For those of you who haven't been to Symi before, this is the head of the harbour, looking towards Mavrovouni.  The water taxis and excursion boats leave from the quay along the right hand side of the photograph. The Symi Visitor Accommodation office is set back, next to the tall yellow building with green shutters on the left which houses Pachos traditional cafeneion.

What shall we do today? Take a round the island trip on the Poseidon or a water taxi to the beach?

The Noddy train having a check up.  I have it on good authority that what is under the hood is actually a Suzuki Jimny!

Sunflowers in a garden in Chorio.

Herbs and petunias outside the Symi Flower shop in Yialos.

In all the years I have lived here this is the first time I have seen this building at the top of the Kali Strata with its shutters off.  My camera isn't good enough but glimpses through the windows reveal an interior that hasn't changed much in a century, complete with the traditional ornately carved salon mirror and paraffin lamps.

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