Rumours of Rain

A marble profile of a Hellenic Hermes looks out on the Kali Strata.  Random fragments of Symi's antiquity have been recycled into all sorts of more recent structures.  The same areas of Symi have been in continuous occupation for centuries with the result that there are no perfectly preserved or abandoned ruined ancient sites as is the case in other areas where populations moved on to other locations.  Instead the stones were constantly reused and recreated, building new on top of old using whatever was to hand.

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation office as the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran passed through this morning, en route to Kos and points north.  Now that they have scaled back the schedule, this boat no longer comes through every day so always check the timetable in advance.  Otherwise you may find yourself in Halki instead of Symi!

A motor yacht pretending to be a trawler.  We have also seen motor yachts pretending to be battle ships and steamers.

Chorio cats.

The bougainvilleas are still putting on a brave show. 

Looking across towards Yialos from the clock tower, towards the bus stop and the Kastro (Acropolis) with Lemonitissa church looming over the harbour.  The famous Kali Strata steps start in the back of the harbour, a little to the right of the red-hulled yacht, and pass diagonally across that hillside. The point where I often stop to take my photographs of the harbour is just in front of the building on the top left side of the ridge in the photograph, where the Kali Strata makes a hard right turn, up towards the centre of Chorio.

Colour co-ordinated laundry in the harbour.

A luxury catamaran pretending to be a battle ship.

Pedi in the autumn sun.

Chorio chickens crossing the road.  What you can't see in these photographs are a rooster and a young tabby cat, both hiding in the bushes on the right.  The chickens joined the rooster in the bushes and the cat ignored them all.

It is a bright clear October day with a fresh breeze and lots of sunshine.  Temperatures are in the mid twenties and it is lovely in the sun.  This idyllic picture may be misleading because every forecast for the region is telling us that rain and thunderstorms are going to reach us at some point tonight and will only clear sometime on Sunday.  Even the BBC gave the Greek islands a mention in the weather bulletin this morning.

There is the happy buzz of conversation coming up from Pachos, the traditional Greek cafeneion downstairs.  It is has been a popular meeting place for decades, particularly if you prefer more traditional refreshments such as Greek coffee, frappes, Greek beer and wine by the carafe.  There are fancier establishments along the waterfront, with designer chairs and designer coffees but Pachos has served traditional drinks to Symiots and visitors since the war.

Have a good weekend.  You might be seeing some Symi rain photos on Monday!

Regards,
Adriana

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A Big Thank You

The Sunflower Laundry and Symi Visitor Accommodation, dwarfed by the building that houses Pachos' cafeneion and various offices next door.  That white blob on the balcony is our famous webcam.  Entrance to the laundry is the one you can see in the picture. The entrance to our office is in the lane to the side as our little building is tucked in behind Pachos.  Pachos is open so early in the morning that I don't think I have ever seen it closed and I am often down by 7 a.m.!

Fishing boats, part of the view from my office window but seen from pavement level this time.

Symi's natural amphitheatre harbour is lined by rows of pretty neo-classical houses, built into the cliffs and accessed by a network of steps and lanes, the most famous of which being the Kali Strata.

The water taxis have cheerful new booths this year, based on Symi's neo-classical architecture.  The big three storey building in the background houses the Symi branch of the National Bank of Greece and a tourist shop.  Spiti Grand Helene and Villa Iris are on the hill behind, masked by the green street lamp.

Looking from water taxi and excursion boat berths towards the clock tower.  The big black anchor is one of the ones that used to be by the clock tower before the quay was widened for the cruise boats.

Lemonitissa Church, looming over the harbour.  The Lemonitissa studio and apartment are just visible through the trees on the right of the photograph.

Ruined shops near the foot of the Kali Strata.

An old shopfront about half way down the Kali Strata, this is now an artist's studio.  If you look carefully you can see a profile of Hermes, the Messenger God, above the central column.

First of all, I have been asked to put up the following message on my blog in the hopes that whoever the Good Samaritan was will see it:

"I would like to thank whoever it was that kindly called the doctor at Nimborio yesterday, regarding finding me unconscious.  The doctor and yourself saved my life.

Many thanks,
Carol Lane"

As Carol has no recollection of what happened between going for a swim and waking up at the clinic she does not know who it was who came to her rescue but she is very grateful indeed.

The weather continues unsettled with lots of low cloud and very high humidity.  Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for both the Greek mainland and the Turkish mainland but at the moment we just seem to be on the edge of the cloud bank that is covering Turkey.

The news is that the new supermarket down in Pedi, near the Pedi Beach Hotel has now opened so there are now two shops down there. There is also talk that work is to resume soon on the new marina in Pedi.  Meanwhile the first big blocks for the new ferry dock just past the fuel station will be arriving from Rhodes any day.  When this project is completed the big ferries will dock there instead of at the clock tower which should reduce both noise and traffic in Yialos itself.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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