Springtime on Symi

The Taxiarchis hotel in Chorio, surrounded by a sea of daisies.

A eucalyptus tree grows out of  dry stone wall on the Pedi road.

New leaves.

Drifts of wild cyclamens catch the light in the Pedi valley.

Spring magic in the Pedi valley.

Many of the old houses have planters in the top of the courtyard wall.  This house has been empty for ages, ever since I have been on Symi, but the freesias come up every year.

A Second World War souvenir in Pedi.  It may be peaceful now but Symi saw some fierce fighting during the war and the island changed hands several times.

This little chapel on the southern shore of Pedi bay sits atop a fresh water spring which bubbles into the sea at that point.  In the old days the housewives of Symi used to come down to do their laundry on the flat stones.  Now most people have washing machines but even 25 years ago, when I first came to Symi, most laundry was done by hand or in a very basic stainless steel drum which one filled with a bucket and plugged in to activate an agitator in the bottom.

St Nicholas beach on a sunny day in March.  Everything is closed up still for the winter and we took our own picnic.  The beaches on Symi don't start to open up until late May or even early June, depending on how many people are around.

Wild lilies growing among the rocks above St Nicholas.

The steps down to the beach.

After a week of heavy rain, we have had some lovely bright days and Symi is drying out again.  As you can see from the photographs, the wild flowers are quite spectacular this year.  I don't think I have ever seen such an abundant display of wild cyclamens in the valley.

I am having some camera problems at the moment.  The focus on my own camera has become erratic after about 4 years of constant use.  A friend loaned me her camera which is what I used to take the pictures above.  It is a lovely camera but unfortunately there are two tiny scratches, right in the middle of the lense, which show up as two elliptical dark shadows in the middle of any landscape shots, making my views of Symi appear to feature UFOs. Not appropriate for blog purposes!  I had a look in Rhodes yesterday but as so many people depend on their smartphones for photographs these days, the shops don't carry much in the way of cameras anymore. As my needs are fairly specific, I prefer to see something and handle it before buying to make sure that I can see the screen easily and that the controls aren't too twiddly so ordering sight unseen on line is not for me. This could take a while!


Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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A Rural Retreat with Fabulous Views.

A desirable holiday let for those seeking seclusion. No need for air conditioning as the house is well ventilated.  You can gather the honey for your Greek breakfast from the hive under the fig tree in the foreground.  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Versatile courtyard space and some fine examples of authentic traditional stone work .  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Oregano for your Greek salad ready to pick and you can bake your daily loaf in the old fourno under the tree.  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

And a fabulous uninterrupted view of Pedi Bay.  Please note, this property does not include arrival and departure transfers!   Villa Jasmine and the Pedi Katoi are on the opposite shore and are considerably more accessible.  Photo by Barry Hankey.

A misty sunrise above Pedi today.  It has remained quite cool today with patchy cloud and a feeling of 'will it rain or won't it?' about the day.

Pedi bay in the early morning mist.  The settlement in the upper photographs is on the top of the ridge of hills to the right.

Meanwhile in a slightly more accessible neighbourhood, my artichokes have decided that the Second Spring has arrived and are starting to shoot. We will, however, have to wait until March to enjoy fresh globe artichokes from the garden.

The little oak tree by the side of the road in Lieni has grown quite a lot this summer.  The grass is starting to grow along the verges once more.

There was a big wedding on the island on Saturday and this house belongs to one of the bridal party, hence the decorations.    The laundry is a more practical touch - very few people have tumble driers on Symi and washing lines on balconies are the order of the day.

The bridal car, decorated with lilies.

The season is drawing to a close and life won't be so comfortable for Symi's cat population.  Please drop off any change you might have in the nearest Symi Animal Welfare collection box to help our furry friends through the winter.

Monday morning dawned hazy with lots of low cloud wrapped around the Vigla and Kokkimides.  There is talk of possible thunder showers this afternoon.  We've heard growls of distant thunder every afternoon for the past few days but so far it hasn't turned into anything significant.  It is about 24 degrees centigrade today and quite chilly in the shade.  Current temperatures are ideal for walking and Barry Hankey who has written some walking guides which you will find on our Walking Page took Wendy, Sue and Mike exploring yesterday, to visit a very old rural settlement on a hilltop overlooking the head of Pedi Bay.

Some of us may be walking rather more than we intended as unfortunately the Symi bus has broken down and as it can only be repaired on Rhodes we do not know when it will be back in commission. Fortunately Symi has several taxis and it is common practice in Greece to share a taxi so there is an alternative to tackling the 400 or so steps of the Kali Strata.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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Symi's Style

The Kastro, Symi's Akropolis, as seen from Pedi bay.  Take away the electricity wires and the beach umbrellas and not much has changes in this scene in centuries.  Symi has a pleasing sense of continuity that is lacking in so many other places.

A wider view showing the sprawl of Chorio up the slopes of the Vigla on the left and the road to the harbour, Yialos, on the right.   There are very few houses along the water front in Pedi and much of the land used to be agricultural before the football field, sports field and power station were built.

The road to Panormitis shows clearly in this photograph of Pedi bay.

Looking down Nanou bay from the taverna.  

The fence is to keep the goats out rather than the people in!

Is this my best side?  One of the many small goats hanging about, working the cuteness factor at Nanou.

A Chorio cat hiding in a wall at the bus stop near Kampos supermarket.

Closed up for the season.

Many of the mansions on the Kali Strata and in Yialos have flag poles on their balconies for patriotic purposes.

The noise and bustle of August is over but the island is still humming - mainly with regulars, many of whom have been to Symi for decades.  Everyone has their favourite places, their favourite boats and their favourite watering holes.  Groups of friends get together to celebrate special birthdays and happy anniversaries.  The beaches are busy with people doing nothing much, relaxing in the sunshine.

Symi is a wonderful place for relaxing and doing nothing much in particular.  There is no feeling of obligation to become involved in frenetic water sports or other strenuous activities.  A cheerful taxi ride to a pretty beach or a convivial day out on an excursion boat followed by a pleasant evening in a traditional taverna or one of Symi's excellent bars is more Symi's style.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Food for Many a Romantic Dream

Just add water.  A week after the rain and the wild grasses are germinating among the stones.



Desiccated oregano bushes are reviving on the hillside, sprouting tiny furls of new green leaves.  The flower buds which are dried to make the Greek herb rigani that we know and love only appear in the late spring, around April.



The Symi Gallery on the Kali Strata, easily identifiable by the Kate MacKay colour boxes about the entrance, is currently hosting an exhibition of drawings by Ian Bishop.



A grand but neglected mansion on the Kali Strata, food for many a romantic dream.



Early morning calm.
The number of yachts is steadily dwindling as the cruising season draws to a close and they return to their winter berths, often in Turkey and Cyprus.



The heavenly blue of the plumbago, referred to locally as blue jasmine.  It is a popular choice here as it flowers for many weeks in the summer and requires very little water.



An old commercial building in the back lanes of Yialos.  Downstairs is the modern lotto shop.  Upstairs is boarded up and abandoned.   Although a lot of people who work in the harbour live in apartments above shops for reasons of convenience, many of these buildings remain unoccupied and in poor repair.  The stencilled numbers above the doors are relics of early attempts during the Italian occupation of the island between the wars to set up a property registry.



The Blue Star Diagoras arrived this morning, delivering amongst other things the lighting van for the filming of 'The Judas Curse' which starts in Chorio this Sunday.

We are enjoying a few days of settled autumn weather before the next rainy front reaches us around Wednesday or Thursday next week.  There is heavy dewfall at night.  The Dodecanese Seaways ferry schedule has also dwindled considerably with limited options for getting to and from Symi. There is a partial timetable up now for November.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana





 

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The Many Faces of Symi

The Symi Visitor Accommodation office has two balconies. This is part of the view from the one over the lane.  The little sphinx on the roof next door has had a facelift now that the Stani Patisserie has moved in and restored the building.

Unravelling anchors in the middle of Yialos - a common sight.

The first rains have not arrived yet but the pale autumn crocuses are already pushing their way  through the sun-baked fields of the Pedi Valley.

Over the hills and far away.  The Pedi valley at dawn.

The pelargoniums are struggling back into life after the searing heat of summer.

The crocus field a few days later. If you look carefully you can see the  ghostly spires of squills.

The castro in the early morning sunshine.  Where the white and blue church now stands there was once a  castle, built by the Knights of St John.  The massive stone walls are all that remains.  Food for fantasy.

Everything on Symi is ever so slightly wonky.
The  little twirly things are  latches for holding back the shutters of the adjacent windows.

One of the remaining unrestored mansions on the Kali Strata.  The wood is long gone from the balcony but the brackets and the fastenings are still there to remind us of what used to be there.

The Blue Star Diagoras defied the general strike on Wednesday 26 September and came through Symi bang on time.

Thursday morning's cruise ship, the Orient Queen.

September is drawing to a close but the Symi remains busy. The weather forecast for the next 10 days is dry, hot and sunny and comparing notes with other accommodation agencies, it seems that Symi will be quite busy for the first two-three weeks of October.  It is good to know that so many people have not been discouraged by the negative publicity in the overseas media and have chosen to support Greece as a holiday destination.

The bus came back on the Proteus yesterday and normal service has resumed.

There is a fund-raising event for the Ομάδα Στήριξης Προσφύγων & Μεταναστών Σύμης 
Refugee Support Group of Symi taking place at the Symi Gallery this evening at 8 p.m  James Collins will be playing the piano and various other local musicians, both expat and Greek, will be taking part.  Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in this worthwhile cause.  For a statement of what the support group is all about please see James' recent blog posting.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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