Greetings From A Quiet Island

That could be you on that water taxi, heading for Agia Marina, St Nicholas, St George, Nanou or Marathounda! The view from Symi Visitor Accommodation at 11.20 this morning.

On Symi it is always worth looking up!

This year the seagulls have been replaced by fish.  Apologies for the loss of sharpness - I cropped this from a larger photo so that you can get some idea of the detail on that mobile.

Looking through a window on the Kali Strata to the opposite side of the harbour.

The figs are plumping out nicely in the ruins.

A line up of motor yachts from Turkey.

Boats clearing in from outside the EU have to dock at the clock tower first to go through customs and immigration before being allowed to berth in Yialos or anchor in Pedi.

Symi is still very quiet considering that we have passed the halfway mark of June, a month that used to be one of the busiest in the year on Symi.  While there is a lot more boating activity in the harbour, mainly due to Ramadan as many Turkish boats come over then, there are still very few visitors actually staying on the island.  There is still plenty of accommodation of all kinds available on the island as those hotels that don't work with package holiday companies have availability and we also have houses, studios and apartments available.

Where I live, up at the top of the Pedi valley, the ambient noise in the evening is the buzz of cicadas and the tinkle of sheep bells rather then the murmur of distant conversations and snatches of music on the air.  There are far fewer people about and many houses are still closed up which is sad.  Houses with their shutters closed and no lights visible on summer nights are an unusual sight.

As I write this, the Salamis Filoxenia has just winkled her way into Symi harbour so at least the Cypriots have not forgotten us!

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Symi's Special Magic

Looking along the quay from Harani towards the Clock tower.  The three storey building with blue trim and white panels catching the light is the well known Nireus Hotel.  Immediately to the right of that is Sofia's House, followed by the Vaporetto restaurant and the Aliki Hotel.  The Merchant House is one tier up, behind the Aliki Hotel.  In the distance, on the opposite side you can see the row of old windmills in Chorio.  Among the houses on that hillside you will find Charitomeni restaurant and Villa Rose.

The road along the water's edge between the Clock Tower and NOS beach is exceedingly narrow, really just the quayside, and it has bites out of it with steps down to make accessing the boats easier.  This narrow strip is actually also the road to Nimborio so it is hardly surprising that there is no public transport out to Nimborio bay.

As September slips towards the autumn equinox the number of clouds is increasing and we had a brief spattering of rain on Sunday.  The air is clearing, revealing more rows of hills on the distant shores of Turkey, opposite Pedi Bay.

The same row of old windmills that I pointed out to you in the earlier photograph of Harani, but this time seen from across the Pedi Valley.  Nowhere on Symi is very far from anywhere else and it is the many hills and valleys that makes this tiny island so fascinating. The whole island is only about 8 miles long.

A harmonious line up of colours on the Kali Strata washing line.  

An appeal in Greek and English for people not to dump their rubbish outside this old house on the Kali Strata. For logistical reasons there is no system of 'dustbin men' collecting refuse directly from the houses.  Instead, as is common in this part of the world, there are skips placed in convenient locations that can be accessed either by the big municipal dump truck or by a tiny little Piaggio mini dump truck that can squeeze through some of the lanes.  Householders take their rubbish with them when they go out and drop it off in the nearest skip. The skips are emptied every day in the winter and often twice a day in the height of the season.  Unfortunately at this stage there is no viable system for recycling plastic and glass on the island so this all goes into the landfill up on the top of the mountain.

Fishing boats, yachts and a small ferry, the Nikolaos X. The harbour seems strangely empty with the Panagia Skiadeni still off the schedule for repairs.  Her return has now been put back to the 22 September.  Please keep an eye on Andy's excellent travel blog for regular updates.

The Greek flag, high on a rocky hillside overlooking Yialos.

September on Symi brings many familiar faces back to the island and our little office has been full to overflowing this morning with people coming in to say 'hello'.   Symi's uniquely authentic Greek island atmosphere has many loyal fans.  Visitors who have been coming for decades and can remember when there were no cars and, indeed, no roads.  Visitors who came with their children every summer for years and can now enjoy the peace and quiet of holidaying outside the school holiday period.  Visitors who came on holiday with their parents and now come as adults, sometimes with their own small children too.  Visitors who bring friends to share Symi's special magic.  When will you visit Symi and with whom will you share your special Symi holiday?

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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