The Truth about Marble

Early poppies near the gymnasium in Chorio.

Daisies!

A hearty breakfast near Agios Elefterios church, at Kampos in Chorio.

Composition in pale green and dressed stone.

Marble is no big deal in this part of the world as it is a readily available natural resource and cheaper than many man made alternatives.  This little house near Kampos has marble window sills and thresholds.

A marble and pebble terrace along the front of a recently restored house on the Kali Strata.

Crazy paving with marble and travertine off cuts.

The Kali Strata is paved with a random selection of stones from all over Symi.  

A Cat who can't face Monday.

It is a hazy grey day with low cloud and mist.  Visibility is low and there is a feeling of chilly damp as the mist settles on the old stone surfaces.  The weather is changing as we head towards spring but temperatures this week will remain in the teens and rain is expected later in the week.

Dodecanese Seaways have announced their ferry schedule for the season. As it is very complex it is taking them a while to get it up on their computer so it is available as a download. There are 10 different time periods covered so just because a boat does something on a particular day of the week in one month doesn't mean it will do the same in the next. There is a general feeling of dissatisfaction on the island as Symi is being sidelined in favour of other destinations and in April, May and October the situation is particularly bad. The link to the PDF is http://www.12ne.gr/resources/documents/SCHEDULE_UP_TO_31_10_2015_ENG.pdf

There has been some talk in the German media recently about the 'extravagance' of using marble to finish various surfaces in the new gymnasium in Chorio, somehow interpreted as proof of Greeks living beyond their means.  This attitude shows a remarkable ignorance of local tradition, geography/geology, architecture and materials.  Symi, like much of Greece, is made of limestone and various types of stone, including marble, have been a standard building material here for centuries.  Marble is not a sign of lavish wealth and high living in this part of the world and it is often used in quite a casual fashion in even humble dwellings.  It lasts forever, requires no maintenance and there is plenty of it about.  Modern synthetic laminates and ceramics, on the other hand, are no where near as durable, don't fit with the local aesthetic and can be considerably more expensive as they are usually imported.  The new gymnasium could only be built if it was in an architectural style that harmonised with Symi's neo-classical architecture, which it does very well and the island is justly proud of this new and long awaited amenity. The red colour is somewhat controversial but that will fade in the bright Mediterranean sunshine.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Spring has Officially Arrived

A cheerful display.

The roof of the stadium is being paved, and very splendid it will be too.  Certainly as terrace views go, it will take some beating (see below).

Cleaning frying pans. Forget conventional pot scourers. This man is using an angle grinder to grind the rust off these taverna pans.

Coffee and a gossip in the alley.  Yes, that is a gin palace in the background.  It had disappeared by the time I got round to that side of the harbour so it was probably just passing through.  At this time of the year yachts that have overwintered in nearby Turkish marinas start to come through, using Symi as a port of entry to clear into Greece.

Shabby chic - the discreet sign on the wall says, in Greek, 'Centre of Aesthetics Maravelias'.

Time to start on the whitewashing.

The young man by the lamp post is carefully gluing seashells onto plastic plant boxes for a nearby taverna.  The bus stop is to the right and the yellow Symi bus that serves Yialos, Chorio and Pedi is about to pull out.

A heavy vehicle inching its way carefully round the waterfront, traffic tailing back behind it..  The only road into town is along the quay and although it has been widened somewhat twice in the twenty years I have lived here, it is still a tricky stretch to negotiate.  There are a few gaps between buildings wide enough for on coming traffic to tuck in and wait for vehicles to pass but it is essentially only slightly wider than one vehicle width with a few tight bends and undulations.

An odd family, but they all seem to get on.

Spring has officially arrived and everyone is out, enjoying the spring sunshine and getting stuck into the preparations for the season.  The fine weather is expected to continue until Tuesday when there is a 50% chance of rain.  As this will be coming from the south west it is likely to be the dreaded 'red rain', a mixture of sand from the Sahara and North Africa, mixed with light rain which forms a dirty crust on everything. The annual spring preparations wouldn't be the same without playing cat and mouse with the mud showers.

Tuesday 25 March is a double holiday as it is the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabrielle appeared to the Blessed Virgin and told her that she was pregnant, and also the anniversary of the start of the Greek War of Independence.  On the night of 24th March blazing braziers line the road round the harbour and the ramp up to Evangelismos church in Harani, the Church of the Annunciation.  A dramatic sight beyond the capabilities of my humble camera but perhaps Neil Gosling of Symi Dream will photograph them for you.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Waiting Patiently

In a few weeks this lane will be bustling but at the moment everything is still firmly closed apart from the pizzeria at the end.

Waiting patiently to be let in.

In the summer this is a busy street with cafes and shops on both sides.  At the moment the only place open is Symi Tours, the shipping and airline agency.  Easy to spot at this time of the year as it is the only place with people outside it.

A steel rolling shutter, probably about a century old, but still functional.

The tinsmith is busy in his workshop, turning olive oil cans into useful household objects.  This is a rare example of artisanal skills being passed down through the generations. The young man learned the skill from his grandfather who was the 'tin man' when I first came here, 20 years ago.  If you see the shop open when you are in Symi, do pop in.  Dustpans, olive oil dispensers, lanterns and candle holders - he still makes the traditional household items that people used to use before the ubiquitous plastic took over the world.

A Dodecanese Seaways catamaran.  The ferry schedule for the summer is now available on line but there may be changes along the way, particularly for the peak month of August.

It is still very quiet on Symi. It is too wet for outdoor activities such as painting and preparing shops and tavernas for the season and in any case more rain is forecast for today and tomorrow.  This will be followed by high winds mid week and fairly low temperatures for the time of year.  It could drop as low as 9 degrees on Thursday.

The fish pedicure place next door to the Sunflower Laundry and our office in the harbour is now being transformed into a cafetiera.  The big sign that they had on the top of the building has been taken down so at the moment we have a fairly panoramic view, on that side at least. It is unlikely to last long, though, as it will probably be replaced by a new sign advertising the latest venture.

Meanwhile, in the Pedi valley, the lambs are fattening nicely for Easter on their diet of wild flowers, herbs and grasses.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Lent has Now Started

Hail stones on Symi on Saturday.

A flourishing cabbage patch behind the church on the quay at Pedi.

Sheep indulging in yellow margueritas.

Symi harbour is full of vertiginous staircases.  This is the external staircase between upper and lower floors on a typical neo-classical house in the harbour.

Some of the newer flights, made of cement, have helpful white borders so that one can easily find ones way down.

Some steps are wider and shallower than others.

Sometimes they even have railings.

Half past eight on Tuesday morning and very quiet.  In a couple of months the season will start and Yialos will be bustling with gulets, yachts and ferries but at the moment it is deserted.

The head of the harbour. The building with the green shutters in the middle is Pachos, one of the oldest kafeneions on the island.  The Symi Visitor Accommodation office is in a small building set back just to the right of it and our entrance is in the lane to the left.  In the summer this is where all the excursion boats and water taxis depart.

After a stormy long weekend with hail on Saturday, a shipping ban on Sunday and Monday due to gale force winds and plenty of rain, Lent has now started. The Carnival finery has been packed away for another year and everyone is settling down to a fasting diet of seafood, lentils and chocolate coated halva.   Webcam devotees may have caught a glimpse of the Carnival procession and festivities at the weekend, particularly the energetic zumba display which can also be seen on Youtube and the Symi Visitor Accommodation Facebook page. There are also some great Carnival photos on www.symidream.com

The weather forecast remains unsettled for the next 10 days with more rain, storms and wind on the agenda.  Easter may only be 6 weeks away but it looks as though getting the island ready for the first tourists will be done while dodging the showers.

Friday is Dodecanese Day, a local bank holiday, so this is a short week on Symi. We hope that it won't rain on the parade.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Always Something to Look Forward to.

Squalls hurtling across Harani.
This photograph demonstrates why the Nireus and Aliki Hotels close for the winter and
 wrap all external fittings in plastic until April.

Waves swirling round the bulb of the Proteus' bow.

This little boat is secured well off the quay to prevent damage in such weather conditions.

With the wind driving the water straight into the harbour the gratings are squirting and parts of the harbour are flooded.

The bow of the Dodecanese Express and a line squall marching into Yialos.

Winter certainly has not left us yet. While temperatures are slowly inching upwards and the clocks change in a fortnight the weather remains stormy and unsettled.  Strong south easterly winds have been hammering Symi since the early hours of the morning and walking down to work this morning I was dodging bits of broken shutters,  random twigs and swirling plastic bags.  Surprisingly the Dodecanese Seaways catamaran came through, bang on schedule at 9.30 a.m.  Whether she will be quite so punctual on the return trip this evening depends on how turbulent conditions are to the north of us.

Speaking of Dodecanese Seaways, this shipping company has released part of its schedule for the summer so potential travellers can book their flights with greater certainty that there will be a suitable ferry connection.  More information can be found on our travelblog, along with a wealth of information about flights and how to get to Symi from all over the world.

Although the island is not expecting many tourists for Catholic Easter which falls very early this year, quite a few foreign property owners will be on Symi this month, which may encourage a taverna or two to open up, even if they will be offering Lenten fare.  At the moment options in the harbour are limited to one taverna and the gyros bars and cafes.  Greek Easter falls on the first Sunday in May this year so Lent only begins here next week and the children have a long wait ahead for the Easter bunny to come calling.  Unlike other places I know where the first Easter eggs are on sale straight after Christmas and hot cross buns are available all year round, in Greece everything has its own particular time and season.  At present it is Carnival and the shops are selling fancy dress, masks, face paints and silly novelties.  When Carnival is over these things are packed away until next year. At the end of this week kites, pickles, halva and Clean Monday picnic necessities will go on sale for the holiday on Monday and the fasting foods associated with Orthodox Lent will dominate in the shops for the next few weeks.  As we approach Big Week, Easter Egg dyes and decorations will be for sale, along with special Easter candles and all the ingredients required for traditional Easter baking.  In Greece there is always something to look forward to and the children do not expect to have Christmas for twelve months of the year.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

When I saw that this little boat on my road had had its cabin put back on
I thought it was being prepared for the sea.

In reality it was to make it a more convenient shed for storing a lot of old Marseilles roof tiles!

An unusual use of a Sunflower Laundry bag -
this photograph of a Sunflower Laundry bag as a windbreaker was sent to us by a Danish Symi Visitor.

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