Signs of the Times

Friday midday in Yialos and there wasn\t much happening apart from a handful of locals fishing for their dinner.

Painting taverna tables outside Pantelis, a popular waterfront seafood taverna.  The seasonal nature of Symi's tavernas and restaurants ensures that at least once a year everything is stripped away, cleaned from top to bottom, repainted, repaired and replaced if necessary.  The traditional months for spring cleaning and preparation for the season are March and April, once the winter storms are over.

Once a week, very early on a Friday morning, there is a direct connection between Tilos and Symi on the Blue Star.  This woman comes over then to sell her fruit and vegetables, returning on the Blue Star late at night.  Tilos is about 2 hours away from Symi on the ferry and, unlike Symi, has abundant water and rich fertile soil.  It has a permanent population of only a few hundred people and is very isolated, even in the summer.

Every few years the Ministry of Random Signposts hits Symi with a spate of vaguely incomprehensible signposts. The last lot included one to the Ruins of Old Drakos which directed walkers into the bottom of my garden.  This time we have acquired a new Symi destination,  Palia Poli. This literally means old town, better known as Chorio (the village) to the rest of us.  While you may eventually hit the Kali Strata by dragging your suitcase up this ramp and then dithering between the steep steps directly to the high school or the not quite so steep steps to the school playing field, you will actually have missed most of it as you will arrive at the top of the Kali Strata, not the bottom.  A sign post marking the start of the Kali Strata which is behind Bella Napoli and the Vapori Bar in the back corner of the harbour would be much more sensible  - not to mention beneficial to people looking for the Old Markets hotel or the Krysallis boutique.

Empty!

Sunday was bright and clear, if a little windy, and we drove up the mountain to see how the rest of Symi was faring.  This is one of the hidden valleys above  the descent to Panormitis.

There aren't many ponds on Symi but those that there are are full after the heavy rains of November, December and January.

Yes, this is on Symi!

It is carnival season in Greece, although you would not think so here on Symi where life continues at its usual snail's pace.  Only the occasional bedraggled streamer in a gutter or fleeting glimpse of a child in fancy dress gives a clue to what used to be a very boisterous and fun-filled time of the year on the island.  The mood on Symi has been very subdued since Storm Eurydice hit the island on 13 November last year.  The economic losses suffered by many households and businesses at a time when there is little spare cash around will have a lasting impact. 

Nature, having caused so much havoc, now teases us with temperatures well above seasonal averages and weather that is only consistent in its inconsistency.  Showers, squalls, bright sunshine, downpours - February is the new April.  While Western Europe struggles with snow and bitter cold, the other side of the continent is experiencing a premature spring that is just as unusual.  Heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The rain showers we had this morning, however, did not appear on any forecast.

Next Monday is Clean Monday, the first day of Lent in Greece. Traditionally celebrated with picnics in the countryside and the flying of kites, everyone is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast to see what will come our way this time.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

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Blossom and Birdsong

Hooray!  The almonds are in blossom and the valley is full of birdsong!

At this time of the year we seem to alternate between the storms that cancel shipping and mirror-calm seas like this  one.

The new clinic  in Chorio is making good progress.

And we have a nifty new postbox by the fish market in Yialos.

We have done exceptionally well for boats this week.  On Monday we had last Friday's strike-bound Blue Star come through in the afternoon, then again on Wednesday and today.  It is indeed a case of 'all or nothing'.  

Master of all he surveys.

There is a big high pressure system over the Aegean at the moment so the water level is exceptionally low in the harbour and the footings of the bridge are completely exposed.

The almonds are blooming, the birds are back and the coffee doesn't get cold quite so fast in the morning.  With southerly winds the temperatures are creeping up again - 13 degrees at night, 18 degrees at midday.  The humidity is very high and we have had light showers for the past 24 hours. Strong southerly winds are forecast for the weekend which should keep temperatures on the warm side.  In the depths of winter there are rumours of spring.

As Greek Easter falls late this year, on the first weekend in May, Carnival and Clean Monday fall in March this year so we will have a lot of celebrations that month, including Dodecanese Day on the 7th and Independence Day/the Annunciation on 25 March.  All of that is weeks away and this being Greece, none of it has registered even a blip on the calendar yet.  One thing at a time and in this case, Valentine's day which is gaining popularity among young people but still doesn't have the massive commercial following that it has in other countries. Mind you, there isn't much disposable income to fritter away on frivolities here in Greece and few people have credit cards so there isn't a culture of spend today and worry about it tomorrow.  For many Symiots, the closest thing to a credit card is getting the groceries written down in a book at the supermarket to settle up at some future date when the ever-shrinking pension money comes in.  Greek housewives are experts in the art of making something from nothing and the vegetable gardens in the Pedi valley are a family necessity rather than a hobby to keep the menfolk amused at weekends.

It is strange how the foreign media ignores the Greek virtues of thrift, self-sufficiency and stoicism in the face of adversity and would rather portray the populace as a nation of tax-dodging billionaires with houses in Kensington and bank accounts in Zurich.  The majority are being ascribed with the vices of a handful of wily tycoons and over-paid politicians.  Don't judge the Greeks by what you read in the papers or see on television.  Come to Greece and see for yourself, that you too may learn to appreciate the value of the small and simple pleasures. The tiny cup of Greek coffee sipped in a kafeneion while watching the world go by.  The simple taverna meal prepared entirely from seasonal local produce.  The tangy hard cheese made by sheep farmers and sold by hawkers travelling around the country with a van loaded with wheels of cheese.  The loaves of bread, baked fresh every day. There is beauty in a homemade dish of split pea puree with capers, picked and pickled by hand and a well-scrubbed plastic table cloth, the pattern fading slightly at the corners.  In the fluted tumblers that have served generations of glasses of wine from the barrel.  The Greeks even manage to turn a teaspoon of instant coffee and a glass of iced water into something special, the restorative frappe of hot summer days.

Valentine's day at the Symi Flower shop.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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