Springtime Symi

The view from Symi Visitor Accommodation this morning.  The bunting is up for the Dodecanese Day parade on 7 March 2018.

The Kali Strata in winter mode - rain streaked whitewash, moss, weeds, cats and an abandoned office chair.

Or perhaps not so abandoned...  

The first poppy photo of 2018.

No snow on Symi these year but, as usual, plenty of snow on the mountains across the way in Turkey.,

The second poppy photograph of 2018.

Yesterday was clear enough to see the snowy mountain tops. Today was grey and there are pockets of mist trapped in those distant valleys.

Thursday was the first dry sunny day in ages and everyone was out, doing things, including the municipality catching up on roadworks.

Vapour trails over an empty harbour.

A very wet February is behind us and March brings its promise of spring.  There is still lots of wet stuff showing up on the long range forecasts but temperatures are creeping upwards, the days are getting longer and lighter and Easter will soon be upon us. 

The international tourist season used to start in April with couples, families and walking groups coming to spend their Easter/spring break holidays on Symi.  In recent years, with the decline in niche market tourism to places like Symi, April and May are a lot quieter and it is mainly Greeks who come to the island.  June is the new April and the tourist businesses are slower in getting going.  This does mean that if you do opt to visit Symi in April or May, you will have a far more authentic island experience and the pleasure of having Symi to yourself. 

It is a beautiful time to visit as the island is still green and the spring flowers are quite overwhelming.  If you are a keen walker, photographer, writer or just want some time to yourself, there are worse places to be than Symi in April.  Just allow yourself a low stress schedule as you may have to spend a day/night in Rhodes at the beginning and end of your stay due to the vagaries of the ferry schedule. That in itself is no hardship as Rhodes old town is much nicer outside the main tourist season and there is plenty to explore.  Make the coming and going part of the holiday and enjoy the adventure.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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Bright Week on Symi

The pink bindweed is one of the last of the spring flowers to appear on Symi, lingering on into May.

An attention-seeking poppy.

The black plastic water pipes that snake along the roads and lanes of Symi are masked, albeit briefly, by verdant verges.

You are probably getting a bit bored with poppy photos but they really are splendid this year and in a few weeks they will be gone, replaced by dusty hillsides and scrubby brown bushes.

This is the first year I have seen taverna chairs being painted along our road but there is a first time for everything!

Petunias lighting up a shady terrace in Chorio.

The massive task of weeding and painting the Kali Strata has begun.

He has a long way to go!

The view from the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony today.  Yes, those are rainclouds!

Easter was celebrated with the usual exuberance and a mixture of fireworks and enormous bangs, whether dynamite or fertiliser bombs I don't know.  To the best of my knowledge, everyone's windows survived the weekend.

The weather was lovely - sunny and dry with a cool breeze.  The clouds came back on Monday and we had a lingering thunderstorm with light rain overnight.  This is the time of year when North Africa and the Middle East are heating up and continental Europe remains cold.  The Mediterranean is right between the two so we get thundershowers and occasional storms as the hot and cold air collide over us. Amazingly we haven't had any red rain or dust storms so far this year which is quite unusual.  Temperatures on Symi and in Rhodes are still around the 20 degree mark so not really beach weather yet.

The Panagia Skiadeni is now operating day trips from Rhodes, offering a diversion for early season tourists staying in hotels in Rhodes who are looking for an alternative to shivering on the beach or by the pool.  This is good for the cafes and tourist shops that have opened up along the waterfront in Yialos.

Have a good week!

Regards,
Adriana

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