Adriana's Symi

Retail Therapy

2009-07-13T16:00:00.001+03:00

The seasonal meltemi has arrived and temperatures on Symi have dropped to more tolerable levels as a brisk cool breeze rolls down the Aegean from northern Greece. The water taxis and excursion boats were not allowed to operate out of Symi today as winds are expected to strengthen to a Force 7 later this afternoon. The ferry service has not been affected and the ANES boats are running as scheduled. Even the Aegli hydrofoil is only running 5 minutes late. Flotilla yachts are struggling to anchor in the cross wind in Yialos this afternoon and last night we were watching brightly illuminated glamour yachts dragging anchors in Pedi Bay.

For regular visitors to this page who found Friday’s image distressing, last week’s bright white road markings are already showing signs of strain and will probably have worn away altogether by next week unless the plan is to redo them on a weekly basis. Traditional asvesti used for parade day markings lacks the durability of regular road-marking paint.

With the excursion boats and water taxis confined to Yialos today the shops are busy and many long-stay visitors have taken the opportunity to catch up on their souvenir shopping. These days Symi’s Yialos shopping area offers everything from traditional sponges and museum replicas to handmade jewellery and designer dresses. When I first came to Symi in 1993 I remember a particular misogynist resident saying at the time that Symi was the sort of place where a man could safely send his wife shopping with his credit card, knowing she wouldn’t find anything to buy. The past 15 years have seen a dramatic change on that score and while credit cards are still unusual on Symi, there are certainly plenty of opportunities for retail therapy in the summer!

Regards,

Adriana

Uniquely Pretty

2009-07-10T15:00:00.001+03:00

Regular visitors to Symi will be amazed to see the double white line which has appeared in the road along the waterfront and three neatly painted zebra crossings in the stretch outside Symi Visitor Accommodation. Watch this space for a photograph of the first set of traffic lights.

Something else in the Symi amazement stakes is the statistics for our webcams – according to Mike Gadd, our webmaster, the Symi webcams received 13,557 views in June – and 2,929 views in the last seven days. As those views were logged from 72 different countries around the world that is great news for promoting the small island of Symi in the Dodecanese archipelago of Greece. This week Symi Visitor Accommodation has welcomed visitors from Slovenia, Tunisia, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, the United States, Turkey and South Africa as well as Greece, Cyprus and the United Kingdom and we are just one accommodation agency on this island. Introducing Symi to the world benefits the whole island, not just us.

Meanwhile down in Yialos the season is in full swing and the familiar little row of hire boats is bobbing by the clock tower. Visitors are happily boarding water taxis and excursion boats, heading for Symi’s uniquely pretty land-locked beaches. As Symi sizzles in the summer sun everyone is looking for a place to cool off. In the evening glamorous power yachts light up Pedi Bay in all directions including down as through-hull illumination is the latest toy in the mega-yacht arsenal for one-upmanship. Yialos may be sleepy during the day but in the evening the waterfront buzzes with people and music until late into the night.

Have a good weekend, dreaming Symi dreams and planning your summer holidays.

Regards,
Adriana

Idyllic Greek Islands

2009-07-06T14:44:00.001+03:00

It is the season for bright oleanders and bougainvilleas, dazzling whitewashed walls and sparkling blue seas lapping gently beneath clear indigo skies. Isolated puddles of greenery mark new shoots of hardy caper bushes on an otherwise arid Mediterranean landscape and the cicadas chirrup in the olive groves. White sails glide tantalisingly past distant horizons. Small open fishing boats putter across to Nimos in the still of the early morning, carving a chuckling wake on the open sea. Symi in July looks like all the summer postcards of idyllic Greek islands you have ever imagined.

Symi is heading for another heat wave and once again the thermometer is climbing towards 40 degrees centigrade. July is generally regarded as being the hottest and driest month in Southern Greece and there is nothing to indicate that this year’s weather will buck the trend. As the days get hotter the nights get busier and the hum of music and conversation lingers late on the warm summer air.

Here are some photographs I took out at Nimborio yesterday to whet your appetite.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

The Webcam Wave

2009-07-03T14:22:00.001+03:00

A new sign has appeared downstairs at the Symi Visitor Accommodation office.

If you want to do a webcam wave, SMS your friends and family to log onto either www.symivisitor.com/webcam.shtml or www.yassou.com/, stand by the Sunflower sign and ... wave!

As this webcam feed is only updated every 30 seconds and is not recorded you will need to stand there for about a minute to be sure that they see you.

Have fun!

A New Age has Dawned

2009-07-03T14:12:00.001+03:00

A new age has dawned in Greece as the long threatened anti-smoking regulations came into effect on Wednesday 1 July. In principal the smoke-filled nightclubs of 1960s Greek films should be thing of the past and the sultry image of Melina Mercouri, cigarette in hand, is no longer the one to which Greek women should aspire. At the moment here on Symi the new laws have been greeted with the same skepticism as clamp downs on crash helmets and seat belts. It certainly isn’t clear how the new regulations will be enforced and judging by this article, it may be a while before any real impact will be felt in rural Greece and islands such as Symi.

So far it seems to be business as usual down in Yialos and there are no signs to indicate that half the island’s adult population has gone into nicotine withdrawal. Far from it. The sun is shining, the sky is blue. The excursion boats and water taxis are busy and the Proteus, the Symi II and the Nikolaos have just arrived within minutes of each other, creating the usual merry chaos of cars, trucks and people. I took this photograph yesterday afternoon while waiting for the bus – a happy juxtaposition of Cretan clay pots, ropes of garlic and traditional café chairs.

The weather forecast for Symi remains set for sunshine with temperatures in the low to middle thirties. Some parts of Greece and the Balkans are continuing to experience heavy afternoon downpours and thundershowers but Symi remains dry.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Under the Mediterranean Sun

2009-06-29T15:18:00.002+03:00

Symi is steaming gently under the Mediterranean sun as unusually humid conditions prevail. Mist was still hanging low over the water when the Poseidon did the dawn trip to Sesklia for the festival of St Paul at the chapel on the island. Books forgotten out in the garden overnight curl damply and heavy dew drips off the parked cars. The southerly winds responsible for these conditions will be changing to the north again later this week and we will soon be back to cardboard washing stiff on the line. Other parts of Greece have experienced extremely heavy showers and the second day of the annual Rockwave festival in Athens had to be cancelled after heavy rain damaged the stage and equipment.

Symi is becoming steadily busier although most businesses report a quieter than usual June and the island certainly seems emptier than normal for the time of year. Supermarkets are doing better than tavernas and restaurants as cash-strapped travelers cut holiday spending by taking more meals in the accommodation and buying wine to enjoy on the terrace or balcony rather than rounds of drinks in the café bars. Visitors have been spotted shopping for ripe watermelons from the hawkers and buying chops at the butchers – while slaving over a hot stove might not be everyone’s idea of a perfect island holiday, a spot of imaginative self-catering can certainly help to stretch the family holiday budget and these days most good quality holiday accommodation is equipped with a barbecue for al fresco cooking and dining.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

The Figs are Swelling

2009-06-26T14:31:00.001+03:00

After a few days of random clouds and distant thunder the forecast is set fair once again. It is always a surprise just how cool 30 degrees centigrade can feel after days in the forties and everyone has been enjoying the mild evenings and amazing visibility a north wind brings. The stars have been exceptionally clear this week. The rest of Greece has been experiencing quite heavy downpours and thunderstorms and even Kastellorizo which is the southern most island in Greece has had the odd passing cloud.

The figs are swelling on the trees in the Pedi valley and the tomatoes are turning sweet and red. The island is filling up with people as we head into high season and we have noticed a great deal of interest from Norwegians since the following appeared in the Norwegian press. And yes, if you go through the slide show there are some familiar faces lurking behind those Mamma Mia! Costumes!

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Faros exhibition of Children's Art

2009-06-26T13:03:00.001+03:00

Irini Gazi from Faros, has issued the above invitation to all those interested in supporting animal welfare on Symi. It is an exhibition of children's art which will take place on 27 June at 19.00 at the Nautical Museum in Yialos. Wine, soft drinks and snacks will be available. If you are in the area please pop in and support the worthwhile cause of promoting interest in animal welfare among the children of Symi.

Quiet Moments

2009-06-22T15:20:00.002+03:00

The summer solstice has passed and the nights are drawing in – but with temperatures still in the high thirties/low forties winter is not exactly round the corner and the main Greek summer tourist season still lies ahead. Symi is slowly filling up with many more familiar faces and regular visitors in evidence around the island. The landscape looks scorched as the hot dry winds of summer have turned the winter grasses to straw. The only green left is the heat resistant stuff – grape vines, Virginia creepers and caper bushes. All the fine shallow rooted vegetation has burned away and most of the indigenous plants such as the wild thyme, sage and oregano bushes have become brown and dormant. The only clue to their respective identities is the fragrance they still emit in the heat of the day. They will only revive with the first winter rains some time in October. Flamboyant patches of cerise pink bougainvillea light up the courtyards of the houses in Yialos and Chorio. In quiet moments in the Pedi valley there is the constant soft crackle of leaves shriveling and dropping from the almond trees and the delicate cooing of doves.

The media, both Greek and foreign, have given a great deal of coverage to the opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, an historic and controversial event. Aside from the Elgin marbles debate which is certainly getting an airing, it is also an excellent opportunity for visitors and locals alike to be reminded of the glory that was Ancient Greece. A good excuse to fly scheduled via Athens instead of directly to Rhodes. For more details see here.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

No Boundaries

2009-06-19T15:13:00.001+03:00

It is another hot and sunny day on Symi but, yippee! Ilias Haskas, Symi’s cheerful deputy mayor whose day job is plumbing and air conditioning installations, has been in and spoken nicely to the air conditioning unit at Symi Visitor Accommodation so we are functioning at a comfortable 25 degrees centigrade and my spectacles are no longer half way down my nose. While 40 degrees is tolerable in the shade of the olive trees, doing nothing more strenuous than reading a book, it is not very conducive to productivity in an office environment and Symi is one of the warmest places in Greece at the moment. Symi is a lot quieter than it usually is in June, not just because with the global economic situation fewer people are travelling but also because the heat has driven most of those who are here onto the beach, either on Symi or, in the case of the day-trippers, Rhodes. The water taxis and excursion boats are busy and great lumbering trucks laden with crates of water and beer come off the Proteus every time she comes through from Rhodes.

Tonight is the opening of the Diversity in Symi Art exhibition in the gallery at Symi Dream http://www.symidream.com/ on the Kali Strata in Chorio. As the exhibition runs through until 31 October, apart from a brief interval to make space for the annual ODAS exhibition, there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to go and have a look. Symi has a flourishing creative community that knows no boundaries between Greeks and foreigners, which goes to show that life on a Greek island isn’t all sun beds and retsina.

Work has resumed on the marina in Pedi Bay. According to the contractor, the floating crane should be finished in the next 2-3 weeks and the rest of the work will be done from the shore as it largely entails pouring concrete to cap everything. Work has also resumed on the undercover sports stadium/basket ball court behind the Taxiarchis Hotel in Chorio. The Pedi road is closed today as work continues on the desalination plant at the Valanidia reservoir. Oh, and the painters are putting the finishing touches to the upper storey of Kampos supermarket at the bus stop in Chorio so we can probably expect to hear wedding bells in that quarter fairly soon.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

An Uplifting Experience

2009-06-15T15:52:00.001+03:00

The summer fire season has started in Greece as unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity combined with strong winds to create ideal conditions for combustion. On Sunday gale force winds swept across the country, fanning several wildfires in Crete and other parts of Greece. There is one unhappy teenager who has just been charged with starting a brush fire with a firecracker which at one point threatened the Mount Parnitha National Park, an area that has been devastated by fire in the past. Here on Symi the local firefighters are on standby as is usually the case during the summer.

With many of Symi’s regular visitors currently on the island our office has been busy and it is good to see so many friendly faces returning year after year. It is not difficult to guess what they come back for. These photographs were taken from a new listing, Villa Iris, on Mavrovouni yesterday afternoon and show Symi’s amphitheatre harbour in all its architectural glory. With views like this from the accommodation who could fail to find a visit to Symi an uplifting experience?

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

A Perfect Day

2009-06-12T12:56:00.005+03:00

It is a perfect day for a wedding on Symi and Becci Thomson and Jeremy Abrahams are doing just that. After the civil wedding at Symi town hall the whole wedding party has gone out on the Poseidon excursion boat for a private ceremony on board at Toli bay followed by a BBQ lunch and swimming at Agios Emilianos. Champagne and handmade nibbles will be enjoyed at Sofia’s House on their return. Watch out for photographs on Out and About later.

Temperatures continue to rise and it looks as though Symi is set for a long hot summer with plenty of sunshine. Ilias and Damianos, the island’s two main air conditioning engineers, are the most popular men on the island at the moment! At this time of the year the closest thing we see to weather is sheet lightning flashing in the distance over Turkey in the evenings as we swat mosquitoes and eat supper among the tree tops on our roof terrace. With the solstice only a week away Symi enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at this time of the year. Symiots tend to rise early to escape the heat and the working day for manual labour starts at 07.00 if not before. When I walk down the Kali Strata to work at 7.45 in the morning I can already smell lots of dinners cooking – sensible Symiot housewives get all the hot and bothered stuff out of the way before the thermometer climbs over 35 as slaving over a hot stove takes on a very literal meaning on Symi in the summer.

An armada of ships has just arrived in Symi harbour – the Nikolaos, the Symi II and the Proteus have all come in, one after the other, and their washes have set the rigging clanging on the yachts and gulets along the quay. Anchor chains are being paid out as tour guides muster their flocks and the mooring men dart about, grabbing lines for the bollards.

Have a good weekend. I am off to make those handmade wedding nibbles!

Regards,

Adriana

Symi in the Summer

2009-06-08T15:41:00.001+03:00

It is a hot and sunny bank holiday Monday on Symi and the harbour is busy. Bank holiday weekenders mix with day trippers, visitors with locals. Pachos downstairs is packed. A sticky breeze is blowing in off the harbour, ruffling the pink petals of the geraniums on the balcony here at Symi Visitor Accommodation. If it gets much hotter we will soon be shutting the doors and looking for the air conditioner remote but Wendy and I try to put that off for as long as possible. Yesterday peaked at 41 degrees in my corner of the Pedi valley but most places only saw temperatures of around 38 degrees centigrade.

The Symi and the Proteus have both been in this morning. The ANEK boat, Ierapetra, has the big boat contract this month and has just left, allowing space for the Symi II to come in and for the Proteus, which has been hanging about off Nimborio, to take up station at the Roloi once again. The Ibiskos van from Rhodes is parked outside Pachos, unloading chilled cases of tzatziki, taramosalata and feta cheese for the supermarkets in the lane – when it is too hot to even think about cooking a supply of easy Greek food in the refrigerator makes for a good picnic in the courtyard and the combination of car ferries and refrigerated vehicles has greatly improved the range of convenience foods available on Symi in the summer.

In the Pedi valley the apricots are turning from green to gold and the tomatoes are swelling on the vines. Spiders spin their lazy webs among the trees and cats doze in the shadows through the heat of the day, too languid to raise more than an eyelid when a blue tailed lizard darts into view. After sunset the temperature slowly drops and creatures start to stir. The full moon lights up grazing sheep, tinkling bells as they nibble small white flowers from the oregano bushes along the terraces. The neighbour’s donkey snorts restlessly at a mosquito and slurps noisily at his water butt. The cockerels in the valley set up a round of crowing that is taken up by my own flock and a distant dog barks in response. It is summer on Symi and it is hot.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Shining Full Time

2009-06-05T12:21:00.001+03:00

After a few cloudy days the sun is once again shining full time on Symi. Assorted yachts are milling about in the harbour, waiting to berth. It is that quiet time when visitors staying on the island have departed on excursion boats and water taxis and the day boats from Rhodes have not arrived yet. There is a brief flurry of vehicle activity around Yialos as the traffic ban comes into effect at 11 o’clock and the boom isn’t lifted again until 2 p.m. As anyone who has spent any time in Greece is aware, time moves differently here. It alternates between an almost dreamy siga, siga (slowly, slowly) to sudden mad panics with shouts of ella, ella, grigora, grigora (come, come, quickly, quickly). The traffic restrictions around Symi harbour attempt to impose order on Greek time with variable results. Grigora, grigora soon becomes siga, siga again as those who left things too late and are caught on the wrong side of the boom chose to congeal in the shade of Pachos with a cold drink until traffic can circulate freely once more.

The Proteus is back in service and by all reports will be packed as a substantial back log of goods and freight has built up during the two weeks she was out of commission. According to our sources they were still trying to squeeze in another 20 or so vehicles 10 minutes before she was due to leave Rhodes.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Hot and Sleepy

2009-06-01T15:56:00.003+03:00

It is a hot and sleepy day on Symi. In the lane Dino’s wife has draped white tarps over the shop display to keep the afternoon sun off and is sitting in the shade mending shirts. On the front men have been at work on the frame work for the awnings all day, hence the line up of café chairs and marble tables in the Webcam Wave spot (no, we have not started serving ouzo and nibbles from the Sunflower Laundry, no matter what some of you might think!)

I went to Datca on Saturday, making use of the new Symi II service currently on offer from ANES. It is good for those of us who live and work here and only have a few hours off but for first time visitors I would recommend going on the Poseidon or the Triton and making a day of it. When we arrived just after 12.30 those who had gone over on the Poseidon had already finished doing the market and were settling into lunch and cold Efes. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to go shopping and then dump everything on the boat before going for an exotic lunch – the boats are now in an international quarantine zone on the far side of the bay, behind a metal grille, and access is restricted. This also means that bored members of the party (this does happen – I speak from experience having once been to Datca with a teenager in tow) cannot return to the boat to sleep/sulk. However there are plenty of waterfront cafes which I noticed were full of those whose retail therapy had exceeded their physical carrying capacity. Meat, fish and plants are a customs no-no but few tourists are likely to want to buy those things anyway. The fruit and vegetable market is a visual delight and the market is also good for things like sumac and pomegranate molasses which are not readily available elsewhere.

The new addition to Symi’s skyline is striking visible from the sea. While Datca’s windfarm is on the low-lying isthmus and comprises at least 30 windmills, Symi’s solitary turbine is on the highest peak and towers above the antennae on the Vigla and the ancient gaze of Kokkimides.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

First New Windmill in Over a Century

2009-05-25T15:36:00.002+03:00

Symi’s solar powered desalination plant is making conspicuous progress. The Pedi road was closed yesterday while a crane manoeuvred massive components into place. Meanwhile up on the mountain top, the island’s first new windmill in over a century is nearing completion. For photographs of these amazing developments, have a look at symi-photos.com/

The disruptions up on the Vigla due to the windmill construction meant that Terri Baker’s Friday night radio broadcast was off the air (although perfectly accessible on line) and most of the Greek television channels are also down (Turkish soaps are, however, perfectly clear). There have also been some hiccoughs in the mobile phone coverage. Jordan’s podcast on symi-blog-the-symi-podcast is not affected however so you can still keep in touch with Symi that way.

Meanwhile, down in the harbour, it is 32 degrees centigrade and very quiet as anyone with any sense is on the beach. Sales of ice cream, sun hats and sun cream are up and I have just shared a large bottle of water with the petunias on the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony. The gulls are riding the thermals, waiting for day tripper leftovers and the cats are snoozing under the sandwich boards outside the various cafes. The season of the siesta has arrived.

Off to water my vegetable garden and tie up the tomatoes.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Rhapsody in Blue

2009-05-24T12:28:00.001+03:00

Sapphire

2009-05-22T14:08:00.002+03:00

As Adriana is having problems blogging photos at the moment, I've put the photo mentioned in the post below on Flickr. You can click on the photo to see an enlarged version.

Mike

Late Rains

2009-05-22T12:24:00.001+03:00

Grey skies in late May? Yes, we have had late rains, a good 7 mm fell yesterday afternoon, and the showery weather is only expected to clear in the course of Saturday. Bemused snails who thought they had closed down for the summer were wandering around the damp leaves in my garden yesterday, looking for snacks. While the thunder storms and sporadic rain have been bad news for ‘round the island’ trips, the inclement weather has been excellent news for the shops and cafes and the day excursion boats from Rhodes are full of would-be beach goers in search of other amusements.

On Tuesday evening Symi Dream celebrated the re-hanging of their shop sign which was mysteriously vandalized at Koukoumas earlier in the month. Gill Bennett repaired her handiwork and the sign is now swinging happily on sturdy new chains welded onto the balcony above. It was a good turn out as Neil and James have a lot of friends on the island, not to mention supporters among regular visitors to Symi, many of whom were visiting the island at the time. Photographs of this party on the steps can be seen on Symi Dream’s website gallery, and on James’ blog .

The Sapphire, a big Louis Lines cruise ship from Cyprus visited Symi yesterday, with the usual run on the island’s taxi service as passengers were shuttled across the island to visit Panormitis monastery. I took a photograph of it from the corner of the Kali Strata as these cruise ships are quite massive relative to the size of the harbour and surrounding houses. However, as www.blogger.com continues to have problems with the uploading of photographs I am unable to post it at present. Speaking of computer problems, there have been various random glitches in the internet service on Symi this week with many people reporting problems including such mysteries as being able to receive messages but not send them, receiving messages days after they were sent or losing connections at odd intervals. Maybe the boffins are right – perhaps we will be driven back to snail mail, telephones and fax as the internet becomes increasingly bogged down under the load of users and thus ineffective. On that optimistic note, I shall now have a go at posting this.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

That Familiar Symi Smell

2009-05-18T12:53:00.003+03:00

It is another sunny day on Symi. Down in Yialos the berthing attendants are rushing about, directing cruising yachts to their slots and taking lines. Other boats are circling, awaiting attention. There are a number of American registered yachts in the harbour at the moment as well as Australian and New Zealand ensigns to be seen as those who brave the Red Sea and the Suez Canal finally make it into the gateway to the Aegean. Speaking from experience, it is always a relief for yachtsmen to be dodging ferries instead of super tankers and possible pirate ships and to know that there is a safe anchorage at the end of every day’s sailing.

Speaking of sea farers, the day tripper boats are starting to come in and it is time for visitors staying on the island to vacate Yialos and start the day. Regular visitors and newcomers alike are heading off in all directions, some in search of brunches and lunches in Chorio and Pedi, others in search of beaches, churches, botanical specimens, subjects to photograph or paint and quiet places in which to read a book. The oregano is in full flower now and the warm air is soaking up that familiar Symi smell of hot herbs. The wild thyme bushes are slowing turning mauve with tiny blossom and still there is the heavy perfume of honeysuckle and jasmine in the courtyards and gardens of Chorio.

The weather forecast for the next few days shows a slight drop in temperatures to a more comfortable 28 degrees, with the possibility of occasional thunder showers like the sprinkling of muddy drops that spatter across Symi yesterday afternoon.

Have a pleasant week.

Regards,

Adriana

Smugly on Symi

2009-05-15T13:05:00.002+03:00

It is a hot still day on Symi with only the slightest breeze riffling the leaves on the balcony geraniums. The Nikolaos excursion boat is chugging into the harbour, bright sunshine bouncing off her bridge deck and her wash swishing up over the fuel station jetty at Petalo. The lulls in the conversation drifting up from Pachos are punctuated by the rhythmic thwacking sound of a fisherman beating an octopus against the quay.

For those who have asked, I spoke to Captain Yanni from the Poseidon this morning and he says he is 99% certain he will be going to Datca this Saturday, as will the Symi II which, according the printed schedule from the ANES office, will be running a Saturday trip to Datca every week right through to the end of September.

Lots of Symi’s regular visitors are on the island at the moment, many of whom arrived with Olympic Holidays yesterday. Webcam waves are the order of the day as those who are smugly on Symi wave to those who are enviously elsewhere.

There is a small chance of some showery weather early next week as the remnants of the front passing over Italy finally drift across Greece towards Turkey. It is unlikely to amount to much, however, and may just be a passing cloud.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Chamomile Underfoot

2009-05-12T12:27:00.004+03:00

The lush green of the rainy season has faded away. The spring corona daisies have turned to dust and tangles of pink bindweed light up the dry hillsides. Wobbly wild hollyhocks are a magnet for bees now that the poppies are virtually all gone. The oregano bushes have started to flower on the terraces and the sandy verges of Pedi bay are scented with chamomile underfoot. Summer has arrived on Symi and the thermometer is at 30 degrees making Symi one of the warmest places in Greece at the moment. Humidity has dropped to below 40% and washing dries in minutes. Symi’s elaborately carved doors and shutters are all creaking and clicking as they contract in the dry air after a wetter than usual winter. A cool breeze is blowing across the harbour today, bringing some relief from what has been a very hot few days.

Municipal employees are out with pots of white wash, painting benches, barriers and bollards. The concrete kerbs and crash barriers along the motor road through Chorio have been painstakingly painted in white and pale Hellenic blue – a real labour of love. The oleanders are starting to flower in various shades of pink, salmon and crimson, forming ribbons of cheerful colour. Hawkers selling cheap Chinese power tools, Russian generators and gaudy plastic garden furniture are staking out their territory in the Chorio car park.

Down in the harbour charter gulets with fanciful rigs are chugging in from Datca while over in Pedi cruising boats on tight budgets continue to swing to anchor. There seem to be more privately owned cruising yachts than ever around this year and judging by those to whom we have spoken, saving on marina fees by starting the cruising season early has been a major factor.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Clear Skies, Blue Seas

2009-05-08T13:44:00.004+03:00

It is VE Day on Symi and the island is full of men in uniforms, politicians in suits and school children in unfamiliar skirts and flannels. Symi loves a good parade and the whole community has turned out to commemorate what was a significant moment in the island’s turbulent recent history. The soldiers are forming up outside our window at Symi Visitor Accommodation as I write this. See Out and About for photographs.

After the rain earlier in the week Greece’s long range weather forecast seems to be sunshine all the way and here on Symi we are enjoying clear skies, blue seas and moderate temperatures in the mid to high twenties. We can see distant thunderheads building up over the Turkish mountains in the midday heat.

Visiting dignitaries aside, quite a lot of the island’s familiar faces are starting to appear for their annual Symi ‘fix’. May and June are good for those who want to avoid the heat and the crowds and still enjoy all the amenities that the island has to offer. Although the Triton and Agios Nikolaos are still on the hard at Harani the Poseidon is in the water and the excursions will soon be starting. The beach tavernas are busy with preparations for the season and the water taxis will soon start their summer service to the various outlying beaches. I was down in Pedi yesterday and it is slowly making the transition from winter isolation to summer activity. The beach at Tolis is still a line up of boats with owners and labourers scraping and painting as though their lives depend on it. Rumour has it that the crane may be disappearing soon, off to do another job somewhere else while Symi waits for the funds to arrive for the work on the marina to resume. Interestingly the Minister of the Aegean, Mr Pavlides, is currently on Symi and was seen yesterday in Chorio and Yialos in the company of Symi’s mayor, Lefteris Papakaloudoukas. As Mr Pavlides is currently all over the Greek national press in connection with a corruption scandal this may be as much a PR exercise as his usual VE Day appearance.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

A Glorious Weekend

2009-05-04T14:22:00.002+03:00

After a glorious weekend the drizzle crept in this morning and it has been dripping light mud rain all morning. As regular visitors to Symi will know this weather is typical in Greece during April and early May so we have been remarkably lucky thus far this year. This spell of unsettled weather is expected to clear around Thursday when a brisk north wind should blow it all away.

Symi harbour is humming with activity as the Proteus was chartered to bring hundreds of children over from Rhodes today on a school outing and the Symi is also in, berthed over by the clock tower. A lot of overnight visitors also came in on the Symi II last night and weather aside, Symi is becoming more like her usual summer persona with more shops opening every day. The Poseidon was full for the Saturday excursion to Datca.

Well known Greek male model Alexandros Parthenis was persuaded to do the honours for the Annual Symi Visitor Accommodation Iapetos Village Holiday Competition and the lucky winners are Mick Poulter and Nancy Cliff. They will be letting us know in due course when they want to take up their prize of a week’s accommodation at Iapetos Village on Symi.

Friday is VE Day, traditionally celebrated on Symi with a parade and wreath laying ceremonies at the war memorial as this is where the peace treaty was signed for the Dodecanese at the end of the Second World War.

Have a peaceful week.

Regards,

Adriana

May Day on Symi

2009-05-01T13:19:00.004+03:00

Today is May Day in Greece, celebrated with picnics and flowers. It is traditional to go out into the countryside and gather a posy or wreath of spring flowers with which to decorate the front door of each house and business. As I was walking to work this morning I passed many Symiots heading off into the Pedi valley to do just that. This is quite an important bank holiday long weekend in Greece and many of the hotels and tourist resorts are full, particularly down here in the south. Up in the north of Greece rain and thunderstorms are still a daily event and even here on Symi it is quite overcast today with the possibility of some showers.

Temperatures on Symi at the moment are in the mid-twenties at midday, dropping to about 18 degrees at night. The harbour is quite busy. Cloudy days always mean lots of visitors from Rhodes on the day boats so the shops and tavernas along the waterfront in Yialos are busy.

I have just had two surprise visitors in my office, Howard and Ellen Christensen all the way from Southern California. They have been to Greece many times but had never been to Symi before. Their mission? To ask me personally if I could please include more Greek vegetable recipes on my recipe blog, but this time without onions. This could be an interesting challenge. I see a weekend in the kitchen ahead.

Have a good bank holiday weekend.

Regards,

Adriana