Adriana's Symi-the latest news from the island. April 2003

June 2003

The latest news & weather from Symi, reported by Adriana Shum from 'The Symi Visitor' office.

MONDAY, JUNE 23rd 2003

The Bushes and entourage departed in the early hours of Saturday morning to be replaced on Saturday night by a venerable old Cypriot cruise ship, the Atalante. Massively constructed out of riveted steel she loomed over the clock tower while her guests inspected the offerings of waterfront souvenir shops and gawked at the Neo Classical architecture. The Atalante remained on the town quay until midmorning Sunday when the fish farm boat was called into perform tug boat duties. It was refreshing to see a cruise ship with sleek and attractive lines instead of the ungainly multi-storey floating hotels which sometimes make Rhodes harbour look like Faliraki afloat.

The hollyhocks in the town square are starting to fade but the sunflowers more than compensate, beaming down on the passing parade with benign radiance. Up on the mountain slopes the tiny mauve and violet thyme flowers are ahum with bees. The figs are swelling on the trees in the ruins of Chorio, soon to be enjoyed with yoghurt and the local thyme honey…

Have a good week!

Regards,

Adriana

The Symi Visitor
www.symivisitor.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 20th 2003

This morning the harbour was abuzz with speculation, rapidly confirmed, that the huge navy blue yacht moored off Nimborio contained George Bush senior on a surprise visit to the island. Wendy whizzed down to the clock tower just in time to photograph the party coming ashore. As with all visits of this nature security is tight and very little information is being revealed ahead of time. The entourage of bodyguards is certainly impressive, both in terms of quantity and size. Bush himself is distinctively dressed with a bright orange cap to ensure that his whereabouts can be spotted by the security men at all times. The fact that this also provides any would-be marksman with an easy target to line up with has presumably been taken into account – it was certainly difficult to take unobstructed photographs, even with police permission, as the goons kept him more or less surrounded. I’m not sure that I’d want to be wandering around in this heat in a bullet-proof vest…

Meanwhile back among us normal mortals, as the season progresses the island is becoming steadily busier. The meltemi has started to blow, bringing some relief from the heat and sending drifts of desiccated leaves rustling to the ground. There are plenty of bona fide day trippers around apart from the ranks of security men swarming all over the place.

Have a good weekend!

Regards,
Adriana
The Symi Visitor
www.SymiVisitor.com

MONDAY, JUNE 16th 2003

Symi has been sizzling again with the thermometer hitting 40 degrees on Saturday afternoon. It was still over 30 degrees at midnight. It is fractionally cooler today - about 35 degrees - and there is the possibility of a thunderstorm tomorrow.

The water taxis are busy plying their trade and sales in cold beverages are brisk. There is very little movement on the streets apart from the garden furniture hawkers in the town square who are packing out their wares and rigging umbrellas to nap under.

And I am going to have to emerge from my air conditioned office shortly to catch the bus...

Have a good week!

TUESDAY, JUNE 10th 2003

Last night we had quite a violent electrical storm over Symi. This time the lightning came to earth in Yialos rather than Chorio which was quite exciting for people enjoying an evening drink at Pachos. Zap! We also had 5 mm of rain which was about enough to pool in the awnings. It is very hot out today and there are no traces now of last night's shower.

The first yellow sunflowers are opening among the pink hollyhocks opposite the bridge. The Nissos Kalymnos came through last night, bringing the first water melon sellers of the season. One of the trucks in the square is also selling sweet Ogen melons and crisp bunches of beetroot and carrots. The big white umbrellas used to shelter the dignitaries for parades are doing extra duty shading the vegetable stalls.

The traffic restrictions are working well at the moment and a lot of people have dug out their long forgotten bicycles for errands in the harbour. There have been no recent duck sightings so presumably they have paddled back to Nimborio.

Have a good week!

FRIDAY, JUNE 6th 2003

Another sultry summer's day in Yialos. Cats are snoozing in the shade, day trippers are fanning themselves with their hats and as the boom is still down there is not a single moving vehicle to be seen in the harbour area (apart from a woman pushing a pram but that doesn't really count)

Now that the weather is hotting up again people holidaying on the island are spending their days on the beach and only come down into the harbour in the evenings.

Yesterday afternoon the ducks came back, trotting up and down in front of the hollyhocks but when we tried to take a webcam shot they would not oblige, taking up station behind a parked car where someone had put bread down for them. The next time they pass this way we hope to have more luck.

And as Mike has just emailed me to say that he is off on a mission overnight I'd better send this off pronto!

Have a good weekend!

TUESDAY, JUNE 3rd 2003

The sun is out. The sky is blue. And the pink hollyhocks in the town square match the pink shoulders of the day trippers blinking in the bright Symi. Looking out over the balcony this morning we were rather surprised to see a couple of ducks paddling round in the water near the bridge. The local dogs have taken to swimming from the slipway by the customs house to cool off in the afternoons.

The rainy spell is over in this corner of the Aegean. In the late afternoons the thunder clouds rumble over Turkey and distant showers bring the smell of wet earth on the breeze but nothing falls here. The weather is expected to remain settled for the foreseeable future and temperatures are around 28 degrees centigrade at midday. The harbour is getting quieter in the day time as the taxi boats whisk everyone off to the beach and only the day trippers wander from one patch of shade to the next.

Have a good week!