Adriana's Symi

Fruit and Flowers

2010-03-08T12:22:00.001+02:00

Sunday was calm and cloudy and conditions were perfect for the Dodecanese Day Parade. It was very much the calm before the storm as the weather deteriorated in the late afternoon and by early this morning Symi was being lashed by a full blown Force 10 south-easterly wind which is showing no signs of abating. Rhodes airport is closed due to gusts of 82 kilometres per hour and all passenger vessels have been stopped in the Aegean. At the moment many are sheltering at anchor in the lee of Rhodes and other islands, unable to dock with safety.

We took advantage of the still conditions on Sunday morning to make sure our boat was well secured against the forthcoming blow. Sitting out in the middle of Pedi bay in the dinghy I realized to what extent that view would have been THE view of Symi in the days before the neoclassical buildings of the late nineteen century were built in Yialos. The castro, or the remnants thereof, perched on top of its acropolis and the houses huddled round for safety. The fertile fields and orchards of the Pedi valley rolling down to the sea. The Symiots with their pirate steps leading to look out points on the rooftops of Chorio would have had plenty of warning of the arrival of trouble.

Wild weather aside, when it is good it is very very good on Symi at this time of the year. Bees droning in the lavender, citrus trees laden with fruit and flowers - and drifts of dainty pink cyclamens continue to perfume the air in every patch of shade.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Yellow Freesias

2010-03-05T12:56:00.001+02:00

Spring is struggling to put in an appearance on Symi this week as strong winds alternate with grey calms and the temperatures are still fighting to rise above 20 degrees. Muddy patters of rain turn cars from white to dusty pink and the horizon has disappeared in the humid haze that southerly winds always bring to this part of Greece in March and April. Regular Symi Visitor Accommodation webcam viewers will have noticed the rise and fall of the sea level in Symi harbour as cars splash through the floods outside Pachos whenever the barometer drops.

As the new tourist season approaches the ferry service is improving and the Proteus comes back into service today in addition to the Symi II. Dodecanese Seaways has slotted in another trip to Symi midweek so it is now possible for visitors to Rhodes to come over to Symi for the day on a Wednesday in March. The ferry schedules for April, however, still have not been announced and at present the ANES schedule only covers the Easter long weekend.

Down in Pedi work has ceased on the marina, due to the inevitable cash flow problems caused by the economic crisis. Fortunately the work men tidied up before they left so that side of Pedi is actually in better shape than this time last year and the concrete road along the front towards Agia Marina is no longer awkward to navigate. Today’s photograph shows Alla and George Hadzipetros’ delightful cottage garden just beyond the Pedi Katoi and Pedi Anoi. The massed yellow freesias smell wonderful.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Fallen Almond Blossom

2010-03-01T12:45:00.001+02:00

It is a calm grey day on Symi with high cloud and a hazy horizon. The water level in the harbour has finally dropped after a second weekend of floods caused by abnormal spring tides combined with barometric lows. Vehicles from the island of Symi are readily identifiable by the mechanics and car washes on Rhodes as they are famously rusty underneath from driving through salt water in Yialos, Pedi and Panormitis in the winter. The Lunar Park packed up and departed on the big boat on Saturday afternoon so the town square in Yialos is once again providing parking above the high tide level. Shop and property owners are getting fed up by the constant flooding this winter as ground floor sea level properties are very damp with salt water seeping up through the flagstones and foundations – a reminder of why the quayside in Yialos has been repeatedly widened and raised over the years, not to mention the building of the bridge at the head of the harbour and the exaggeratedly raised pavements around the waterfront.

We may be approaching the spring equinox but the long range forecast for this week is very unsettled with midday temperatures still hovering at 19 degrees centigrade and some strong winds on the agenda. Nights are mild with temperatures around 10 degrees centigrade and on windless evenings it is perfectly possible to sit outside. On a clear night the stars are astonishingly bright and at the moment we are enjoying a glorious full moon. Moonlight shining on the fallen almond blossom is the closest we are likely to get to snow on Symi this year.

The ANES ferry schedules up to 5 April are now available on line so Easter visitors to Symi can make some plans. The schedules for Dodecanese Seaways still only cover March with a service to Symi on Sundays only. Please remember that all ferry schedules are subject to the weather as safety is put ahead of customer convenience and it is not always possible for boats to dock in Rhodes in a strong easterly swell.

Regards,

Adriana

Symi Spring Holiday

2010-02-26T12:19:00.001+02:00

After a week of squally weather and thundershowers Symi is enjoying a brief sunny interlude before the next front arrives on Saturday. With mild temperatures and lengthening days the island’s vegetation is growing at an amazing rate. Anyone venturing out for a walk between showers cannot fail to return with bunches of delicately scented pale pink cyclamens. Indigo blue lupins and scarlet poppies are unfurling in the sunny spots and ribbons of small white daisies and flowering garlic edge the verges. Silvery pink asphodels poke up through the rocky slopes and everywhere there is the sound of munching as the sheep do what sheep do best. For those of you coping with winter snow and floods, you can take a 5 minute Symi spring holiday by clicking here and joining Symidream for a walk in the Pedi valley. Yes, it really is like that – when it isn’t raining.

Down in Yialos the annual preparations for the season have begun. With Easter so early this year everyone is off to an early start despite the weather. There is much wrestling with swollen doors and shutters as businesses that have been closed since October are assessed by the owners and job lists drawn up. Carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers and metal workers are psyching themselves up for the frenzy that is March. February is a hard month in the islands and there are many who will be glad to be back at work after a month or so of drinking coffee in Pachos and watching the rain come down.

The Symi II is making a trip to Datca tomorrow. It was supposed to make this trip last Saturday but gale force winds prevented the Symi II from ever leaving Rhodes. The usual Datca excursion boats, the Triton and the Poseidon, are both still on the hard in Harani, being repainted and prepared for inspection for licenses for the forthcoming season, as are the water taxis. Apart from a few fishing boats and the occasional ferry or naval patrol Yialos is empty at this time of the year and it will be some weeks yet before cruising boats pulling out of Turkish marinas after the winter start to call into Symi before heading off into the Aegean and Mediterranean

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Innocently Fattening

2010-02-22T12:25:00.001+02:00

It is a cool clear day on Symi, a peaceful interlude after a stormy weekend. Once again the barometer dropped so low that the harbour was flooded in places on Saturday and there were heavy showers and strong winds overnight. The captain and crew of the Piraeus-Rhodes vessel, the Ierapetra, had to do some complicated manoeuvres to dock in Symi harbour on Saturday afternoon. With a strong on-shore wind blowing it was uncertain whether they would manage to get the ramp down safely and all the vehicles aboard without being blown across the harbour. At one point there was a huge amount of tension on the warps as the boat was winched into position and the ramp had to be raised again to prevent it demolishing the navigation light at the end of the quay. Yes, that is a bit of the Nireus Hotel, well wrapped up in plastic drop cloths, just visible on the right hand side. It is amazing how different Symi looks in the winter… Not an umbrella or sun-lounger to be seen.

The gaudy revolving dinosaurs have moved from the waterfront and are now part of a Luna Park which is currently set up in Symi town square. Carnival might be over in the rest of Greece but on Symi the party lingers on.

The weather forecast for Greece remains unsettled for the rest of the week with more wind than rain on the horizon for Symi as we move towards the spring equinox. The days are getting longer and warmer with temperatures around 20 degrees at midday, dropping to around 10 degrees at night. The Easter lambs are fattening innocently on a diet of lush spring grasses and the local ladies are stocking up on ingredients for the traditional Easter baking – little cheese pies, koulouria and other seasonal delicacies. The countdown to Pascha 2010 has begun.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Sheep and Laundry

2010-02-19T12:32:00.001+02:00

It is a still spring day on Symi. The almond trees are humming with contented bees and sheep are munching on every patch of greenery. There was heavy dew last night and walking to work this morning down the mossy Kali Strata I had to tread carefully on the slick stones. Humidity is currently at about 90%, a marked contrast to the dry dust storm conditions of last week. Unfortunately this brief spell of settled weather is set to break on Sunday as the front currently raining over Italy heads our way and we can once again look forward to strong winds, thunderstorms and rain sweeping across Greece. The housewives of Symi are hard at work, washing and airing what they can before the next onslaught. As you can see from the photos, sheep and laundry do mix on Symi!

The new ANES timetable for next week is finally available on line. It only shows a limited service with the Symi II, which has just had its annual maintenance, as the Proteus is due for her own inspection. As this means that for the rest of February there won’t be boats every day do check carefully if planning to travel. The Proteus only comes back into service on 5 March. The Dodecanese Seaways catamaran still only stops at Symi on Sundays. There is a big Pireaus boat twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday, but as this can be delayed or cancelled if the weather is bad in the Aegean this is not to be relied upon if timing is tight.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

The Sunny Side of Pedi Bay

2010-02-17T11:56:00.002+02:00

It is a blustery winter’s day on Symi. As the wind is from the south temperatures are fairly mild but the sky is grey and the sea lumpy. The few boats left in the harbour are tugging restlessly at their lines and gulls are wheeling over head. This is all a marked contrast to Clean Monday where the sky cleared as if by appointment at midday, just as everyone was starting their picnics, and the howling gales of the weekend were replaced by a steady westerly breeze. At the Pedi Katoi on the sunny side of Pedi Bay where we held our celebrations the water was actually warm enough in the shallows for some brave souls to take a dip. The long range forecast remains unsettled but with rather less rain than we had in January.

Lent proper has now begun and the handful of tavernas still open at this time of the year are offering traditional fasting foods such as mussels, calamari and octopus. The island’s butchers have cut back on their meat stocks and topped up their freezers with fish and shellfish. In traditional communities such as this one seasonal eating habits still prevail and every shop and household has a calendar of the saints and name days, identifying the various fast days and dietary prohibitions throughout the year.

Here are some scenic shots taken in Pedi on Monday afternoon. For more holiday photos, see Out and About.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Carnival in Greece

2010-02-12T13:00:00.001+02:00

It is Carnival in Greece and a long weekend as Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece. Despite gale force winds and a shipping ban a brightly coloured children’s merry-go-round has appeared on the waterfront, a jolly sight in the economic gloom. We just hope that it is only passing through for the holiday as Symi in the long term isn’t really plastic dinosaur country. The shops and kiosks are selling kites and pickles for Monday’s kite-flying picnics and masks, streamers and fancy dress costumes for Sunday’s revelleries.

The long range weather forecast remains unsettled with the possibility of showers over the weekend and some very strong winds, mostly from the south so temperatures remain mild for the time of the year, around 17 degrees centigrade at midday, dropping to around 10 degrees at night. Other parts of Greece are not faring so well though as they are experiencing strong northerly winds and snow.

The ferry schedules are still in disarray after the storms of Wednesday and Thursday and at the last minute today’s Symi-Rhodes-Kastellorizo-Rhodes-Symi run was replaced by Symi-Rhodes-Tilos-Nissyros-Kos with the result that a lot of people who thought they had a 10 hour shopping trip to Rhodes had to either get everything done in 2 hours or stay overnight and catch the big Pireaus ferry back which leaves Rhodes at 17.30 on Saturday afternoon. Although Monday is a public holiday at present ANES is showing a Rhodes-Tilos-Nissyros-Kos route. As usual, we advise anyone intending to travel at this time of the year to double check all arrangements – and always have a Plan B just in case the unexpected turns Plan A on its head.

As this office will be closed for the holiday, I will post my next blog on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

Local Ingenuity at Work

2010-02-08T11:58:00.001+02:00

Saturday was a glorious winter’s day, clear, calm and sparkling. Which is just as well because the rain clouds crept in again on Saturday night and it has been raining more or less continuously ever since. February is usually the worst month of the winter when it comes to wind, rain and shipping disruptions and so far this February is true to form. According to the long range weather forecast, there will be a brief pause in the rain on Wednesday to allow a South Easterly gale centre stage but once that blows itself out there will be yet more rain. As this is Carnival Week all this wet stuff is not much good. Shopkeepers have given up putting their wares on display outside but there are still fancy dress costumes, masks and other novelties to be had if one ventures inside. The problem is that Carnival on Symi is very much a children’s event with lots of fancy dress parties and the opportunity for the little ones to show off their costumes and getting children through the torrents and downpours without damage is a challenge facing many parents at the moment. We hope that it will be clear and dry for the main Carnival event on Sunday. Gales aside, wind is a definite requirement for Clean Monday, a week today, when tradition dictates kite-flying and picnics in the countryside.

Symi’s steep and rocky terrain is well known to visitors but have you ever wondered about how they get building materials to some of the less accessible sites? The ones where not even a donkey would be able to do the trick? Here are some photos taken during a sunny spell last week showing local ingenuity at work.

No, those are not hard hats, they are woolly ski hats...
Have a warm week.

Regards,

Adriana

On a Clear Day

2010-02-05T12:00:00.001+02:00

It is another chill winter’s day on Symi. Temperatures have been in single figures for days and the deceptive glow of cheap Chinese halogen heaters creates an illusion of warmth in the shops and salons of Symi. The strong northerly winds have blown away all the clouds, leaving the air as bright and clean as any soap powder commercial. From the top of the Vigla the distant snow caps of Turkey form a white rim on the eastern horizon and it is possible to see as far north as Kos. Summer time visitors may be surprised not just to see how complex the coast line opposite Symi actually is with all its inlets and islands but also how very different Symi’s interior looks after several months of rain.

The clear conditions are expected to last until Saturday afternoon when the next low pressure system reaches our part of Greece and Symi is once again enveloped in rain and thunderstorms. In the meantime we shall do our best to enjoy them!

For some photos of the Smokey Thursday festivities in the Chorio Square, remember to have a look at Out and About.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Farewell to a Regular Symi Visitor

2010-02-02T14:04:00.001+02:00

Symiots and visitors alike cannot help but recognise the distinctive lines of Cockatoo, a restored British Admiralty pinnace, which has been calling in at Symi several times a year for the last 20 years or so. We are sorry to report the passing of her captain, Roy Edwards, in Turkey on 19 January 2010. In recent years Roy had been in poor health and spent most of his time on board and it was his wife, Sarah, who was the face of Cockatoo ashore in Yialos and Pedi, a familiar face as she walked the dogs and frequented local shops. Our sincere condolences to Sarah and we hope to see Cockatoo once again adding character to Symi harbour during the sailing season.

Always Pack an Overnight Bag

2010-02-01T11:05:00.001+02:00

We have had every kind of weather short of snow on Symi in recent days. On Saturday afternoon we went up to the dump where they are making great progress with Symi’s first proper landfill. As we were leaving the day changed from tepid winter sunshine to gloom as low dark clouds rolled in rapidly from the north. As you can see from the accompanying photographs taken from the Panormitis road as it snakes round and down the Vigla, the effect was quite dramatic. Yialos was still in the sun at that point but by the time we reached the harbour the rain was pelting down and continued for some hours. The road to Panormitis is in surprisingly good condition this winter as there have been very few rock falls and not much erosion. The pond below Agios Konstantinos is full to the brim and springs are also seeping from between the rocks at many places along the road.

Unsettled weather is forecast for the rest of this week with temperatures ranging from 5 to 15 degrees centigrade and some showery days. There may be some shipping disruptions due to windy conditions so do check the forecast before travelling. It is that time of the year when those leaving Symi to go shopping in Rhodes always pack an overnight bag in case the boat can’t get back.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

A beautiful view of Adriana's recent blog posts!

2010-01-28T17:58:00.002+02:00

Click on the image below to view.

The Annual Ice on the Puddles Photographs

2010-01-28T09:23:00.000+02:00

These were taken on the dirt road to Drakos

on the morning of Tuesday 26 January 2010

after a strong overnight northerly wind.

See... it does get cold on Symi in the winter :-)

As Far South as Symi

2010-01-25T12:04:00.001+02:00

It is a cold clear day on Symi with white horses romping across the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean winter sea. The whole of Greece is in the grips of a cold spell at the moment with snow in the north and temperatures hovering perilously close to freezing even as far south as Symi. As Symiot architecture is designed for the summer sun the houses can be very chilly at this time of the year. Few have central heating and running air conditioning on ‘warm’ is a fast way to run up huge electricity bills. Instead we wrap up in countless layers of winter clothing and seek out the sunny patches out of the wind, like so many cats. Speaking of which, one can spot which cars in the town square are the most recently parked – look out for cats sitting on the bonnets soaking up engine warmth!

We can’t really complain – Symi has had an exceptionally mild winter thus far and although it is cold at the moment, we still haven’t had ice on the puddles. The long range forecast shows a slight increase in temperatures later in the week as the wind swings to the south, bringing, as it inevitably does, more rain. Friday’s gales blew down the brick pediments of the new sports stadium before the mortar had a chance to set and there was no sign of anyone working there over the weekend or this morning – just heaps of smashed bricks. There are limits to how much can be done in these conditions and evidently brickwork in a howling gale isn’t one of them.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Hail Stones

2010-01-22T12:01:00.001+02:00

It is a wild and stormy winter’s day on Symi and the Proteus car ferry is tied up alongside the clock tower in Symi harbour, waiting for the wind to abate and the shipping ban to be lifted. Although it is mid morning it is so dark that the street lights have come on along the road connecting the harbour with Chorio. There is very little human activity to be seen apart from disgruntled figures huddled under awnings waiting for either the storm to abate or the shipping ban to be lifted or both. Thunder is growling round the Vigla and water is flowing through the lanes of Yialos and squirting from every downpipe. Most of the island’s cisterns filled up weeks ago.

The whole of Greece is experiencing harsh winter weather at the moment. With force 9 gales in the Aegean and heavy snow and ice on the roads of the mainland most of Greece is battened down to ride out the storm. Although the rain is expected to ease overnight as it pushes eastwards into Turkey, gale force winds are expected to continue over Greece well into next week and we can expect further shipping disruptions. January has been exceptionally wet on Symi this year and the so called Halcyon Days, a period of settled weather in the first half of January, failed to materialize this year. Instead there have been more wet days than dry ones and the locals are feeling the pinch.

Yesterday, Thursday, was the only clear day this week and that was so cold that the hail stones from the storm the night before were still in evidence in the verges at midday. A team of workmen took the opportunity to brick up the pediments on the new sports stadium. Once the roof is completed there will be plenty of undercover work to be done and then the rain and wind won’t matter so much.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Moss on the Rooftops

2010-01-18T12:35:00.001+02:00

It is a damp and chilly Monday morning on Symi and the island’s cafeneions are noisy as Symi’s work force discusses yet another day written off to the rain. Voices and the combined aromas of coffee and tobacco rise from Pachos below and the huddle of motorbikes on the pavement grows larger. The whole of Greece is firmly under a cloud bank at the moment with thunderstorms, snow and rainy conditions countrywide. Up in the north temperatures range from 0-8 degrees centigrade but down here in the southern Dodecanese a cosy 9-16 degrees centigrade prevails. We can expect a brief cold spell mid week and then more of the wet stuff as we move into the next weekend. Fortunately at this stage no strong winds are forecast so shipping should continue as scheduled.

With moss on the rooftops and grass growing on the Kali Strata Symi is acquiring a greenish hue that would be quite surprising to summer visitors. Clumps of cyclamens are flowering in the cliff behind the bus stop in Yialos and even the rocky slopes above Pedi Bay are green as the thyme bushes are covered in tiny leaves. Mist blankets the mountain tops and the radio masts and wind turbine on the top of the Vigla are hidden by low cloud.

It is definitely time for indoor pursuits and those who are not seeking the convivial atmosphere of the cafeneions are tucked up in their houses or visiting friends. It is the time of year for reading books and watching DVDs, for making marmalade and catching up with correspondence. While winter on Symi may be too quiet for many, for those who are able to amuse themselves it is an enjoyable time indeed. This Wednesday at 10 a.m there will be another ‘learn to love your laptop’ session at the Olive Tree. If you are a laptop novice on Symi and want to learn more about how to Skype and use various other applications, this could be just the thing.

Have a warm dry week.

Regards,

Adriana

Patience and Good Humour

2010-01-15T12:20:00.002+02:00

Symi is drying off after several days of heavy downpours and thunderstorms. More rain is forecast from tonight so a wet weekend is on the cards. Temperatures are around 13 degrees centigrade but it feels colder as everything is damp. Visibility between showers is clear and the sea is calm. There are not many boats in the water at this time of the year but those that are are taking advantage of good fishing conditions between pumping rainwater out of the bilges. The wet conditions are also good for the gathering of snails and chorta (wild greens) and many meals at this time of the year have their origins in traditional self-sufficiency rather than anything that the supermarket might offer. A few days ago I heard voices in the water course that flows through my farm and on investigation found a local father with his little girls, showing them which greens are good to eat and which are best left to the goats.

Pedi is very quiet indeed. Just the occasional chicken scratching for insects and damp cats snoozing among the boats at Apostolis. The fuel station opposite the power station has closed down so there is less traffic down the Pedi road than is usual for this time of the year. The Nimborio road is a chain of puddles and mud and most of the houses are shuttered against the winter weather. At some point someone put one of the old scarlet benches from the top deck of the old Symi I on the first little beach at Nimborio. This is now so buried under the sand bank that the winter storms have formed that only the top rail is visible. Speaking of sand, the sand has all washed away at NOS Paradise beach – Dimitri will have a lot of work to do in the spring.

The Symi II is now out of commission for maintenance so the ferry service is limited to the Proteus and the once a week visit from the Spanos on Sundays. A big boat from Pireaus is scheduled to call twice a week but as this is affected by weather conditions in the central Aegean which can be quite wild at this time of the year it is not very reliable. If you are planning to travel to Symi in the coming weeks please make sure not only that your travel insurance covers all contingencies but also that you remember to pack both patience and good humour in your hand luggage as you may well need both!

Have a warm dry weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Raising the Roof on Symi

2010-01-15T11:50:00.001+02:00

The new covered sports facility in Chorio is making great progress.

Rainy weather did not prevent the roof from going up as you can see from these photographs.

This is quite an engineering feat for a small place like Symi.

Settling Back into Symi Life

2010-01-12T10:42:00.001+02:00

It is a grey drizzly day on Symi with occasional patches of bright sunshine catching the fishing boats tied up in the harbour. So far Symi has had an exceptionally mild winter and I was amazed on my return from South Africa on Friday to find that the aubergines, chillis and peppers in my vegetable garden, usually long gone by now, are still covered in leaves, flowers and ripening fruit. The almond trees are also behind schedule, wearing last year’s leaves instead of bedecked with this year’s blossom so there is unlikely to be a nut crop this year. The citrus trees, on the other hand, are absolutely bowed down with lemons and oranges and the snails are tucking into the salad greens with gusto.

While I am settling back into Symi life, Wendy is still snow-bound in Suffolk. She recently had one of those ‘what a small world’ experiences while shopping for a new dining table at Mark Elliot (for our non-British readers, he is a master craftsman and maker of bespoke wooden furniture). Having chosen the table of her heart’s desire, she asked to have it shipped to a small Greek island of which she was sure no one had heard – only to discover from Mr Elliot’s rapturous response that he knows Symi well and has been holidaying here happily for years. As a sailor he likes to keep an eye on sea and weather conditions in our part of the world and is a regular visitor to the Symi Visitor Accommodation webcam.

Speaking of webcams, with the demise of Olympic Airways long haul flights, I had to fly with Emirates via Dubai and they have webcams mounted on their planes so that passengers can see what is going on beneath and ahead of the plane. While at 30 000 feet this is, of course, mainly clouds, but during clear spells and take off and landing it is quite fun to see the landscape rolling along below. Flying long haul is so high tech these days, Emirates even offer facilities for making mobile phone calls and sending emails and SMSs from seats in standard economy class. No, they are not selling off bargain bits of Palm Island at Dubai airport but the Emirates terminal ranks high in the world of duty free shopping emporiums. As a hub for long haul visitors to Greece it is a more comfortable option than Cairo or Addis Ababa.

Meanwhile, back on Symi there is that brief lull between the Christmas and Easter festivities. With Easter falling early, on 4 April, Lent starts in mid February this year so Carnival is only a few weeks away and the island’s mothers are already planning fancy dress costumes and hunting for tulle and sequins.

Many thanks to all of you who emailed and sent messages to me when I left for South Africa in December. Despite six weeks in hospital, four of them in Intensive Care, my father has pulled through and is preparing to fight the next round in his battle against cancer. Thanks also to the staff and doctors at St Augustine’s Hospital, Durban, without whose dedicated efforts Musa Nkuna and many other South African singers would now be looking for a new coach.

Have a good week and for those of you who are up to your ears in snow, keep warm and remember that the days are getting longer again so spring can't be far away.

Regards,

Adriana

Symi in the Winter

2009-12-11T10:54:00.001+02:00

It is a wet and gloomy day on Symi. Yesterday’s downpours have turned the water in Yialos and Pedi brown and puddles reflect the low clouds rolling across Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Vigla and surrounding peaks are wrapped in mist and brief rainbows arc over Chorio and Nimos. The weather is expected to remain unsettled with some very strong winds and thunder activity for the next few days. As you can see from looking at the various webcams around Greece on http://www.yassou.com/, the only part of Greece currently enjoying sunshine is Zakinthos! That is quite an impressive Christmas tree they have put up in St Markos Square, Zante Town. Definitely no tourists on the beach at Alykes though. It is quite fun panning around the various webcams in different parts of Greece on a rainy day, watching the locals bustling around the squares and the ferries come and go.

Here on Symi the Christmas decorations look a bit droopy in the wet, particularly the big Santa on the terrace of the house next to the Windmill Restaurant in Chorio. He is kept inflated by an air compressor which was definitely not running this morning - the crumpled remains of a larger than life pink and red Santa were draped forlornly over the railing amongst some very wet washing. I am sure he will revive though when the sun comes out.

This will be my last Symi blog for a while as my father is very ill and I have to return to South Africa urgently. However I hope to be back on line with news from Symi in mid January. In the meantime you will be able to keep up to date on daily life on Symi in the winter with http://symidream.com/wp/ You can also now follow Symi on Twitter.

Have an enjoyable festive season and a prosperous New Year.

Regards,

Adriana

Flowering in Confusion

2009-12-07T12:35:00.001+02:00

It is a bright clear day on Symi. Saturday’s downpours have washed the island clean and the fishing boats are sparkling in the sun. The benches along the harbour front are full of locals warming themselves in the sunshine as the northerly breeze is quite chilly. Tuesday should remain dry and the next round of rainy weather will move in from Wednesday evening, once it has finished depositing snow on the Alps. On the whole, however, the temperatures have remained remarkably mild for the time of the year and the almond and oak trees are still covered in leaves. Some of the almonds are already flowering in confusion.

Up in Chorio the winter stock has finally arrived and Sotiris’ supermarket has an impressively cosmopolitan display of imported chocolates, German stollen and Italian panetone as well as the usual Greek honey and walnut cakes, dried fruit and nuts. Not a mincepie in sight, however, and Christmas shopping on Symi does not involve piped carols either – most shopkeepers have a television set somewhere in line of sight of the till so that they can keep an eye on the news and football matches in idle moments. For heated shops, window displays, tinsel and Bing Crosby one has to head further afield, to the bright lights of Rhodes, just under two hours away on the ferry.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Farewell to a Brave Symi Visitor

2009-12-07T10:58:00.001+02:00

We are sorry to report the recent passing of Enfys Hankey, after a long and courageous battle against cancer. Enfys and her husband, well known photographer Barry Hankey, visited Symi as part of their twice yearly Dodecanese island-hopping holiday since 2000 and so will be familiar to many regular visitors and residents. An enthusiastic walker, Enfys did not allow her health to control her life and on her last visit to Symi in May 2009 was still to be seen striding out into the Symiot countryside, living life to the full until the very last.

The accompanying photograph was taken on Symi in May this year, in the oregano fields en route from Nimborio to Agios Nikolaos Stenou. Our thoughts are with her family at this time and we hope to see Barry on Symi again in the spring.

A Brief Day Off

2009-12-04T12:05:00.002+02:00

After two days of stormy weather, hail, rain and wild winds, Symi is having a brief day off before the low pressure system that is currently spiraling across Italy, the Ionian and mainland Greece hits Symi in the course of tomorrow. While the fishermen are busy bailing out their boats and checking lines, everyone else is mopping, scrubbing and drying – when it rains on Symi water finds its way into unexpected places. The traditional Symi roof design with gutters set into the tops of the walls and channeled into a pipe set into the house wall to fill the cistern under the house often leaks in heavy downpours, particularly if hail stones prevent the water from flowing, as was the case in Thursday’s storm. Wednesday afternoon’s storm surge took breaking waves right up the customs slipway in the harbour but the raised pavements that were built along the front of Pachos and the other shops at the head of the harbour in recent years minimised the seawater flooding that used to be a problem for waterfront properties in Yialos during winter storms.

Today’s photos are for regular Symi visitors who may be surprised to see, firstly, a Christmas Tree, complete with baubles, tied to a fence post and Old Drakos signpost opposite Kampos supermarket in Chorio and secondly, who may not believe that the terraces in the Pedi Valley are ever any colour other than brown. With less agricultural activity on the island indigenous trees are taking over in the valley, creating a shady green garden out of what used to be vine-filled terraces and orchards. Just in case you are wondering, those plastic bags in the background are builders' rubble, awaiting collection by truck after being dropped off there by a mule train.

Many thanks to those of you who emailed us to point out that the webcam at Symi Visitor Accommodation was off the air – the power surge that caused the problem has been fixed and you can continue to enjoy a Symi winter from wherever you are in the world - until the next power outage of course.

Have a warm dry weekend.
Regards,

Adriana

Symi Christmas Decorations

2009-11-30T11:59:00.001+02:00

After a showery Saturday and sunny Sunday, it is a cool calm Monday on the island of Symi with only a light breeze riffling the water of the harbour. High wind-blown streaks of cloud hint at the strong winds to come later this week as Greece prepares for another bout of wintery weather. The Ionian is already being buffeted by the same low pressure system that has brought winter to the Alps, Italy, Croatia and Albania. Gales, heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the whole of Greece from Tuesday night onwards until well into the weekend. There will be a slight drop in temperatures in southern Greece so Symi will remain fairly mild but areas to the north are preparing for the cold.

Here on Symi the municipality is taking advantage of this last dry spell to work on the official Symi Christmas decorations and small artificial trees are being set up along the promenade in front of Pachos in Yialos. The photographs show a group of trees waiting to be placed and workmen busy attaching one to the pavement. For an idea of what these look like at night when the lights are on, please log onto our webcam. Symi’s pretty neo-classical architecture turns into Toyland over Christmas as the island’s seasonal decorations are as small in scale as the houses themselves. As most houses are only one or two narrow storeys and have very limited internal space and few if any gardens, householders like to decorate the balconies, terraces, external stairways and pediments of the houses themselves rather than try to squeeze trees etcetera into the salon. All over Yialos, Chorio and Pedi dainty doves, boats, angels and other traditional motifs shine among the shuttered houses. Some people even go to the extent of outlining the architectural details of the house in flashing light tubes, not always with the results intended!

Have a good week. I am off to clear my gutters before the rain starts.

Regards,

Adriana