What's New on SymiVisitor.com

Been trying to think of a way of putting more photos on the website recently; have decided to try using Coppermine ; an online gallery to which anyone can post photos from their own computer. When (if!) I get it working, I'll post a message on the 'website update' section of our Noticeboard

The two below are by Iaan Burgon, who sent me hundreds of photos recently, including several that I stitched together to show a view from our house in Chorio.

 
  

Went to see 'Volver', the new film by Pedro Almodovar last night and it was excellent; highly recommended if it is on near you.

Been back at work for two weeks already; tan is fading fast. Off to Paris on a school trip in a couple of weeks, so that's something to look forward to-I think!

Mike x

..a clothes maiden on the roof when it's windy; it'll blow off. (See video below)

And while I'm on the subject, never try to walk down the Kali Strata in flip-flops; you'll slip over.

The photo gallery I put up a few days ago stubbornly refuses to display the way I want it to, which is chronologically. In fact it's back to front: the opposite of chronological, whatever that is (chronoillogical??)

Photo is young Joe on channel ferry.

Back to decorating.

Mikey x

I took this video about five thirty in the afternoon from the roof terrace of our house in Chorio. Click on the arrow in the middle of the image to play.

Just begun to upload some photos I took during our five week holiday in Greece. We flew to Athens, hired a car and drove down to Napflio on the Pelopennese for a couple of nights. We then went over to the western side of the peninsula and stayed in Stoupa for three days. Back up to Athens, flight down to Rhodes and ferry over to Symi for a month!

The photos below are chronological: if you move the mouse pointer over the photos and left click, you will see a description of each image.

The house you can see is the Lemon Tree House, which has been restored from a ruin by Nik Halkitis. We moved in on August 17th.

Took 42 pupils to Lord's for the day yesterday for the second day of the first Test Match against Pakistan. Perfect weather, perfect day: good journey, great cricket and the kids were great. Back home before eleven.

This time next week will be en route to Athens; next Saturday evening we will be staying in the hotel Byron in Nafplio.

Hope everyone is well,
Mike x

Out last night for a Modern Languages departmental do; starting at the Restaurant Bar and Grill in Manchester and moving on to a nearby Turkish restaurant for raki and dancing (raki was a bad idea). Got in at three thirty this morning, slept for nine hours then went for a ten mile run; great hangover cure!

Since I put up the new noticeboard/chat page, I have been posting every change and addition to the website here.

Not a great end to Zidane's career tonight..

Went to see 'United 93' last night, a film about the only 9/11 hijacked plane which failed to reach its target and it was absolutely stunning. As the final credits rolled the whole audience remained seated-like me exhausted by the emotional intensity of the story. If you get a chance, go and see it.

Down to the last 50 candidates to mark now; should be all finished by next Friday, coincidentally the date of the opening games in the World Cup. Have my wall-chart up ready of course: Argentina are my tip to win, but what do I know... Have a go yourself.

Was having a conversation with someone the other day-can't remember if it was in the sauna at the gym or in the pub-but anyway the gist was that I ended up trying to describe Symi to somebody who had never heard of the island. So I went through the whole 'small place near Rhodes and Turkey, beautiful harbour etc etc' routine and then I was asked the question of what I actually do when there on holiday. And it got me to thinking that if you go through all the many photo galleries on this site, what you rarely see are beach photos. And what we generally do when we go to Symi is go to the beach. We do other things as well: go walking, take a round the island boat trip (usually several), go to Datca in Turkey for the day, visit friends, wander round the ruins in Chorio and take pictures, sit in bars and people watch. But a typical day goes something like this: get up late, wander down to the harbour and get some breakfast-slowly. Decide which beach we are going to: Nos if we can't be bothered walking or getting a water-taxi, St Nik's if we fancy getting the bus down to Pedi and then walking over the rocks, or getting a water-taxi there (after a beer by the water), Nanou if we want some good swimming, Agia Marina if we want some luxury. Check the finances; buy some sandwiches in the harbour for a picnic or some bread and cheese or if the Euro situation is looking good, decide to eat at the beach taverna. Get to the beach of choice, get a sunbed, have a swim, read the paper, do crossword. Play 'guess the nationality' of fellow beachees. I usually mix the Italians up with Greeks. Have another swim. By now it is probably about 3 in the afternoon-the Brits have already eaten, too early for the French or Italians so into the taverna we go to order meal, usually timing it perfectly. Leisurely plate of something pleasant accompanied by a bottle of beer or retsina or two. Back to the sunbed-siesta time in the shade. Hour's sleep and another swim. Taxi-boat back about sixish, back up to house and the evening is yet very young. Body clock gradually adapts to going out for an evening meal at ten/eleven and staying out until the early hours very often. Get up late....

Photo above is of Agios Nikolaos beach (St. Nik's) and is from the excellent website Foxy's Island Walks- lots of nice photos of Symi beaches on there.

Mike x

I suppose it must be the fact that summer has eventually arrived that made me think about restyling this page. Hope you like the new bright and airy look; whether it will inspire me to post more regularly here is another matter...

If you are a new visitor to this website, just a few things about me:


My name is Mike Gadd and I live in the UK, not Symi!

I met Nik and Wendy from 'The Symi Visitor' in August 1999, when my wife Jo and myself were island-hopping. I offered to write a website for them and SymiVisitor.com is the result.

I'm 49 and a grandfather; the photo above is of Joe Morgan Gadd.

You can find out more about myself and this site if you click on the 'Old Stuff' link on the right or here.

So here's what new!

We recently reached the one million visitor mark!

I've added several new properties to our accommodation page: Zoe's Apartment in Chorio, Anna's House and Stefnos House in Yialos and the Valanidia at Pedi Bay.

There is now a 'Visitors' Testimonials' page, where we publish emails from happy people who have stayed in one of our properties!

The timetables for the Rhodes-Symi/Symi-Rhodes ferries until October are up.

Pages that are regularly updated include 'Adriana's Latest News', a bi-weekly blog chronicling life on the island. Our webcam also updates whenever the office computers are online (broadband hasn't reached Symi yet, so constant updates are impossible). There is also a lively chat page and a Noticeboard for new visitors to ask questions about the island.

I'm coming to the end of my yearly stint marking German speaking tests; the money I'll make is already spent on next year's Liverpool season ticket and the air-fare for our five week holiday to Greece this summer. We are flying to Athens, hiring a car and driving down to Nafplio for three nights then on to Stoupa for a couple of days. Then back to Athens for a flight down to Rhodes, a night in the Plaza then a morning boat to Symi. Seven weeks and counting!

We're back in our refurbished classrooms at work after the New Year's Day fire; just need to sort all the stock and furniture out and re-install interactive whiteboards, internet access etc.

Looking forward to the World Cup next week obviously; went a bit mad and ordered a flatscreen TV-didn't realise how big it was until it arrived! At least Peter Crouch will fit on now.

That's me at the FA Cup final below.

Best wishes to everyone,

Mike x

PS Off to see 'United 93' later, will post review tomorrow.