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Why
Come to Symi?
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We often get asked the question 'What is there to do on Symi; can you
tell us what the main attractions are?' Or words to that effect. Just
recently a message turned up on our Noticeboard which seemed to sum up
the first-time Symi experience very well and is quoted here with permission.
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"I have not been going to Symi for donkey's years (excuse the
reference to donkeys!~). The last time I was anywhere in the
Mediterranean, before Symi Island in 2001, was in 1963 when we
holidayed, from London, in Tossa del Mar on the southern coast of Spain.
Even then, I remember that Spain was becoming the package holiday
destination of Brits and other Europeans. It was a pleasant holiday, but
a very "touristy", arranged and - even then - shallow
experience.
I was really quite at a loss as to what to expect in Symi in 2001. It
was quite a significant investment in time and money coming from central
Canada. After all that money invested, I wasn't really sure as to what
to expect.
I had been surfing the web early in the 2001 year, and looked at several
"Greek Island" holiday sites. Some of the islands showed
fantastic hotels, almost Disneyesque in style, with massive esplanades
surrounding olympic-sized swimming pools, and really fancy hotel
restaurants and bars. There were many 1- and 2-week packages, but none
of them reflected what I seemed to be looking for.
And then I hit the symivisitor website! What a difference - local news,
news about the local Symiots, recipes, art classes, a music festival,
and an actual message board. But it was really the photos of Symi that
made my mind up. It looked unspoiled in many ways -real, not dressed-up
... it looked quaint, and it looked as if the people who lived there
took a great deal of pride in how their island looked to them and to the
outsiders (sic tourists). Well, I took the plunge.
Wendy - at the Symi Visitor - was extemely helpful in booking the Hotel
I had chosen, sending me emails about ferry times, directions as to how
to get to Mandrakis harbour from the airport, what things should cost
and so on. Bless you, Wendy - did my many emails and letters drive you
bonkers!? Even with the 2001 terrorist acitivity delaying my holiday for
10 days, Wendy still helped to make things go smoothly. I arrived in
Symi in early October, 2001.
From the moment I saw the harbour from the fast hydrofoil ferry, I knew
that this is what I had been looking for ('scuse the dangling
participle!). It was evening, the sun was setting, and the whole town
and harbour was bathed in this gentle purple light. I knew then that I
had made the right choice.
My experience in Symi for the 12 days I stayed was really a deep
therapeutic one for me. My hotel was just what I expected - clean and
quiet, and the people who looked after me were considerate but not
intrusive. After 2 days on Symi, I realized that you made
your own holiday here. You decided what to do, and then went ahead.
Everything was very laid-back and relaxed. I had my laundry done by a
dear old Greek lady who runs a laundry shop at the bottom of the Kali
Strata - hand-washed, air-dried and neatly folded clothes. What bliss.
The local Symiots that I met were always so pleasant and happy - despite
my not knowing any Greek, even how to say "good morning". I
never felt pressured by any of the locals in the restaurants or shops...
it was a relief! You get 1000 times more pressure here in the local
Future Shop - I promise.
My days were in many ways idyllic. Not planned, but completely
impulsive. If I wanted to go to St. Nicholas beach, I went. If I wanted
to rent a scooter and grind over the hills to Panormitis, I did so. If I
wanted to take a day-trip around the island, I booked and went. Nothing
really planned, but every day a full and unique adventure. Shopping,
hiking, exploring the old town, taking rolls and rolls of pictures,
drinking coffee under an awning, eating delicious Greek food at my
favourite restaurant. Most often I would hear an English accent and
somehow end up sitting at a table with good company. Bert, you are a
hoot and have some great stories... I hope to met you again this year! -
all the usual things I did with a relaxed enjoyment.
But you know...trying to keep with the thread of this original
posting...it was the local charm and flavour of Symi that made the
holiday one that I remember, and one that I will be experiencing again
this late September. Even the bus driver and bus trip up to the two
windmills is a local "thing", isn't it? Even the walk every
evening up the Kali Strata is a local "thing", too, isn't it.
The lovely, soft pastels of the paint on many of the houses is a local
flavour, too. And the one thing that really impressed me was that local
life went on in a timeless way that even the arrival of hordes of
day-trippers didn't seem to disturb. Children still went to summer
morning and evening classes, fishermen still did their tasks on their
boats in the harbour, locals still stood or sat at their doorways and
indulged in the local gossip.
This is what made my holiday so deeply therapeutic. The tourism and
visitors hadn't taken over and spoiled the local flavour of Symi or its
people - and I hope that it never will.
I will be returning to Symi Island in very late September - and my one
aim is to explore the local culture, people and architecture even more
thoroughly than I did in 2001. And, at the same time, I look forward to
another really therapeutic adventure with longing and deep relish. I
know that Symi, with its own unique and unspoiled local charm, will not
let me down."
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George States
Wabasca, Alberta, Canada.
April 17, 2003
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