A Share of the Glamour

The Mary-Jean II, chartered by Michael Douglas, as seen from the

Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony on Saturday 25 June 2011. 

That is a small day excursion boat from Rhodes tucked in along side.

The Star of Macedonia, emblem of Alexander the Great,

on the pediment of an abandoned house in upper Chorio.

This little house in the same neighbourhood, built in 1931, is far from abandoned and

old Yanni and his wife keep it in meticulous condition. The whitewash on the trucks of the lemon trees on the left of the picture is to protect the trees from insects and fungus attacks.

The grand restored mansion on the Kali Strata and this ruined house in upper Chorio have something in common.  Both are built out of roughly finished stone and then plastered in such a fashion as to create the effect that they are made out of dressed stone. 

The heatwave has finally broken with a refreshing breeze from the north west. Unfortunately it also meant that the excursion boats and water taxis could not operate for a day or so as the choppy seas make it unpleasant for passengers as well as for the boats to dock safely in the various little bays. Those places that can be accessed on foot, however have done very well. The wind is dropping now and we should have nothing stronger than gentle breezes for the Italian wedding that is taking place here this weekend. Last weekend there was a big German wedding on Symi. These events introduce a lot of new visitors to the island of Symi and many of those who have only stayed for 3-4 days for a wedding have promised to be back for a longer stay.

On Saturday morning all Symi was all agog when it was discovered that the shiny new superyacht that had just docked in the harbour was being chartered by the British actor, Michael Douglas, and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. In a departure from normal protocol the mayor and his wife went on board to greet them and a rash of paparazzi-style photographs has appeared on the internet from various sources. Despite this unusually effusive welcome, Symi is no stranger to Hollywood or the rich and famous and the island prides itself on taking celebrity in its stride. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton visited in the 1970s, signing the visitors’ book in Kyriakos’ restaurant (now the Gefaraki wifi café by the bridge). In the time that I have lived here we have seen Helen Mirren, Peter O’Toole, Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Tom Hanks and Richard Gere and there are probably others that have slipped below the radar. Fashion names like Armani and Todd of Todd’s Shoes, political figures such as George Bush senior and the Belgian royal family and countless others pass through Symi in the summer time, either on their own yachts or on chartered ones. The general rule is that in Mykonos and Santorini they are fair game to the photographers but on Symi their visits are incognito – or at least as incognito as one can be with a team of bodyguards lurking among the palm trees and a yacht larger than many ferries. Symi welcomes guests at all levels and even the most humble budget traveler can have a share of the glamour when the superyachts come to town.

Greece is in the midst of a 48 hour general strike. The air traffic controllers are participating in a limited way. They were on strike this morning (Tuesday) from 08.00 until 12.00 and will be on strike again from 18.00 until 22.00 on Wednesday evening. This may cause some delays for visitors coming into Rhodes on Wednesday evening flights but most Wednesday charter flights should not be affected as they land well before the strike period comes into operation.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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In the Heat of the Day

Narrow lanes in the oldest part of Chorio.  Too narrow even for a laden donkey to pass, restoring houses up here means many hours of moving materials by wheelbarrow or on shoulders from the nearest access point, often a good 20 minutes away. This is one of the reasons why houses on Symi tend to be expensive.

Greece continues to bask in unseasonably high temperatures and here on Symi the thermometer has been hovering around 40 degrees all week. With so much sunshine Symi’s rocky landscape is really soaking up the heat and even late at night the stones are warm to the touch. In the heat of the day the lanes of Chorio are quiet with hardly a soul to be seen. The Symiots follow the traditional lifestyle of the Mediterranean peoples, rising early in the morning to get all their chores done before it is too hot to move and retreating into the shade of their houses for the siesta, only to emerge again once the fierceness of the sun has passed. Many of the locals find the foreign desire to sleep late a very strange thing as it does not make sense to waste the coolest part of the day in bed! In the summer sleeping is something one does when it is too hot to do anything else.

Symi museum in Chorio - closed for the afternoon siesta.

Those solid doors conceal a shadey courtyard and many fascinating artifacts from Symi's

distant and recent past.

Villa Wookie - high up in the top of Chorio, in the museum quarter and one of the

 oldest restored buildings in the area.

When I set off at 7 in the morning to walk to work, I pass shepherds, builders, carpenters and plumbers. Locals are out in the terraces, picking the sweetest, most tender shoots of the caper bushes to pickle and are tossing last night’s bread leftovers to their chickens and goats. The aromas of cooking follow me down the Kali Strata as the sensible housewife prepares the main meal for the family first thing in the morning, to serve when they all come home at 2 o’clock. Down in the harbour the fishermen are tidying up their nets and discussing the night’s catch over strong cups of Greek coffee.

One of the many beautiful old door knockers to be seen on the neo-classical houses.

Views open up suddenly between the houses in Chorio. That is the island of Nimos in the background. The church with two spires is Agios Elefterios in the centre of Chorio. 

Unlike many other places in Greece, visitors to Symi are living within a functioning community and everyday life goes on all around. While it may mean that it is sometimes a bit noisy in the early mornings, it is a far more authentic Greek island experience than staying in some ‘made for tourists’ resort and this is why many Symi visitors come back to the island year after year.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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Hot Summer Nights

The hot summer nights are back. The nights when the roof terraces and courtyards are of Symi become living rooms as no one wants to be indoors on nights such as these. The murmur of voices, the scent of candles and charcoal, strains of Greek music punctuated by the hoot of owls – the lanes of Chorio are full of life behind closed courtyard doors and above our heads. Long days and high temperatures mean that Mediterranean people tend to eat late at this time of the year, particularly those who work as the evening shift in shops and businesses is not usually over until 9 p.m or even 10 p.m. Of course those who work in bars, restaurants, cafes and tavernas work even longer hours as the tourists tend to eat earlier than the Greeks who come in after work.

Greek summer nights are synonymous with music, whether prearranged and advertised Greek music at Giorgio’s taverna in Chorio and Kantirimi Bar in Yialos, or the spontaneous jazz and blues evenings that have started to be a feature at the Sunrise Café in Chorio on Saturday nights, when Clare forgets about her job at the supermarket and schoolteacher George picks up his guitar. Art and photographic exhibitions are also part of the landscape in both Yialos and Chorio and the Peripatetic Symi Gallery for Contemporary Art has found a new home on the Kali Strata, opening 1 August.

As I write this on Tuesday morning, the Blue Star Diagoras is edging its way carefully into Yialos and a car with a roof rack stacked with ropes of garlic has driven past, heading for the boat. The people of Symi have evidently bought sufficient garlic to keep bad luck at bay and the hawker is off to the next island with his wares.

By the way, Mike’s Magic evening at the Olive Tree raised another 180 euros for the Doctors’ Surgeries of Symi. Thank you to everyone, locals and tourists alike, who supported the event.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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Hot and Hazy

Sorting out anchors for a morning departure.

Symi now has a glass-bottomed boat (bottom left). That is a water taxi on the right with the orange floats.  Most of Symi's beaches are only accessible by sea due to the sheer coastline.

It is hot and hazy on Symi with a light breeze waving the jasmine on the Symi Visitor Accommodation balcony. At this time of the year with an office view like this it is a wonder I get any work done. An ever changing parade of boats and people passes before my balcony and I can quite understand why visitors with accommodation in the harbour find themselves spending most of their holiday on the terrace or balcony, mesmerized by the view. Fortunately these days with my office bifocals much of it is a blur unless I change my glasses! Here are some photographs for those of you who spend all day in an office block overlooking a car park. Remember, you can always dip into Symi with our webcam which brings you views of Symi every 30 seconds, 24 hours a day - power cuts permitting!  You can also take a virtual tour around Greece with all the webcams featured on http://www.yassou.com/.

Up in Chorio life is much quieter and change usually happens more slowly but even so there are some transformations as ruins become houses and visitors who have been away for a few years often find that what was an isolated house surrounded by ruins is now part of a neighbourhood of lovingly restored houses. Despite the economic gloom there is still an astonishing amount of restoration work going on, not all of it as high profile as the eye-catching terracotta mansion on the Kali Strata or the recently opened Old Markets boutique hotel.

The Cottage in Chorio -

paler shades of yellow and blue this year

 and those oleanders have really grown. 

The door opens into the master bedroom downstairs which has its own sitting area.

A ruin surrounded by restored houses opposite the junior school in Chorio. 

Note the solar powered hot water system on the right. 

On a social level, quite a lot happens in Chorio. A residential rather than tourist orientated area, locals and tourists mingle, dining in the same tavernas and shopping in the same shops. For example, Giorgio and Maria’s taverna, which is open all year round, has live Greek music every Friday night in the summer and is as much frequented by visitors as it is by local Greeks. This is one of those old style Greek tavernas where one ignores the menu and goes and looks in the pots in the kitchen to see what is on offer.

The Olive Tree opposite the Hotel Fiona is having a fund-raising evening on Saturday night, in aid of the doctors’ surgeries of Symi. In the present climate of economic gloom and government cut backs initiatives to help put something back into the community are more important than ever. When times are hard more is achieved by everyone pulling together than by pursuing individual agendas. The Olive Tree’s Royal Wedding Street Party in April was attended by 70 people of all nationalities and raised over 250 euros for the Doctors of Symi. We hope that Magic Mike’s card tricks are similarly successful.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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15 June 2011 Air Traffic Controllers' Strike Cancelled

The air traffic controllers' strike has been officially called off so all airports and flights will run as normal on 15 June 2011

For more information http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/43109

We wish you all a safe journey and look forward to seeing you on Symi.

Adriana and Wendy

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Postcard Pretty

It is a bright sunny day on Symi. The water boat has been sitting in the harbour since early this morning, slowly rising up out of the sea as it tops up Symi’s reservoirs. Yachts and Turkish gulets are coming and going. The water taxis are busy. The day trippers from the excursion boats are buying sun hats and eating ice creams. It is a typical summer’s day on the small Dodecanese island of Symi and a far cry from the ‘Indignant’ protesters camping out in Syntagma Square, Athens. Unfortunately, however, Symi may experience a ripple effect from the General Strike which the main trades unions have called for Wednesday 15 June. At the moment it is uncertain from the various different sources whether air traffic controllers will be on a 24 hour strike from midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday or just 4 hours, from 12 noon to 16.00 on the 15th, but anyone travelling that day is advised to check with their airline and to notify whoever you have booked your accommodation with of your revised flight details. That way overnight accommodation in Rhodes can be organized ahead of time if required. We also know from past experience that the air traffic controllers may well opt out of the strike at the last minute too in which case flights will run as normal. We will put up any specific information that we receive on this blog and also on our Facebook page.

While the Greek economy may be turbulent, the weather forecast for Symi is quite settled with plenty of sunny days ahead. The oleanders are in full bloom along the motor road that connects Yialos with Chorio and Pedi, a bright ribbon of pink and white zigzagging over the hill. The bougainvilleas and plumbagos are postcard pretty, tumbling over courtyard walls and the grape vines are flowering.

Here are some Symi views to brighten your day if your next visit to Symi is a while away.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

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Symi is Sizzling

The view from the terrace at Villa Iris. The bright bougainvillea in the foreground is Spiti Grande Helene. The opposite hillside is the Kali Strata side of the harbour and various Symi Visitor Accommodation properties are found on its slopes. These include Villa Voyatzis and Lemonitissa studio and apartment near Lemonitissa church on the right, all the way across to Villa Cassandra, Villa Rose and Pitini House below the windmills on the far left.  The water taxis leave from the head of the harbour visible in the picture and the white awnings shade a wide range of cafes and places to eat while watching the boats

.

Symi is sizzling under unseasonably high temperatures and even Lindos on Rhodes reported a high of 39 degrees this week. The heat wave will be relieved by brisk north-westerly winds this weekend which have already done something to shift the heavy humidity that has hung over the region for days. The exceptional heavy rain at the end of May combined with the heat made Symi far more humid than is usual for this time of year. The rest of Greece is also experiencing summer thundershowers and temperatures in the thirties.

Arriving on Symi - the view from the car deck of the Blue Star Diagoras

as she docks outside Symi Police Station in Yialos.

Symi has become perceptibly busier in the course of this week and many of the June ‘regulars’ are on the island. Old friendships are re-established over frappes and Mythos in the cafes and dinner dates are made for favourite tavernas. The water taxis are busy as Symi’s beach life is now in full swing. Rhodes must be quite full too, judging by the number of people coming over to Symi on the day excursion boats.

Secret Entrance -the approach to The Old Markets boutique hotel

near the bottom of the Kali Strata steps.

The old wrought iron grille is the hotel's motif and logo.

There is some talk in the Greek media that the Symi Festival may not take place this year. It has been considerably diminished in recent years and this year may well not happen at all unless funding can be found. The Base Jumping event will still be taking place at St George’s this year and I have been told that they will also be giving absailing lessons which could be interesting for those who like a little excitement on their holidays.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

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A Geography Lesson

Today’s report is a bit of a geography lesson as many first time visitors find Symi’s topography confusing and while the banner at the heading of this blog does give some idea of the lie of the land, it does not clarify where the different houses are in the harbour and environs. Symi is a very small island and nowhere is actually very far from anywhere else. Symi has very little shoreline so most beaches are surrounded by steep cliffs and can only be accessed by water taxis which operate out of Yialos (the main harbour) and Pedi Bay. I am focusing on Yialos, Symi’s main harbour, and Harani, the small bay to the side of it.

 
The clock tower on the corner of the quay marks the official dividing line between Yialos (the main harbour) and Harani.  It is the docking point for the big ferries from Pireaus and also for the Dodecanese Seaways catamarans.  The white building with the arches is the police station. Symi's only post office is also in this building. The long building to the right of that, with the blue balconies, is the Nireus Hotel. To the right of that is Sofia's House with Sofia's apartment beneath it.  To the right of that is the Aliki restaurant and Aliki Hotel..  The Merchant House is above and behind the Aliki.

Continuing on from the picture above, this is also Harani, showing the boatyard area.  Despina's apartment is in the building immediately behind the boatyard. Also in this picture, on the hill on the right, are Villa Nicola, the Kostas Kleanthi studios and Villa Karnayo.  NOS beach and the road to Nimborio continue off to the right.

This is looking into the amphitheatre harbour, to the left of the clock tower.  The side of the harbour closest to the clock tower is often referred to as Mouragio.  The small building right on the water on the left of the picture is the customs house and the Symi Visitor Accommodation office is nearby.  You can see the view looking from our office out to the bay on our webcam. The water taxis to the various beaches leave from the stretch of quay next to the customs house and their comings and goings can be seen on our webcam. The excursion boats Diagoras, Triton and Poseidon also leave from this part of the harbour.

Accommodation that we have in Yialos includes the Gate House which is on the hill at the back, Spiti Grande Helene, Villa Iris and Villa Gabrielle which is further along on the hill on the right and the Hellenikon apartment which, like Symi Visitor Accommodation, looks straight down the length of the harbour.

This general photograph shows the Kali Strata side of the amphitheatre harbour on the left, with Lemonitissa church, the hills at the back of Yialos and then round to Harani. The Lemonitissa studio and apartment arre next to the church, the red dome of which one can see among the trees on the right.  The small buildings just visible amongst the trees at the top in the middle are actually along the road to Roukoniotis monastery and Toli Bay and are accessed from the motor road which follows a spectacular route up through Chorio and around the Vigla mountain.

I took these photographs from  Symi's fuel station and bunkering jetty which is just off the only motor road out of the town.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana




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The Ultimate Greek Island Wedding

The ultimate Greek island wedding photograph. 

The Symi cat was entirely spontaneous.

It is a hot sunny day on Symi, just right for a Mamma Mia style Big Fat Greek Wedding. Our congratulations to Kate Elliott and Alistair Dyer who tied the knot at Symi Town Hall this morning. The wedding party has now departed on the Poseidon caique for a ceremony of blessing at the little chapel on the small island at Agia Marina. This will be followed by a mini cruise to Nimborio and an afternoon reception at the Aktaion which is, at the moment, being transformed into a pastel-tinted bower by Symi Visitor Accommodation staff. More photographs will be available later as the official photographs are being done by Jordan Blakesley of Symiart but here are two which I took of the bride and bridal party en route to the town hall this morning and a third of them passing below my window on the way to the Poseidon. What more romantic location could one possibly want?

Speaking of weddings, this weekend also marks the official opening of the Old Markets boutique hotel on the Kali Strata and the bridal suite there is really something. I had a quick preview there this morning on my way down to work and the decorators were putting the finishing touches in place. Interior photographs will be available shortly but this picture shows the location. The four windows with the pale green shutters all belong to the bridal suite which is the full length of the building. The other rooms, downstairs, are in the actual covered market so don’t have views but are unique with their vaulted ceilings, luxurious furnishings and exotic bathrooms.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana

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