Symi Blues and Golds

Early morning sunshine gilds the old stones of a neglected mansion on the Kali Strata.

A pocket handkerchief rose garden in Chorio.

A serene face looks out from the pediment of a mansion on the Kali Strata.

Early morning departure from Pedi.

Bees pollinating prickly pears in Chorio.

I spotted this cat taking the early morning air in an abandoned house in Chorio.

The merchants of Symi admired the louvred shutters of France but louvres are expensive to make and maintain so they came up with this poor man's alternative by nailing overlapping slats onto a base.  While you don't get the air flow, they are a lot easier to maintain as the inside is completely smooth and they don't let in the clouds of summer dust either.

Morning glory in a wild garden near the high school at the corner of the Kali Strata.

Colours and textures on the Kali Strata.

Sheep may safely graze - a flock winding along a path through the Pedi valley.

May is drawing to a close and many things have happened, including the loss of our friend, Wendy's partner, Ged Horton. There was a tremendous turn out for the funeral on Wednesday and it was gratifying to see how many people made an effort to be there, including two friends who came from England for the day to show their support.  Many local businesses even closed for a few hours so that the owners or staff could attend.  Symiots and expats alike mourned together and celebrated together. Symi is like that.

The island is getting busier although Symi is still a lot quieter for May than it was even a year ago.  The islands with airports and big resort hotels are picking up some of the slack as nervous tourists look for an alternative to Turkish Aegean resorts but the quieter niche market islands like Symi that require a bit more time and effort to reach and don't have the facilities to attract package holiday companies remain quiet with lower booking rates than they enjoyed before the financial crisis. Many of the people visiting Symi at the moment are either regular visitors or are friends and relations of regular visitors who are highly motivated to come here.  Even the holiday companies like Olympic Holidays that used to be full from early May have very few people on Symi these days.  If you are looking for a quiet, uncrowded holiday destination, it seems as though Symi might well be it!

If you are thinking of a last minute June holiday please email us on symi-vis@otenet.gr for information about availability and rates.

Have a good weekend.

Regards,
Adriana