the Scary Show

There was indeed a lot of music taking place up here last night, as I suggested yesterday. What I didn’t know then, but found out later, was the that taverna Haritomeni also had live music playing, and there was a gig by ‘GMT’ at the Sunrise. (That’s my name for them: George, Marcus and Terri.)

The Sunrise often has music on, and it’s easy to find the café; it’s along the lane from the Village Hotel. If you stand looking at the Village hotel (you will eventually get run over so don’t hang around) and look left, you will see their sign, lit up with a lantern at night in the style of ‘the Ghost Train’. You’ll also probably see a few cars there, just walk with the cars on your right, follow that lane a little way and there you are.

At The Scary Show

Haritomeni is a bit more complicated to explain, though you can get a taxi to it from Yialos. From Horio, walk down the steps from the village and you will see the Symi Dream shop on your left. Stop there, call in, buy everything and then you will have something to discuss over dinner. Carry on down the Kali Strata (with the signed copy of ‘Carry On Up The Kali Strata’ you just bought) and when you get to the main corner carry straight on; rather, do an S bend around the six foot drop so as not to break your leg, or the glass covering the framed limited edition photo you just bought. Carry on down the slope past the school and then diagonally right through the collection of cars.

The Scary SHow

There you come to a road/lane which you follow. And keep following until you think you have gone too far, and your arms start to get heavy under the weight of all the Symi Dream purchases you have. But keep going, around the zigzag bend until you see a road coming up to join you on the left. Cary on, keeping right, a few more yards and there’s the taverna. Great views, great food, great place to admire your original Symi gifts, and I assume great music. (Not had that pleasure yet.)

OK, off into Saturday we go: scriptwriting this morning, then housework, walking to Nimborio tomorrow and having a ‘day off.’

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Live music at the taverna

That’s the news out of the way. Weather report for those heading this way soon: Cloudy again today, clearing up later in the day, set for sunshine all the way through next week, less windy today; always warm and smiley at the Symi Dream shop. Which is where I spent yesterday evening after attending a birthday cake party, or rather, a party with a birthday cake.

And as for things to do this weekend, well, the weekend start on a Friday night with live music at Taverna George & Maria (Georgio’s) in Horio. Very often in the village over the weekend there is also live music at ‘The Secret Courtyard’ in front of Anastasia’s apartments, that might be happening on Saturday; Mandeios also has musicians from time to time, but I’ve not heard anything definite about those two places as yet. And there is often music being played in Yialos, in Kantirimi and other bars; there’s certainly no shortage of music on the island.

Take a Symi Dream photo walk

There is the gallery exhibition tonight at The Symi Gallery. There is a boat trip to Turkey on Saturday (but you will need to have organised your ticket already; the point is: if you’re heading this way and wondering what there is to do, then there is often a boat trip to Turkey on a Saturday, but places are limited). There’s the photo walk on Sunday, be at our shop at 9.15 a.m. for a stroll to Pedi.

On one of Neil’s photo walks

And there are taxi boats to beaches (have they started running now? I’m pretty sure they have), and plenty of walks which are good to do while it’s still not too hot. So, plenty of ideas for things to do on Symi there. As for me, well, I have a rewrite session ahead of me so I am not sure if I will be doing anything this weekend apart from unpaid writing. So, no change there then. Whatever you do, have a good one.

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Pomegranate parts, not wanted on voyage

Not that we are trying to be healthy or anything, but the main meal of the day (lunchtime due to shifts and work) has recently been consisting of brown rice and salad mixed together with something interesting such as halloumi or tuna. The supper snacks have moved from crisps (unless cheese and onion are found on the island in which case it’s open season) to, for example, a small tuna salad at Taverna Zoi on the way home, or some of the leftover rice and salad of the fridge. And still no smoking, in fact I’ve not had a cigarette for just over two stone now.

Pomegranates

Today’s photos are from Neil, taken outside the shop where the neighbour’s pomegranate tree is in full bloom. It produces so many flowers that it has to weed itself out so I am often standing there, or sitting on the step, leaning against the wall, when I find myself being showered on by red petals and getting the occasional tap on the head by a bud, such as these gathered up in the morning. Neil then sweeps up what the tree doesn’t want every day to clear his little part of the Kali Strata.

And more pomegranate debris!

And on other Symi news: the Symi Gallery opens its doors tomorrow afternoon/evening for its first show of the season (see yesterday’s post) and is holding a poetry reading there on Sunday. Our gallery is opening its doors on Monday evening at the wine night, showing more of Neil’s work. Make sure you also look upstairs when you come to visit the shop.

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Outdoor air conditioning back in the village.

No, not the Alarm Cat, from (I suspect) a mobile phone company phoning the landline well before seven. On the second call back I got up to answer it only to have the phone put down on me, so it could have been a wrong number. Either way, we were up early and the juice was made well before either cat or alarm.

Monday’s wine night was well attended, many people came for a browse, a ‘glass’ and a chat on the steps and we noticed many of our guests later in the taverna as we passed. The fans have gone back up at the Rainbow Bar and yesterday Yiannis next door was putting up his (see photo); the temperature has risen again and the reports are showing figures in the 30’s for the coming week. The round the island boat trips have started with the Poseidon going out and some of, if not all, the taxi boats are up and running again. Today, Olympic Holidays have something like 63 new guests arriving for their holidays; things are starting to get into the summer season swing.

Scary monster art

And the season’s first gallery exhibition is due to start on Friday with ‘Scary Monster Art’ from the children who took part in the Symi Women’s Association organised art classes through the winter. Τερατο-δημιουργίες των παιδιών της Σύμης. Έναρξη 18.30, Παρασκευή 24 Μαΐου

This will be at the Symi Gallery which is on the Kali Strata a few steps down from the old Kali Strata Bar corner. Basically walk up, or down, the main route of the Kali Strata and you can’t miss it.

And on Sunday at the Gallery, at 19.00 there is a poetry reading called ‘Scary Stories’ which will be an evening of poetry to reflect the art produced for the exhibition. This, like the exhibition, is free and open to all to attend.

Scary monster poetry

We are in Nimborio on Sunday after Neil’s photo walk and are not sure what time we will be returning, but the exhibition will be on for a couple of weeks. We have to, meanwhile, start getting our own gallery organised, a job possibly for this Saturday, or next week. I think Neil might be planning an opening wine night with live music at some point in the future, I’ll let you know.

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What kind of spider is this?

There’s an image up today that Neil took on his walk on Sunday and which he has also shared on Facebook, so this question may have already been answered: But does anyone know what kind of spider this is? It’s about the size of your little fingernail and its back looks like a nasty face; a kind of Death’s Head Spider? It was in the Pedi Valley. He and his walkers would be interested to know.

While he was out doing that I was working on the film script and the Kickstarter pitch script; much more about this to come in due course no doubt. And I was also getting the house ready for visitors who came up on Sunday evening. We had a lovely time on the terrace chatting, and the Romanian chicken dish I made seemed to go down well. So did the attention the Alarm Cat received from some of his fans.

Monday morning I was back at the desk working on the video, and noticed that my day to day ‘This Day in History’ diary that Jenine gave me had not been attended to for a few days, so I flicked through to see what I had missed. Tearing off the pages since 13th May to 20th I found out I had missed: Pope John Paul II being shot (1981), the departure of the ‘Lewis and Clark’ expedition (1804), the start of the seven years’ war (1756), the first Academy awards ceremony (1929, it’s a very USA based desk diary), Washington criticising “taxation without representation” which sounds kind of apt for anyone paying a Greek electricity bill these days (1769), Randy Johnson throwing a ‘perfect game at 40’ which meant absolutely nothing to me (2004), and Pete Townshend writing ‘My Generation’ in 1965. So quite a lot goes on when you’re not looking at your calendar.

Which could be a bit of a local-news-TV style segue into the Symi Dream calendar 2014 which is now for sale in the shop and on line. (It’s never too early to be thinking about Christmas presents.) If you look at its Lulu page you will be able to see a full preview of the great photos inside.

2014 Symi calendars. Beautiful images of Symi from Neil Gosling. Order online now

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Learning tips and tricks on Neil’s photo walks.

And while doing that I can check in to the darker reaches of sites like Facebook and discover what’s going on just around the corner. Or, failing that, I can overhear gossip and pass it along the line. One thing I did hear recently was that The Symi Gallery will soon be opening after the winter with a couple of exhibitions lined up. One will be showing the artwork created by the children and students of the art classes organised by the Symi Women’s Association and led by Ian Haycox, the Gallery proprietor. The other exhibition I heard about was to be of work from a Cuban artist, but more details will follow.

I also found a link to a news item at Travel Agent Central about Louis Cruises, with Symi now on its list of ports to call into (next year). Here’s the opening of the article.

Village feature

Louis Cruises unveiled new cruise programs for the 2014 season. Having launched a new cruise product in 2013 reflective of its Hellenic roots, the company is nearly doubling the number of ports it calls at for 2014 with the introduction of nine new destinations including: Samos, Milos, Syros, Kos, Ios, Symi, Chios, Cesme and Bodrum. Louis Cruises’ 2014 itineraries will sail to Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Heraklion (Crete) , Santorini, Istanbul, and Kusadasi, and also to the lesser-known ports.  [continue reading]

And a quick, free, advert for a local radio station:  “Radio Symi – Symi Radio plays quality Greek music, nonstop and commercial free.”
http://www.symiradio.com/

Ο διαδυκτιακός ραδιοφωνικός σταθμός Σύμης που παίζει 24 ώρες τις καλύτερα ελληνικά τραγούδια. Στις μουσικές επιλογές ο Κωνσταντίνος Παπαθεοδοσίου .

Symi Women’s Association

I like that because they are ‘commercial free’ and Symi Dream (with Symi Best) give free commercials. I don’t know how many folk they reach per day but we reach around 1,000 readers per day, all I assume with an interest in Symi; so if you’re a business, or know of one, and want free advertising to a wide audience, just drop us a line, or you can contact www.symibest.gr where you find only the best of Symi.

If you do use Facebook, make sure you follow the Symi Women’s Association page to catch up on all their news, photos and videos of cultural events on Symi. (Photo from the May 8th parade.)

And this photo is from Sevasti, from The Symi Women’s Association: Ο νέος εφημέριος της Παναγιάς, ο ιερέας Δημήτριος Γεωργιάδης. Καλορίζικος !! (The new priest at the Church of the Virgin of the Castle, Dimitris Georgiadis.) Thank you for letting us share it!

Ο νέος εφημέριος της Παναγιάς, ο ιερέας Δημήτριος Γεωργιάδης. Καλορίζικος !

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The Blue Star ferry dwarfing the clock tower

It was busy in the harbour yesterday with day-trippers from Rhodes coming over. That was good to see, many of the tavernas were doing good business, as were some of the bars.

We were down there around lunchtime to visit the accountant, check the post office for Neil’s new sandals, which had arrived, and to do a couple of other business things; all successfully taken care of I am pleased to say.

The wind was up and café advertising boards were being blown over, the sea was whipping up and the walk back up the hill felt easy enough as it wasn’t too hot. There’s still a cool breeze around this morning and the day still has a bit of a grey feel to it, but it’s supposed to be brightening up later.

Symi’s iconic ‘Michaelaki’ welcoming visitors

I am just starting to day with a beetroot, apple, lemon, orange and ginger concoction from the juicer and have very few plans for the day other than writing some text for a promo video for the island. Neil has his walk on tomorrow and we have friends coming up for something to eat on the terrace in the late afternoon, so some shopping event needs to happen today. Other than that, and a Eurovision Song Contest party at Astrid’s bar later (we have already sent our apologies), it looks like it’s going to be a standard kind of weekend.

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At a Symi wedding

I have been asked to work on the text for a speech for a promotional video about Symi, this is to go along with the fund-raising appeal that the production company will be putting out to try and get funds in to make “The Judas Curse” on the island. If you have not already seen the trailer/teaser, please remember to take a look; it’s had over 1,000 views in the last week alone; it would be good to get that to 2,000 by the end of May. The more views, the greater the chance of raising the money, filming the story, releasing the film, publicising the island, and so on.

You can see more, and view the trailer, by clicking to this page.

The bridal party walk up led my music

Meanwhile, back on the island. The weather is trying to settle down, a bit breezy this morning, warm again yesterday after an unsettled week and a storm or two, but the week ahead is forecast to improve until it becomes, and I quote: “Beautiful with plenty of sun.”

Neil has been busy in the shop, I have almost finished the wedding DVD, there is a photo walk on this Sunday, wine night to look forward to, more visitors arrived on Wednesday, and yesterday morning, we may have to re-visit the accountant today, take care of some business in Yialos and I must remember to water the garden. It’s that time of year again.

To meet the groom’s party in the traditional way.

The photos today were taken at a wedding last Sunday. Petros from one of the village supermarkets and his bride met, in the traditional way for the village, at the corner of the village square. Her party came up and his came down, they met, with the priest and the guests, led my musicians, before heading off up to the very top of the village and the church of Agia Triada for the ceremony. Traditionally the church bells ring from the moment the bride leaves home to the moment she arrives at church; they rang for a long time last Sunday.

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