It’s a result

Well, a few results, and all good. I am wittering on about our recent health check-ups here. As you may have read, we went too Euromedica the week before last to have our annual MOT’s done under our AXA policy. The results were ready a couple of days later, and our insurance agent friend called in to pick them up for us. She and her husband came to Symi on Friday for a visit to Panormitis on Saturday, and we met up first on Friday night, where she gave us our large envelopes at the bar.

Yiannis had been away that day, so Neil was there for an 11-hour shift, and we’d stayed behind for a swift one before heading home – but that’s another story. Yiannis had his results from his check-up with him, and the three of us sat and went through them all comparing numbers. He was also able to explain what each one was, although, having been through these things so many times before, we had a good idea. One of the handy things about the blood test results is that they not only show you what your levels are, but what they should be. There’s a lower and a high number to the side of each one, so it kind of reads, ‘This result should show between 78 and 120’ or whatever is appropriate to that test. All of ours were well within limits, my sugar and cholesterol were lower/better than last year, our PSA results are good and low, as are other kinds of fats and acids, the chest X-ray is clear and we’d have the A-okay from the cardiologist at the time when we were wired up to her machine. Of course, if we were unsure about anything, we would take the information to the local GP and seek a professional opinion; we might do that anyway.

I have to admit, I was surprised mine were so good, after the excesses of Christmas which seem to have run on until at least yesterday. I blame the cold weather; it’s not the weather yet for regular walks (I managed three last week), with strong, cold winds, and it’s more like the weather for staying in with ‘one last bar of chocolate before the diet’, a practice which has been running since about last November. Oops. I reckon it’s because we drink so much water – I know, wine is also involved, but even that is counteracted slightly by the three + litres of water we each drink per day even in the winter, and sometimes four or more litres each day in the summer. So, there was good news on the health checks, and that was followed on Saturday but further good news.

I hope I’m not boring you; I know people find these kinds of living-in-Greece details interesting. Our wonderful agent, Tsambika, from AXA, Rhodes, had told me that if I had a second policy with the company, I would receive a discount on my health cover, so we discussed contents insurance. We’ve been thinking about this for the last 16 years, but it’s one of those things that slips your mind, especially when you live in a place with hardly any crime, but it’s still something we ought to have. Long story short: our rented property is 100 square meters (the insurance is worked out according to square meterage whereas in the UK we’re more used to talking about number of bedrooms as the defining factor), and the cover will cost €75.00 for the year. That’s for every kind of cover you would expect apart from loss of cash and jewels, which can be insured too if you have a fixed, secure safe to keep them in. You can also add items over a certain value (which we don’t have, our most expensive thing is the piano, and that doesn’t come up to the limit). The point is, any day now our contents will be properly insured, it’s not going to cost much, and the discount against my main health insurance bill works out around 50% of the cost of the contents insurance. So, finally, peace of mind for my knickknacks and it’s only going to cost €36.00 for the year, in effect.

There you go. That’s the update on that. There will be more news during the week, but a few highlights: the Painting Group are here for their early season stay, the wind has been from the north, and it’s been bloomin’ cold – but it will soon be at least 35 degrees for a few months, there are more day-trippers about now the Panagia Skiadeni has started trips again, and from today we are in Great Week, building up to Orthodox Easter this weekend.

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ANES – Sebeco timetable, Rhodes/Symi

ANES have produced their timetable for the early part of the summer season. (The Easter timetable, I guess.) I’m not sure when a longer timetable will be available, but there are some sailings if you are coming from Rhodes to Symi between 22^nd April and 8^th May. (The 8^th May is a big parade day in this part of the world.) Timetables can change and be added to over the Easter period with some of the regular Rhodes/Yialos ferries only going from Rhodes to Panormitis, so, as usual with travel advice, I suggest you look at Andy’s travel blog as he is the expert; I’m just a messenger.

Here is the link to the site (in English) where you will find the links to the Itineraries. https://www.anes.gr/en

And here are a few random Symi shots to top you up for the weekend.

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Ilias Tsavaris

We have local elections coming up on Symi, with voting day coinciding with European elections, as you may know. There are three candidates for Mayor of Symi, and here at Symi Dream, we offer to publicise each one’s manifesto without prejudice. The first to send us their information is Ilias Tsavaris. If you follow the link below, you will find his introduction and manifesto published in English. You can also see the full site in Greek.

I am told that Ilias’ team is looking for a representative from the foreign (i.e. non-Greek) community, so if anyone is interested, or if you know of someone who might be, you can tell them to contact the team through their site. Or, if that proves tricky, you can contact me, and I will pass along your contact details. You don’t have to speak Greek fluently; he and members of the team are bilingual.

Here is the link to the site.

Here are the team’s objectives in bullet points from the manifesto.

Our Objectives:

1. Improvement of the health system
2. Improve the quality and adequacy of the water network with drinkable water for all homes on our island
3. Creation of a better drainage system
4. Development of tourism in the light of a changing Europe.
5. Improvement of services to achieve a clean island from corner to corner
6. The effective recycling of rubbish
7. Improvement and maintenance of the road network
8. Upgrading of public spaces, squares, playgrounds, etc.
9. The improvement of school buildings
10. Opportunity for the young and support for the old
11. Animal welfare

And that link once again.

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Guest Writer James Collins

That’s enough of Rhodes, now we’re back to Symi which has been sheltering beneath a grey and cloudy sky for a few days. The sky is now clear, but the breeze if from the north, so it’s not that warm. Yet. I’m sure that in a few weeks people will be wandering around saying, ‘It’s hot, isn’t it?’ as we do suddenly at the beginning of June, or sometimes earlier.

I’ve been out on a couple of my self-enforced walks, only up to the monastery on the hillside (three-miles round trip), or up to the old cantina (2.6 miles), but once the legs have adjusted and the body recovered from the shock, I may go further afield as I did last year. I’m trying to fit those in after I’ve done my admin and messages, and before I then settle in for the rest of the day at one of my desks, so this week, I’ve set out at around seven-thirty, or earlier. I am again saying hello to others who are out and about at that time, mainly ladies heading to church or the cemetery, the workers waiting at Campos for their lifts, farmers coming down from the hills, our hard-working refuse collection team and, if I go that way, the goatherd on the path to To Vrisi. I’ve been past him and his flock so often now, when he is not there they come down from the hills expecting me to feed them. I had a very close examination by the handsome Billy goat leader of the pack the other day. He’s got massive horns which I keep an eye on as I pass; I don’t want to get head-butted and butt-butted off the side of the road.

Oh, with no connection to the above whatsoever, I must point your attention to an interview that’s just appeared. It’s on a blog from Lynne McVernon, ‘Guest Writer James Collins’ – just click that link if you want to read it. It covers both my author names, the real one and the pen name (inserts smiley wink).

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Trying to get through the Old Town

Yesterday continued…
The slow walk from Mandraki to the Old Town took us past the taxi rank on the seafront, past the artists selling portraits, and the craft stalls, over the moat bridge and into Symi Square with the art gallery to the right, and then up to join Socrates Street. We were leapt upon by a leather salesman because we ricked examining a leather bag, and then explained that we had one each already, but he wasn’t even satisfied that we’d bought one of them from him last year (it might have been a different shop, but they look the same after a while). We pressed on…

Down to the main square with the fountain, and bar-boys doing their kamaki business, shouting greetings in various languages until they have your attention and then telling you theirs is the best café, coffee, steak, octopus etc., and trying to drag you in. That’s something which immediately puts me off, so if you have a shop or a bar and you see me heading your way, leave me alone if you want my custom… And on past the jewellery shop where we bought our wedding rings and Sam’s new chain for his baptism cross (receiving a friendly wave through the window, recognised after all this time), and to ‘Parrot Square.’ I can’t remember its real name, but we have taken to stopping there at ‘Mike’s Café,’ because he was one of the only ones to ignore me when I walked past a few years ago. Again, we were welcomed like long-lost relatives. I’m only there once or twice per year but am remembered, ‘How’s Symi?’ and so on. I still don’t know how people do this; I can’t remember names and faces from one day to the next. There, we sat for a drink, moving onto something more fortifying now that it was later in the afternoon and all our tests had been done. In Rhodes, and other places, you can find beer in a boot or wine in a fishbowl, it seems.

While we were at Mike’s (it’s actually Michaelis, and it’s a place used by locals all year round, so there were waves and greetings from others as well as the guys who work there), we fell in with a couple from the yUK who had just finished a rather wet and wild week in Rhodes. Committed Greekophiles, they had been to several islands including a day trip to Symi one year, and, yes, they asked, ‘Are your brothers?’ I said, ‘No. It’s just that master and dog thing where one ends up looking like the other after a few years,’ and the conversation moved on. We entertained them, and they us until a second bowl arrived. We finally left there with an hour to reach the boat and made it as far as Akandia Gate before…

… We passed by Nimmos, a Symi-family run taverna only 15 minutes from the boat. Handshakes and greetings ensued, the family came out, and we were pressed into chairs and to a glass of ouzo while we caught up on news. The boys are now men and tall, the taverna is doing well (I hope), and it’s already open for the season. It’s a handy stop-off on your way to the boat, and we left with 30 minutes to go before departure and were on board by quarter-to bearing our bags, new clothes and two pillows we’d been carrying since before lunch.

The boat left dead on time as usual, and the crossing back was steady and relaxing. Neil had done some wheeling and dealing and arranged a taxi for us which we shared with others up to the village where we tried to slip past the Rainbow Bar unnoticed. Unsuccessful of course and a final glass of wine (not bowl this time though still pretty much a vat) was thrust upon us. The rest is a bit of a blurred history, but I did wake up to new pillows the next morning, so we must have got something right.

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