Visitors have left, and we’ve ended our two-week at-home holiday with a boat trip to Taviri for a party – thank you Colette and everyone else who made it a fun night. Because it was such a fun night, I’m just going to leave these photos for the weekend and then go and recover. I’ll be back on Monday with the usual.
In local news: the main road out of Yialos is being dug up to lay electricity cables to the new harbour – only in a narrow channel by the curb, so it’s still possible to use the road and pass the workmen. I was in a taxi the other day when one of the men stopped us so he could safely direct the oncoming traffic. I thought, ‘Oh! The first traffic light on Symi.’ A human one, but it reminded me that we don’t have traffic lights, or roundabouts and (as far as I remember) no road markings to speak of, yet we have surprisingly few accidents. I guess drivers around here take responsibility for themselves and don’t rely on the authorities to tell them how to use the road. Anyway… the road between the old windmill restaurant and Campos, in Horio, is also dug up at the moment and is being re-laid. If you’re getting a taxi up, you can get off at the crest of the hill and walk down the road to the village or ask the driver to drop you at Campos and walk up past Taverna Zoi.
Thursday morning, 5.20, been up for an hour. Don’t ask me why. Mother set off on her return trip yesterday, all taken care of by Olympic, and the nephews are leaving this afternoon. I will see them off and then, a couple of hours later, we have a party on the Poseidon to attend in the evening. It’s going to be a long day.
In Yialos yesterday. It was a busy day down there. I counted several day trip boats and ferries yesterday: The Blue Star in the morning/evening, the Express calling in twice, and then six day boats including one from Turkey. Many tavernas and bars were full or near full; we booked a table at To Spitiko where Spiros and Vasilis coped admirably with the influx and so many tables. These guys work so hard day and night with only a couple of hours off in the afternoon to recover. (The guys at LOS were still working this morning at 5.00, having started at about 3pm yesterday, if not earlier.) Meanwhile, the schools have gone back after the summer break, more visitors are arriving and the island is still buzzing with about another five/six weeks of the season to go. Here are some touristy snaps.
We didn’t do the round the island boat trip on Monday because it was off on a private charter. Instead, we took a taxi boat around to St Nicholas beach, St Nick’s as it tends to be called. We went with one of the Loukas boats, €9.00 each return from Yialos, and takes only a few minutes to get there. It wasn’t too busy on the beach, there are plenty of sunbeds (€3.50), and it was very peaceful until after lunch when the snoring started – not me and not for long.
Lunch for me was chicken souvlaki (€10.00) at the taverna where the waiters are young and friendly, full of fun and very professional. It’s a family-run beach, bar and taverna and a popular place for visitors due to the sandy beach and shallow waters until you get further out. You can also walk to and from St Nick’s via the improved path from/to Pedi. We took the taxi boat back. The wind was getting up, and there was some splashing of our party towards the back of the boat. All great fun.
Again, a quick paragraph and some photos. Today (Monday) we’re off on the around the island boat trip, assuming when we get down there it’s not already packed (it’s a popular trip) as we’ve not bought tickets yet. That’s going to take us from 10.30 to 17.30, includes BBQ lunch, drinks and stops for swimming, cost €40.00 each, I believe. It’s a trip well worth taking when you are here. You get to see some parts of the island you don’t normally see and usually end up meeting lots of new people. There are also the Diagoras and the new Maria boats to take day trips on; check out the travel agencies when you are here.
So, some more shots from over the weekend and the day at Nimborio. How to find the mosaic:
Heading to the mosaic at Nimborio. 1. Walk along the beach at the far end of the bay… (This shot is looking back at the way you just came.)2. Turn up the old riverbed – not easy underfoot so take care. Stone steps are middle left, after the ruin.3. Turn left at the steps to the church (blue and red dots on wall) and follow that path a little way and you’ll be here.4. Looking back at the view from the church gate.5. Enter the church gate/doorway and you will see a tin shed on your right. What’s left of the Roman mosaic is under that; parts are gone, the rest needs restoration, but…6. Behind the church (three chapels actually) is a courtyard you can rest in and find shade.
That was indeed the weekend that was. A day out at Nimborio on Friday complete with a trip to the Roman mosaic, a walk along the beach, lunch at the taverna, a taxi boat, and an evening drinks party. Saturday was Neil’s birthday: balloons and glitter all over the house, gifts, family brunch, a meal at Meraklis with friends and family, drinks at the Rainbow… And now it’s Sunday morning, and there’s still glitter and balloons everywhere, lots of tidying up to do and plenty of food in the house, mother going shopping in Yialos, the nephews still in bed, so a quick set of images for today’s post and then I am off to tidy up.
This week I will more than likely be away on Wednesday/Thursday but will put up posts when I can. Next week will be back to the usual routine.
Taxi boat to Nimborio and back, 7.00 euros (currently at 10.00, 11.00 and 12.00, back at 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00)
View from the tavernaExtra guest for lunchThat’s the way to spend a day
