Easter weekend on Symi
The dynamite and bangers have started as Easter weekend arrives on Symi. It’s Great Friday today, as I write (yesterday) and the church bells have been tolling for the services, some bangs have happened but the majority of large ones will be reserved for Friday and Saturday night. A couple of day boats have been in, the Blue Star has come and gone, a little late and should be back tonight, and we’re planning a meal out with various friends this evening, giving George at To Spitiko a table of 12 to deal with, plus their other customers. So, lots to look forward to there.

Today’s photos were taken from the house as I’ve not been out and about much; living here isn’t like being on holiday, especially when you work from home. We’re very protective of our working at home ours and routine. It usually runs from around 6.45 in the morning until one in the afternoon, rarely goes on into the afternoon, though I do get some writing done then, I am more of a morning person. But the photos; you can see the boat in and not many other yachts around, that’s because it is still early season, not yet quite May but already it feels like the season has been running for a while. More and more visitors are arriving and some have already come had their holiday and gone, which is a bit unnerving. But again, plenty more to look forward to as the summer starts proper in a week or so.

The fig tree in the photo is in front of our house. We cut it back slightly earlier in the year and already its taking over again. We’re trying to groom it so it grows to the right and gives our neighbours their shade and privacy, but so that it doesn’t go too far to the left and block our view. We’re keeping an eye on it. Last year, when we moved in, it was a set of stumps and, by June, it was nearly blocking our view of Katrianettes. These things grow wild and though they provide folk with fruit, they can take over and dig their roots into sternas and cellars. This one is too far away from our sterna to worry about that. Luckily.

Another photo today shows the side of the next door house. Why? Well, because there are a couple of lizards living on the roof there, or at least, they come up to sunbathe on the roof regularly. I’m not sure what type they are (the mating type for sure as that’s what they were doing yesterday, quite unashamedly) but they walk up and down, stopping now and then to check on is if we are on the balcony, and then sitting with their heads up like they are looking down their noses at us. They are quiet neighbours though and haven’t yet had any wild and noisy parties.

I’m off now to open the windows and close the shutters so no glass breaks in the explosions to come (some have already been pretty loud) and then I’m off for the weekend. Here’s wishing you a happy Greek Easter and a pleasant weekend.

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Your Symi Dream tour rep is happy to help
Coming back from Rhodes was a bit of a blast on Wednesday, for various reasons. After I’d dropped the boys off with their dad at the airport, seen their hotel and been given a lift back to Akandia, I gate crashed a lunch party where some friends were meeting up. They were on their way from airport to Symi via the Blue Star, same as me. There’s a very handy taverna, Neo Mouragio, opposite the commercial harbour entrance, only a five-minute walk to the boat. It’s a traditional Greek place and, if you’ve only got a couple of hours to wait for the boat, it’s handy as you don’t feel like you have to rush. You can see the boat from your table, so there are no worries there.

After a chat and chips with the chaps, it was a short walk to the boat. If you’ve ordered tickets online you can pick them up at the Blue Star kiosk (or Dodecanese Seaways one if you’re on the Panagia Skiedani) and wander onto the boat. Here the staff are really helpful and friendly. There is a line-up of people to meet and greet you, they assist with wheelchairs if needed, and help elderly passengers on and off, and you can store your bags inside on the left ready for taking off when you reach Symi. I sat with a friend up on the sun deck until the wind started to blow spray and smoke our way, and then went and use the basic upper café, the outside one. Inside you’ve got plush seating in two bars, comfy seats and television, and waiter service in the cafes.

It was a sedate trip back. We went down for disembarkation just as the ship was turning around to back in and, by the time got down, the ramp was being lowered, so I could walk calmly off. To be met by Angelina Jolie and a cast of Sherpas ferrying boxes at race speed from the old post office to the boat. It wasn’t Angelina, just someone who looked rather the same, and I joined in with carrying boxes for Solidarity Symi, as did nephew George who had come to meet me, so that they were all loaded in time for the boat to leave. These were donations going to where they are currently needed for refugees (as Symi has been quiet on that front of late) and in this case they were off to Piraeus.

That little mayhem over with, I then guided some visitors to their accommodation as they had booked privately and were not sure where to go, and then assisted another friend to the bus and to her accommodation in Horio. Tour rep duties done (again with George helping) we met up with Neil and others for a relax at the Rainbow. Neil starts work there again on Monday afternoon. Wednesday afternoon slipped into evening and we ended up with a moussaka at Georgio’s before heading home, while George went off to work.

I may well have to return to Rhodes again next week as we’re now arranging for the dreaded but necessary health checks and book for Nephew. This involves going to Euromedica for the tests (you can also do them via the hospital and other places, but we know Euromedica), returning after a couple of days to collect them and then having a pathologos stamp the book. So, two days in Rhodes should do it. Finally. Actually, I was a bit cheeky and asked my private health insurance lady for advice and she called me when I was in Rhodes dealing with one of those chatty, cheery, taxi drivers, and offered to make appointments for us when needed. Extremely kind as it’s not part of her remit, and I feel confident now that the process will go smoothly once we get Nephew to the right place at the right time. Only downer is, it means taking two days off work and racing around in taxis.

Anyway, that’s for next week. It’s Great Week here in Greece and today is Great Friday, Good Friday. A solemn day, no work is allowed (if you are a builder or carpenter, obviously, or do a job where you make a banging noise; something like that – and that’s not a ‘rule’ that’s always kept to) and the churches celebrate the sad say with funereal services, black and purple drapes and the carrying of the biers. And so, off into Easter weekend we go, the sun is out, the wind has dropped, it’s warming up again and soon the season will start proper.

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Symi time slip thanks to boats
Once again a late start (for me) so a short blog post. I popped over to Rhodes yesterday with the godsons; we had a great adventure on the Blue Star and I finally got around to asking for my ‘Sea Smiles’ card.

Just so you know: this is a loyalty card and each time you buy a ticket or a drink, meal etc., you show your card and build up points that will eventually lead to discounts on tickets. I nipped down to the reception desk on the boat and asked for a form, filled it out and handed it over and the helpful lady there gave me the temporary card straight away. So easy – and the form was available in Greek and in English.

I had a bit of a shock this morning. I didn’t hear the alarm as I’d left it in another room (it’s the alarm on my tablet, in case you thought I was in the habit of leaving alarm clocks sitting around the house like some character best suited to a Lewis Carrol story). I didn’t even hear the cat going off and so woke up half an hour behind schedule. That wasn’t a shock but when I went to my office and opened the shutters, there’s the Dodekanisos catamaran pulling away and heading towards Nimos and beyond like an early morning Buzz Lightyear. Strange; that doesn’t usually happen until half nine. I checked the alarm clock and realised that, as it was till only seven, this must be an extra boat put on for Easter as we are now, almost at the great festival.

And on that note, I’ll be off to get on and should be back with something less hurried tomorrow.

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Quick post as I’m not here
I’m not here today. Neil is at home and I am in Rhodes with the godsons who are going to meet their dad from the plane. I should be back on Thursday though and will aim to get a decent post done then.

Meanwhile, I’ve been asking around about these health books that workers (in certain jobs) need to get done before legally being able to work. I might have mentioned it yesterday but one of the things you have to do is have a ‘health book’ stamped and test results authorised by a doctor in order to get your papers finalised. This was never a problem on Symi, not recently anyway, but now the doctor who was able to stamp the books is no longer here and so it means another trip to Rhodes. Not only that but it could mean a trip one day for tests, and another on another day for results and book-stamping; all to be done during the hours the Blue Star is in Rhodes, between 9.30 and 15:00 or between 9.30 (ish) and 19:00. I’ve been making enquiries and if anyone has any ideas of a quick way of doing it all in one day, I’d love to hear about it. (I know about the general hospital though that system comes with no guarantees of a one-day turn around) and I’ve been in touch with Euromedica and await their reply.

Meanwhile, I’ve just been pottering around at home, dusting the red dust from the balcony and courtyard. This was brought down by some rain overnight on Monday which followed a pretty dramatic sky and sunset. The rain is now due to clear and the temperature should start to rise again with a forecast of sunshine and warming winds over the next couple of weeks.

I have to go now, sorry to be brief, but there are things to do before finding out where the boat is and heading back to Rhodes, again. I must go down to the sea again…

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Working in Greece by the numbers
Today will be one of those shorter blogs as I left it until this morning to write it and now I want to get on with other things. Yesterday went a little awry as we went to Yialos to try and get some ‘starting work’ papers organised. Starting a job in Greece is not as straightforward as it is in, say, the UK.

To start with you need certain numbers from the tax office, you need to register and you need to be passed medically fit for work (if working in a taverna or bar etc.). So, we started (with George, my nephew) at the doctor’s surgery which was, as usual, quite popular on a Monday morning. We wanted to ask the doctors to stamp his medical book so that we could then go to the KEP office and ask about an Amka number. We waited, and waited until our turn was up and then went in, showed the doctor the book and asked what to do and were told that there isn’t a doctor on the island who can stamp these books, not at the moment. Our old doctor has just left, he was qualified to do this but now we will have to go to Rhodes to get the book stamped. Okay, so that’s going to mean a day off work (at least one) and a trip to Rhodes next week. Next stop, the KEP office.

KEP is rather like the CAB in the UK, as we’re talking in acronyms, and the ladies there are very helpful. He needs to have an AFIMI (ΑΦΜ) number from the tax office in Rhodes, once they have that then the KEP office can organise his AMKA number (your health insurance number) which will then be needed to pay and claim from IKA (like your N.I. subscriptions, health service etc.), so off to see the accountant at the bottom of the Kali Strata.

A quick chat with our friend there and yes, he needs to go to the Tax office in Rhodes to get an AFIMI number and then also get an Amka number. This we know, but can you arrange this for us? Yes, this Wednesday, but the accountant needs to take his passport, only the original will do and we need to sign some papers back at KEP to start the ball rolling. Back to the Town Hall and papers duly signed and stamped there, and then back to the accountant to hand them in, and that’s all fine he will sort out the numbers later this week. Meanwhile the health book is still to be done and now we can’t go to Rhodes to get that done on Wednesday this week as the accountant has the passport, and we can’t go on Friday as it’s Easter week and Good Friday, so it will have to wait until next week, meanwhile you can’t (legally) work as you’ve not got your health book stamped or your IKA numbers in and up to date and…

So, one day next week, probably Wednesday, one of us will go to Rhodes with George and find a doctor/heath clinic that can check the tests and stamp the book. Meanwhile, I’m off to Rhodes for the day tomorrow (again, I know!) and yes, we are in Easter Week here in Greece, visitors have started to arrive for holidays, bangers and dynamite is and will be going off, and we had some rain last night which the plants must have loved.

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