Symi, where you can expect the unexpected
I gave myself a day off on Friday, kind of. I read some proofs of ‘Remotely’ and then went to Yialos to do the usual things: bank, post office, buy some snacks for some guests coming for pre-dinner drinks, then cat litter and cat food from the pet shop (for the cat, not the guests), back up the steps, made lunch and chilled out on the sofa in my study. A place I don’t very often sit; it made for a change of view.

The wind was up again, there were some clouds about but it was still warm; and there was dust in the air, apparently, blown across from north Africa. It did look a bit hazy but nothing to write home about. The harbour was fairly busy, there had only been one day boat in. The Blue Star had come in a little late and seemed to take a long time going out again, the Express was waiting for it. The Sea Dreams moored up alongside in the harbour, so I assume there was a swell or strong wind down there or something. The Nikolaos X came in at its usual time, and the Panagia Skiedani too, so we now have three regular day-trip boats from Rhodes each day.

Neil had one of those ‘things’ happen on Thursday. He was at the bar, working, and had two sisters as customers come and sit and chat. They were staying in Rhodes but live in Liverpool. They had been told to come to Symi for a day (they were staying for two) and to visit the Rainbow Bar in Horio, which they dutifully found. They had been advised to take this excursion but a man in Liverpool who knew the bar. Neil described him and asked if he barked like a dog to surprise people as a practical joke. They said, ‘That’s him!’ and he said, ‘That’s Liverpool, George, we know him.’ So not only does Symi’s charm and fame spread far and wide, but so does the fame of the Rainbow Bar (and ‘Liverpool George’ who is a regular visitor and Symi supporter). What are the chances eh?

As for my weekend ahead, I have nothing planned but some work on ‘The Saddling’, the next story on the ‘must write that book’ list, and some work for my college course. I had some great feedback on my action scene assignment last week, and this time I have to write two different openings and two different endings for the same story, in this case a screenplay – as that’s what I was interested in learning about, though I could have chosen stage or radio play. The basics are the same really and the course covers all kinds of scriptwriting, it’s up to us students to decide which. I think the story I have chosen would make a better film, so am going with that medium.

And that’s about it. The end of another week on Symi, with the custom house fire, the changeable but warm weather, hot days, sunny days, a little overnight rain, some breezes and cloud, a walk in the hills last Sunday, nephew George heading off to a new adventure in Rhodes, some book work and other things, a lovely meal with neighbours on Thursday (thank you for that and for bringing my camera back), and some guests on Friday. I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend but, as I’ve said before, when you are on Symi, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected.

Symi fire, booking a ticket, nephew news
The main news from Symi today (yesterday) is the fire that happened at the Custom House in Yialos. I don’t have any photos as I was in bed at 1.30 in the morning when it happened, but you can find some on Facebook, if you use that. Apparently there was a car parked beside it that caught fire and the fire then spread to the building and into the roof. Very sad, and slightly worrying. If there had been a wind it could easily have spread to other buildings. No one was hurt but I think there will be questions asked about the fire response services arrangements and facilities.

Meanwhile, Andy who runs the Symi Visitor travel blog http://symivisitor-accommodation.com/blog/ sent me this note about the Skiedani showing as full on the Dodecanese Seaways website if/when you go to book a ticket on it:

“There’s a solution to the “Skiadeni apparently full” problem.

The fares from Rhodes to Panormitis, to Yialos via Panormitis, or to Yialos non-stop are all the same, €13.50 on the Panagia Skiadeni. If you want to go from Rhodes to Yialos on a “via Panormitis” sailing, book a ticket to Panormitis, so you know you have a seat. When you collect the actual tickets at the kiosk or agent, tell them you want to go to Yialos and they will issue a Panormitis-Yialos ticket free of charge.

The problem is that it is an industry-standard online booking system, but nowhere else in Greece do you have the option of getting off and back on again at an intermediate stop so you actually need a second ticket to show when you get back on again.”

That’s a handy tip, thank you very much.

In our own news, it seems that nephew George likes his new job. And so he should, he was only there for one afternoon and then had a day off. His team have Thursdays off work and they even have a free bar they can use in a nearby hotel. Some of them went out to Faliraki on Wednesday night (lord help us all) and he seems to be fitting in very well. That’s a comfort and I write it here manly for friends and family who were following is adventures. The place he is at really do seem like good employers; he has a two room apartment to himself, meals paid for, a day off each week, the free bar for down time and they have said they will help get him his bank account and other things set up too. Where do I apply?

And as for us, it’s been warm up here with a cloud covering but temperatures into the mid-twenties. There may be some rain on the way over the weekend. That will please the plants. The winds are set to be low so that’s good for ferries and the sun should be fully back to normal service next week when I have to do another trip to Rhodes; hopefully the last one for a while.

Don’t miss the boat or your flight
Now then, I should have added, at the end of yesterday’s lesson about making sure your boat departure matches you plane arrival, that you should also make sure your boat arrival matches your plane departure. Here’s why.

Nephew George left yesterday to start his new job in Rhodes (more about that in a moment). He trundled his case down to the clock tower to meet the Blue Star Diagoras with plenty of time – I have an app on my tablet that maps where the boats are, Marinetraffic.com, and I could see from that that it was going to be about 90 minutes late. No problem for George who was only going to Rhodes anyway, but he was waiting down there with a party whose plane was set to leave at 12.15. They had the choice to go the night before but decided to stay an extra night on Symi. All well and good if you have the time. If the boat had been on time then still all well and good, but it didn’t land in Rhodes until 11.15 leaving them only one hour to get to the airport and check in before the check-in closed. I still don’t know if they made it, I hope they did, but it’s a lesson worthy of a note on your ‘Things to do to make your Symi holiday more enjoyable’ list. Make sure there’s enough time, or leave early, so you’re not sweating and worrying and losing those holiday pounds through anxiety when on a boat that you can’t make go any faster.

Another exciting thing that happened yesterday was that Neil’s son and his GF (that’s girlfriend in youth-speak) booked a two-week holiday to Symi. They are coming at the end of August and staying at Anastasia Apartments in Horio, flight and transfers included, and for a good price. That’s an Olympic Holidays deal in case you were wondering.

And also, slightly earlier that that call, was a message from George saying he has arrived at Euromedica and picked up his results (all fine) and has gone to see the helpful lady who I had emailed; the doctor they wanted was not available but she was going to find him another. He later sent a message to say that he was now all legal to work, so his books must have been done. If not, his new employers have said they will get them sorted out, they are also going to help him set up a bank account and, I assume, will set up his IKA, health insurance. And the job? Well, it came out of the blue from a contact at the Kresten Palace Hotel, Kalithea, Rhodes. They were looking for someone to help with the entertainment department and could George start straight away? Last I heard they were picking him up from Euromedica and he was on his way. It’s a decent wage with accommodation and meals included, and a day off each week, eight or nine hours a day. Knowing what rep jobs are like it might be more than that but hopefully he will like it and they him.

I just had a look on their website http://www.krestenpalace.gr and it all looks very nice; four stars and plenty of poolside space, near the sea, lots of facilities and plenty of entertainment including ‘animation shows’ six times per week. No, I have no idea either, but no doubt we will find out in due course. So, at the moment, all the children are settled and sorted and… well, no famous last words here. Tomorrow is another day.

Symi news, Horio news, Rhodes and boats
The news from up here today is the nephew George has been offered a job on Rhodes. It all sounds very exciting, something to do with the entertainment team at a four-star hotel in Kalethia, on the coast. It looks like a very nice hotel and the package is good with a day off each week, room and board included, and they will help him sort out the next stage of his legalities; a bank account and the work permits. He’s off there today, via Euromedica to collect his test results, and I think he’s looking forward to it. First day nerves and all that I expect.

That leaves us adjusting to having the house to ourselves again and just when we were getting used to regular meal times, the family at the table, and having someone to do the washing up. Ah well. So for me it’s back to the usual routine as it is going to be all summer, I hope. Apart from the first week of next month when I am going away on my writing retreat again.

This year I am going to work on a new novel, as the next one is nearing completion, edits and layout-wise, and the Donkeys book has given me a headache all year so far. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not meant to be. It started as a film script, and still is, and it works fine that way, but it’s not adapting to a novel and, to be honest, I’m not really into it. I found I was working on it for the sake of having something out there, and that’s not a way I like to work. So that’s in pieces on the back burner while I look into the next story: a thriller/mystery set on the Romney Marshes. No doubt I will bore you about that in great detail as it progresses. We’re still working on Remotely of course and I hope that will be out on Amazon by the end of June – a piece of silly summer reading for you. I’ll let you know when you can pre-order on Amazon.

Meanwhile on Symi: the sun is still out and looks to be staying for a while yet, the breeze is up and there’s pollen about, but nothing unmanageable, and the day boats have been coming and going. The Nikolaos X has started its daily runs too, adding a few more day-trippers to the mix, the Panagia Skiedani is coming in each day and the Pride and Express are doing their usual trips.

A quick note to anyone planning a trip to Symi: check your boats before you finalise your flights. Check them as much as is possible, though the schedules are out for the summer now. I’m still getting emails from people asking why they can’t get to Symi on the same day that their plane lands, as if it was a) a right, and b) my fault. The boats (at the moment) leave in the morning and unless you are in Rhodes and at the harbour by 8.30 at the latest, you are not going to make it that day. Unless it’s a Thursday when there is an 11.30 boat, a Wednesday when there is a 15:00 one and Friday when there is one at 19:00 – those last two being the Blue Star. And if you are planning on coming on the Skiedani, you can’t book it online and it always shows as full when it probably isn’t; you need to book via a travel agent or at the kiosk by the boat. And that’s the last time I am going to tell you, so make notes!

A walk in the hills
Sunday morning: we were up early and had breakfast and then set out, around 10.00 for a walk in the hills. We followed my current favourite route, up through the village, out on the donkey path to Agia Paraskevi and then, just beyond the house near there, turned off onto the very rocky path that leads around the side of the hill and comes out at Saint Rafael.

Form here you can see the other side of the island and, on a clear day, Kos in the distance. We had quick chat with some goats and then headed back down the valley behind Yialos. As we neared the bottom we could hear the marching band and the church bells, as it was the May 8^th parade, celebrating the end of WWII. We thought we’d missed the parade (as we’d heard the band much earlier) and so went and had a beer at Pacho’s, a traditional harbour kafeneion. As it turned out, the parade hadn’t even started, but we were into our beer and heading for a light lunch by then.

We sat at Meraklis and had gigantes, crab salad (a dip) some chips, courgette fritters and an omelette – between three of us; and very nice it was too, and very reasonable. After that we walked back up the steps to home so that Neil could be ready in time for work at three. The morning walk from home to harbour on the circular route took less than two hours and it’s a great walk, though you do have wear the right shoes as it’s very hard underfoot if not. It was one of those things: we were on the way down and got to the point of saying, ‘I think the path goes this way,’ and ‘No, I think it’s further down,’ when a voice yells out, ‘Hello!’ and there in their mountain house, were our next door neighbours. I never knew they had a small farm/house there but they do, and just in the right place to make sure we didn’t end up on the wrong side of the terracing. How handy.

Anyway; off into another week, another trip to Rhodes, more work and the usual, and then a dinner invite on Thursday and the weather looking like it’s calming down and warming up. There are also lots of people we know starting to arrive for their holidays so we can officially say, winter is over, spring has spring and summer will be along in a minute.