All posts by James Collins

Still walking to Panormitis (4)

November 12, 2015 James Collins

Still walking to Panormitis (4)
Yes, we’re still on the long and winding road – photographically speaking. And I’ve not even got to Neil’s photos yet. I hope you’re not getting too bored. It’s interesting, but many of the emails I’ve had in with guest blog posts for when we are away, are about Panormitis. It, along with the Poseidon and boat trips, seems to be the most popular subject on the island. Obviously not everyone has seen Neil doing a shift at the Rainbow Bar yet.

Images from Symi Greece by Neil Gosling and James Collins — Looking down on a long long way to go

So, along with these images, what other news and details from our day to day lives on Symi can I tell you? Well, Tuesday was an exciting day as I headed off down to Yialos to collect the parcel from the bookshop; they had rung the night before to let us know there was something in. I headed down the KS (Kali Strata) and the sun was shining. We’re at that time of year when the house feels colder inside than the air outside; the courtyard is positively hot and I could sunbathe if I were into that kind of thing. But I am not, so I don’t. I reached town and said hello to our landlord who was sitting on one of the benches watching the sea, the town felt busy with locals going about their odd jobs. There were waves from restaurant owners now on holiday and many others, and there was definitely a calm-down, end of term feel to the place.

For a change I was not visiting the dentist and only had to collect said parcel and buy some printer ink. I remembered! I bought two, and just as well as one cartridge of HP black only does around 130 pages of A4 as it turns out. Luckily it’s not too expensive, but last time I wanted a draft of a story printed I went through Lulu.com and got a proper draft book, rather than print it myself, and it was cheaper (though took longer to arrive). But there you go. And, for more cheery news, the parcel turned out to be the new duvet. Yippee! (The following morning I received an email to tell me a delivery attempt had been made. Yeah, you think? Well, it was a successful one at least.) So, I carried that back up, chatted to Zoi about the baptism on Saturday (her grandson) and then walked back up to home.

The duvet is very warm and will be fine when things really cool down. We’re still in the 20s at the moment but it’s on the bed. After lunch I tidied the courtyard and we did some of that pottering around housework that needs doing almost daily and then watched some TV in the evening. Wednesday was a work day, as are most weekdays and that’s dull, so, back to last weekend and ‘what I did at the festival.’ Here are a few more pics.

The sea view just past the turning to Marathounda:

We arrived just at the end of the service, the bells were ringing, the boat horns were blaring, it was all very kind of them to welcome us in such a way.

But there are things than need to be done before going to see the procession, light candles, buy quality goods from the market (!) and eat souvlakies…

More photos tomorrow.

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Walks

Still walking to Panormitis (3)

November 11, 2015 James Collins

Still walking to Panormitis (3)
I think it is going to be a week of walking pictures; I mean, pictures of us walking. Neil’s just sent me loads as well, so I’ll let them out over the next few weeks, filling you in with anything of interest that might come along. Like today’s news that there is a parcel waiting for me at the bookshop. Could this be the duvet that was delivered from one side of a warehouse to the other…?

I’m just going to put these photos up and then I will be off to have a look, and must try and remember to buy some printer ink. Three times I’ve gone down there now and three times I’ve forgotten it. Mind you, on each occasion I had come from the dentist, so maybe it’s excusable. That work is all done now and I can eat without grumbling; at least until the next one goes wrong.

And talking of going wrong, the main loo needs fixing as there’s a slow leak on it somewhere. The pump, in the sterna beneath my feet, can be heard turning on every few minutes and that means there’s a drop in water pressure and that means there’s a leak. I isolated all the taps and luckily in this house (and it’s quite common elsewhere) you have have a feed tap to turn on or off to make it easier to change your taps, washing machine, shower etc. Doing this I was able to isolate the problem, which I wouldn’t have known about had not the pump gone off – and it’s a quiet one. So, later today I may stick my hands in the WC cistern and see what I can break in there.

Back to the walk: we arrived at the top of the famous zigzag road two hours after leaving home, at 9.50 to be exact. From up there we could hear the Papas at the monastery as the service is played out through speakers. As we would find out later, there were thousands of people at the festival and it is a very small chapel so most of the congregation are outside.

Man stops to take photo on the way down. There are 15 bends in this stretch of road. And from the top to Panormitis took us one hour 50 to walk/limp/hobble.

The picnic spot. Last time we were here it was to see the stars.

And here we found another Symi sundial:

More photos tomorrow.

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Day to day on Symi

A walk to Panormitis (2)

November 10, 2015 James Collins

A walk to Panormitis (2) Continuing yesterday’s theme, here are some more photos taken on the walk to Panormitis last Sunday. We’d set off early and taken plenty of water and a sandwich or two. The first part of the walk was on the shaded side of the countryside, as the sun is quite low at this time of year and not yet (at that time of day) over the hills. I was still sweating like a glass blower’s a… mind you, but not because of the sun.

Greece by Neil Gosling and James Collins — Looking towards the area known as Manos

That (above) is Stavros Polemou over on the right, the highest church on the island. This is Neil, still walking and not yet limping, though I did have to stop around here and adjust the plasters on my heel (new walking boots).

There was some traffic on the road (we’d lost sight of the walking couple by now), we were offered a lift but we were there for the walk, we got lots of toots and waves and hellos from loads of locals (we only saw three other ‘ex-pats’ the whole day, apart from Jenine and the boys who we met at Panormitis). I think we saw every taxi at least four times during the walk too, and the buses hurtled past us pretty often too, but mainly everyone was heading in the same direction as us.

Past the olive grove…

And past the olive grove…

To where there is land for sale and a bit of a building already started. Fancy a taverna in the middle of nowhere? This is where some folk were going to have a rave in the summer (last year or this, can’t remember) but they were not able to get permission becasue of fire safety -we’re in the middle of a very dry wood in the height of summer after all and nowhere near a fire hydrant or water…

And on past Nanou, which is down there somewhere… More photos tomorrow! Do try and keep up.

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Day to day on Symi

A walk to Panormitis (1)

November 9, 2015 James Collins

A walk to Panormitis. As I thought, no great big blog post today, it’s 7.40, I’ve only just got up and I have to be at the dentist in two hours or so, so here are the first of several photos I took yesterday when we walked to Panormitis – and had a great day. More info and photos tomorrow.

It was a misty morning when we set off at 7.50, the walk took us three hours 50 minutes in total.

Leaving the village by the old calderimi path, the ‘donkey path’ which leads to Xissos, though you turn left at the sign and head vertically to the road.

I hope no one was badly injured (or injured at all, actually) in this mishap. This is taken on the ‘short cut; via Ag Katerina which is no short cut at all. There were a couple and a solo lady walking ahead of us who carried on up the zigzag as we sniggered off into the ‘short cut’ only to find them still ahead of us when we came out on the road again. Not bothering with that next time and the rough terrain plays havoc with Neil’s bad foot.

More photos and notes tomorrow when I have recovered from the dentist…

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Day to day on Symi

Festival of Panormitis

November 7, 2015 James Collins

This weekend is the festival of Panormitis, or rather, of the Archangel Michaelis, at Panormitis, and we will be walking over there on Sunday, all being well. The last time we walked all the way to the other end of the island was on my 40^th birthday last year… only joking. But we did walk all the way and I’ve also done it once before and the story is told in Carry on up the Kali Strata – click the title for the Kindle version if you’ve not got it.

There may well be another version of the story to tell next week. I doubt I shall get to it for Monday as I usually do Monday’s post on a Sunday so I am free to start work straight away, but I can see me not doing that this week as we’re intending to set off at 7.00 on Sunday, aiming to arrive around 12.00 and then we’re aiming to get a bus back in the afternoon, but we may be later and… well, anyway, Monday’s post may be a bit of a quick one, if there is one at all, but I shall, no doubt, be sharing photos and any anecdotes during next week.

For today though, here are some more of our Symi Saturday photos; some taken from the house (sky and sea, sorry about the blue dots the old camera’s sensor needs cleaning) and some taken in Yialos on Friday – enjoy and have a good weekend.