All posts by James Collins

Day to day on Symi

Sunday morning on Symi

On the way to Pedi, the bus is on a break.
On the way to Pedi, the bus is on a break.

Sunday morning on Symi: The liturgy being broadcast from the church (listen to short video below), the cat asleep on his outdoor bench, washing out to dry, Neil up in his loft seeing to his messages, something in the slow cooker for later in the day, house tidy and it’s only 09.15.

Symi Greece photos
Written in the dust on the window; the year of my birth (I didn’t write it!)

We’re up early because we’re aiming to go for a walk up the hillside, but the skies look a bit dark, though the forecast says it’s not going to rain until tonight. We’re not planning to go too far though and I’ll put some waterproofs in the rucksack just in case. All being well there will be some more ‘walking on Symi’ photos during the week.

Symi Greece photos
Fishing nets hanging up to dry

We went for a short walk on Saturday, just down to Pedi and back, by which time I was drenched; not rain, not the sea, but it was very humid. I took some snaps of the Pedi landmarks which I can share with you: the wartime shell, the fishing nets, the 101 uses of a dead motorbike, the strange man in red, the shopping trolley and other internationally renowned sights will be along on the blog today and later.

Symi Greece photos
101 uses of a dead motorbike, though I’m not sure what this use is apart from holding the corner of a net

This Sunday morning (as it is as I write this) is also an exciting time as the illuminations are due to be switched on tonight. I don’t mean the municipal Christmas trees around the harbour, or the lights on the street lamps, the festive neon of the village square or anything as simple as that. Tonight is the Spalding Festival of Light which we should be able to see from the other side of the island. The boys and Co. are setting up their Christmas lights and decorations today, so I hope to be there covering that story later, and, as long as I can bag an exclusive, I’ll get a photo for the blog. Can’t wait.

Symi Greece photos
The wartime shell

We’re not putting our decorations up until after 11th December; two weeks seems adequate time. Before then I have to find decent wrapping paper and pay copious visits to the post office to see if things arrive in time. Not sure when the last posting day from UK to Greece is, but that doesn’t really matter around here anyway. Things can leave warehouses and homes in plenty of time, and wiz across land or sea to Athens, to Rhodes or wherever, but they can then still get held up by bad weather, a cancelled boat or even, and this has been known, get stuck in a delivery person’s yard for several days, outside, in the rain; though that happens rarely I should add.

Symi Greece photos
Neil welcomes you to the week

We did once, when first opening the shop, order a blow-up from Kodak (USA, as it turned out) to see what their service was like – we were sourcing enlargement services from all over the place. The photo didn’t arrive so after about six weeks we ordered another one. That arrived in about three weeks, though the quality wasn’t great so we never used them. About a year after ordering the first print, this tattered, battered old piece of cardboard tube turned up at the post office, stamped all over with labels from places it had toured while en route, like Alan Wicker’s passport; ‘Dusseldorf’,  Antwerp’ and the back end of ‘Anus’ (which is actually a town in France, honest, look it up). And the photo was just as bad as the other one. Hey ho!

Anyway, here’s hoping you’ve posted and done, and everything is falling into place for Christmas (if you celebrate it) and here’s hoping it doesn’t pour down just as we get to the top of the mountain later this morning. And here’s that video:

Day to day on Symi

Week on Symi catch up

Symi Greece photos
A stone chat, apparently

We have a new feature on the blog from today. There’s a thing called ‘Lightbox’ (thank you Allan) installed, you can’t see it but you can see it working. Click on the first image (or any image) on the posts and a pop-up image should appear (you may be asked if you want to allow this for this site, in which case you do; or you may not, but if you don’t then there’s not much point reading this…). This should be the most recently added image and it will open to a certain size. You can then click through all the images on the posts without having to open and close a new window; and I’ve just added a slideshow function too so you can watch ‘hands free.’ That should make it easier for you to browse the pictures. To change images simply click the picture or the navigation buttons you will see, and to close the thing just click the X in the bottom right corner.

Symi Greece photos
And a Goldfinch?

And talking of images, there’s a new gallery up at the old-look Symi Dream site where we still have all our image galleries. This one relates to the weeks’ posts of Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi and has photos I’ve not put up on the blog; it can be found here.

While you are browsing images, and talking about walks, I have used some of Neil’s images from our recent walk to add to the post today. You can use the new lightbox feature simply by clicking the first image, and test it out. Let me know if there are any bugs, our email address is at the very bottom of the page.

Symi Greece photos
Getting that sinking feeling

So, what’s been going on during this week, while we were wandering the hills? (Which we only did last Sunday, it’s just taken me a week to get through the event. And we may be walking again this Sunday, so watch out!) Well, the weather has warmed up and we had a slight sprinkling of rain, not enough to dampen the kitchen, though things have been humid and the house is already getting that damp-wall look. The Symi cinema has been playing films on a Sunday night, at Mandeio’s, and the crossword team have been doing crosswords on a Saturday.

Symi Greece photos
Pony and foal

We’ve been working at home, as we now do, and have been ordering Christmas presents like mad. Which reminds me, you can probably still get a calendar delivered in time, check the links to the right and order now! The Alarm Cat has been a bit grumpy as next door’s tom has been in and he tends to spray a bit; Jack lacks the internal combustion to be able to spray back. While he is outside on the path keeping watch on the roof and preparing for battle, I am on hands and knees sniffing washing machines and doors with a disinfectant spray in one hand, a roll of kitchen paper in the other and an equally grumpy look on my face. We have to keep the bathroom window open you see, to help reduce the black mould the grows due to condensation. Ah, the joys of living on Symi in the winter.

Symi Greece photos
Using the map table

Neil’s also been to his Pilates and Zumba classes (separately), we’ve both started on tap and have been doing the weights, and the only thing missing at the moment is the early morning jog routine; it’s just too dark and cold at 6.30 these days. So, walks and dance instead, with maybe the occasional run if we can. That’s the way to go.

Symi Greece photos
Far out to sea

So, enjoy your weekend, try out the lightbox (I am thinking of upgrading so I can make images bigger and do other fancy stuff with this plugin) and enjoy the photos.

Walks

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi – part 3

Symi Greece photos
Gazing into the catacombs

In which we see our valiant walkers find respite on a veranda, capture a stone-chat on camera, and deal with a large plate of meat.

Down that hill (see yesterday’s post if you haven’t already) and we find ourselves at the Catacombs. Not sure if it’s been done on purpose or by the weather but there are now four openings; the old one (well, they are all old dummy! How old and for what reason built are other questions), where you drop down into the hole in the ground, which is actually a roof-collapse I think; an apse collapse per’aps? Then there are two areas where the rocks have slid away leaving gaps acting like windows into one of the side chambers, though these could have been doors at one point; and then one other entrance that looks again like a collapse, but where you can get down and inside, to stand on the bone and goat poo covered floor. Worth a careful look around if you are visiting.

In which we see our valiant walkers find respite on a veranda, capture a stone-chat on camera, and deal with a large plate of meat. Down that hill (see yesterday’s post if you haven’t already) and we find ourselves at the Catacombs. Not sure if it's been done on purpose or by the weather but there are now four openings; the old one (well, they are all old dummy! How old and for what reason built are other questions), where you drop down into the hole in the ground, which is actually a roof-collapse I think; an apse collapse per’aps? Then there are two areas where the rocks have slid away leaving gaps acting like windows into one of the side chambers, though these could have been doors at one point; and then one other entrance that looks again like a collapse, but where you can get down and inside, to stand on the bone and goat poo covered floor. Worth a careful look around if you are visiting. Next door is the church, or rather the three chapels, and the mosaic where we stopped to make out the man with the camel, a deer, the partridge, a boat under sail and a something-else in the old, Roman floor. And then, after a short walk down, we were at sea level and on the way back – via a stop off to see Jeanette and Todge and be offered a welcome glass of wine on the veranda. The route back that we took was around the coast road where we saw a raven, a stone chat and a goldfinch or two. Neil got some shots of some of the birds which I will share if he shares them with me. We also passed Habib and Velocity of their way for a swim – it was a warm day though cloudy at times, and wandered back into Yialos about four hours after we’d started from Horio. We passed a new gathering of refuges at the police station, having noted that a couple of the impounded boats are now being kept over at the old fish farm, a couple are still in Yialos, and noted that the Christmas lights are up, but were not yet turned on. Lunch was a bit of a meat feast at Olivia where a litre of wine is only €7.00, which is a bit of a bargain as at most other places it’s at least €5.00 for only half a litre. We considered the bus, which was due to set off having long returned from Roukouniotis, as it was now getting towards dusk, but instead headed up the ‘lazy steps’, which, according to some book I read, are not the lazy steps at all; they are further along the coast road near the Port Police station. Up into Horio and, as Yiannis Rainbow is in Athens having his operation and that bar is closed, stopped at Lefteris’ for one on the way home. And then, as it was still too early to get home, stopped at Petros and Zoi’s Village Café for one more on the way to being on the way home, and then, just because it was such a cosy place to be, had one more one more before finally heading home (having been to the supermarket and caused havoc with the picture of the sacrificial altar). And then to an evening of watching the new Spiderman film to about a third of the way in before falling asleep at around nine in the evening. Now that’s how you spend a Sunday on Symi in the winter.
Inside the first chamber

Next door is the church, or rather the three chapels, and the mosaic where we stopped to make out the man with the camel, a deer, the partridge, a boat under sail and a something-else in the old, Roman floor. And then, after a short walk down, we were at sea level and on the way back – via a stop off to see Jeanette and Todge and be offered a welcome glass of wine on the veranda.

In which we see our valiant walkers find respite on a veranda, capture a stone-chat on camera, and deal with a large plate of meat. Down that hill (see yesterday’s post if you haven’t already) and we find ourselves at the Catacombs. Not sure if it's been done on purpose or by the weather but there are now four openings; the old one (well, they are all old dummy! How old and for what reason built are other questions), where you drop down into the hole in the ground, which is actually a roof-collapse I think; an apse collapse per’aps? Then there are two areas where the rocks have slid away leaving gaps acting like windows into one of the side chambers, though these could have been doors at one point; and then one other entrance that looks again like a collapse, but where you can get down and inside, to stand on the bone and goat poo covered floor. Worth a careful look around if you are visiting. Next door is the church, or rather the three chapels, and the mosaic where we stopped to make out the man with the camel, a deer, the partridge, a boat under sail and a something-else in the old, Roman floor. And then, after a short walk down, we were at sea level and on the way back – via a stop off to see Jeanette and Todge and be offered a welcome glass of wine on the veranda. The route back that we took was around the coast road where we saw a raven, a stone chat and a goldfinch or two. Neil got some shots of some of the birds which I will share if he shares them with me. We also passed Habib and Velocity of their way for a swim – it was a warm day though cloudy at times, and wandered back into Yialos about four hours after we’d started from Horio. We passed a new gathering of refuges at the police station, having noted that a couple of the impounded boats are now being kept over at the old fish farm, a couple are still in Yialos, and noted that the Christmas lights are up, but were not yet turned on. Lunch was a bit of a meat feast at Olivia where a litre of wine is only €7.00, which is a bit of a bargain as at most other places it’s at least €5.00 for only half a litre. We considered the bus, which was due to set off having long returned from Roukouniotis, as it was now getting towards dusk, but instead headed up the ‘lazy steps’, which, according to some book I read, are not the lazy steps at all; they are further along the coast road near the Port Police station. Up into Horio and, as Yiannis Rainbow is in Athens having his operation and that bar is closed, stopped at Lefteris’ for one on the way home. And then, as it was still too early to get home, stopped at Petros and Zoi’s Village Café for one more on the way to being on the way home, and then, just because it was such a cosy place to be, had one more one more before finally heading home (having been to the supermarket and caused havoc with the picture of the sacrificial altar). And then to an evening of watching the new Spiderman film to about a third of the way in before falling asleep at around nine in the evening. Now that’s how you spend a Sunday on Symi in the winter.
Part of the Roman mosaic – the ‘deer’

The route back that we took was around the coast road where we saw a raven, a stone chat and a goldfinch or two. Neil got some shots of some of the birds which I will share if he shares them with me. We also passed Habib and Velocity of their way for a swim – it was a warm day though cloudy at times, and wandered back into Yialos about four hours after we’d started from Horio.

We passed a new gathering of refuges at the police station, having noted that a couple of the impounded boats are now being kept over at the old fish farm, a couple are still in Yialos, and noted that the Christmas lights are up, but were not yet turned on.

Symi Greece photos
Nos beach (re-christened the Penny Binning beach) in the winter

Lunch was a bit of a meat feast at Olivia where a litre of wine is only €7.00, which is a bit of a bargain as at most other places it’s at least €5.00 for only half a litre.

We considered the bus, which was due to set off having long returned from Roukouniotis, as it was now getting towards dusk, but instead headed up the ‘lazy steps’, which, according to some book I read, are not the lazy steps at all; they are further along the coast road near the Port Police station. Up into Horio and, as Yiannis Rainbow is in Athens having his operation and that bar is closed, stopped at Lefteris’ for one on the way home. And then, as it was still too early to get home, stopped at Petros and Zoi’s Village Café for one more on the way to being on the way home, and then, just because it was such a cosy place to be, had one more one more before finally heading home (having been to the supermarket and caused havoc with the picture of the sacrificial altar).

Symi Greece photos
Nearly home

And then to an evening of watching the new Spiderman film to about a third of the way in before falling asleep at around nine in the evening. Now that’s how you spend a Sunday on Symi in the winter.

Walks

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi – part 2

Symi Greece photos
Grave, altar, chart table, rock?

Coming down the hillside, to where we will join that riverbed, we came across a strange stone. One huge slab of white rock that has been dressed, you can see chisel marks in it, very worn so probably very old. Thing is, this rock must weigh a couple of tonnes and it is not the same rock as thereabouts; it had been brought here at some point, and for some reason. There is evidence around that the area may have been occupied; some straight edges to some of the ground rocks (or could that be coincidence?) and certainly some large ruined buildings including another windmill – lower down the ridge fromt the Roukouniotis windmill. So, the question is, what was this stone used for?

Coming down the hillside, to where we will join that riverbed, we came across a strange stone. One huge slab of white rock that has been dressed, you can see chisel marks in it, very worn so probably very old. Thing is, this rock must weigh a couple of tonnes and it is not the same rock as thereabouts; it had been brought here at some point, and for some reason. There is evidence around that the area may have been occupied; some straight edges to some of the ground rocks (or could that be coincidence?) and certainly some large ruined buildings including another windmill – lower down the ridge fromt the Roukouniotis windmill. So, the question is, what was this stone used for? Our guesses ranged from a sacrificial altar, through a grave marker, to a chart table, which is what we used it as we laid out the map to see if it was marked as an historic monument. It wasn't. [Later that evening, I asked Sotiris at the supermarket if he had any ideas, as I know he has land and farms out that way. He told me it was a sacrificial altar, and laughed. He had no idea either. So, if you know, please put answers on a postcard and email them to me. Ta.] Back to the walk. From Aslan’s Table (my name for it) we headed across the hillside and over a wall, getting in a nice but mild bit of rock climbing, and then skirted along the edge of the riverbed, high up, traversing a dodgy part at one point with only a flimsy metal fence to cling to if we should slip – more rock climbing, brought back fond memories of my days in harness and ropes (but that’s another story) and almost gave me the bug back, and the vertigo was not an issue. And onwards… Now, if you are following this on a map, we are opposite the ancient landmark of 12 ΣΠΗΛΙΑ, or 12 Caves, of which there was not sight or sound. But talking of sound, here’s a little video where you can hear what the walk was like after we’d met the ponies and just after Aslan’s Table. They are goat bells you hear; a whole herd was coming down that hillside you can see in the middle distance. I’d provide you with the smell of wild oregano and sage (took some home) if I could, but that's not yet possible on a WordPress blog. So, onwards past the invisible Spilia, and now we round a corner where we can see the sea and Nimborio. And that’s for tomorrow when we find catacombs, mosaics and a glass of wine.
Photographing a ‘monk’s cowl’ apparently
Our guesses ranged from a sacrificial altar, through a grave marker, to a chart table, which is what we used it as we laid out the map to see if it was marked as an historic monument. It wasn’t. [Later that evening, I asked Sotiris at the supermarket if he had any ideas, as I know he has land and farms out that way. He told me it was a sacrificial altar, and laughed. He had no idea either. So, if you know, please put answers on a postcard and email them to me. Ta.]

Symi Greece photos
Following the riverbed (as was) opposite the ’12 caves’

Back to the walk. From Aslan’s Table (my name for it) we headed across the hillside and over a wall, getting in a nice but mild bit of rock climbing, and then skirted along the edge of the riverbed, high up, traversing a dodgy part at one point with only a flimsy metal fence to cling to if we should slip – more rock climbing, brought back fond memories of my days in harness and ropes (but that’s another story) and almost gave me the bug back, and the vertigo was not an issue. And onwards…

Now, if you are following this on a map, we are opposite the ancient landmark of 12 ΣΠΗΛΙΑ, or 12 Caves, of which there was not sight or sound. But talking of sound, here’s a little video where you can hear what the walk was like after we’d met the ponies and just after Aslan’s Table.

They are goat bells you hear; a whole herd was coming down that hillside you can see in the middle distance. I’d provide you with the smell of wild oregano and sage (took some home) if I could, but that’s not yet possible on a WordPress blog. So, onwards past the invisible Spilia, and now we round a corner where we can see the sea and Nimborio.

Symi Greece photos
About to go down to Nimborio

And that’s for tomorrow when we find catacombs, mosaics and a glass of wine.

Walks

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi

Symi Greece photos
Inside Agia Pareskevi

Today we start a walk, our second long walk of the winter walking season, and this takes us (well, me) through some places I have not been before.

It starts off in Horio and the church of Stavros from where we collect our walking companions and head off towards the old track from the village towards the hinterland. There’s a new-new sign just past the gate now directing you to Panormitis one way and Ksisos the other. We followed the path towards Ksisos and then turned off it having visited Agia Pareskevi where I had a quick word about eyesight (she’s the saint of eyes).

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi
Terracing ready for planting, or already planted

According to my map, this sub-path (which is not marked on it) leads us past ‘Teixos’ which means ‘Wall’ and that is listed as an ancient monument, but I think the map reefers to me. Having said that, there are many walls out there, so much terracing and it’s so hard to put a date on them. I can vaguely recognise Byzantine masonry, and more modern building works, but dry stone walls that could have been put up last year or 1,000 years ago are hard to date. We did see some terracing though, weeded out and ready for planting fodder for livestock, apparently.

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi
There’s always one – and the bus is in the wrong place!

And so, on across the side of the valley behind Yialos, below the main road, and through a line of trees, and over some very rough ground. Grateful for my new walking boots which stood up well to the day and didn’t provide blisters.

We came out in the area around Agios Fanouris where the pre-fab church lives now, and there, coming up to the main road, saw the Symi bus drive past. I’ve never seen it up there before and can only assume it was coming back from Roukouniotis or the army camp. It was St Andrew’s day on the day we were walking so perhaps there had been something going on. Anyway, Neil was happy to be on a flat surface again, as you can see, though Justine looks like she’l making a safe way around him as if to avoid.

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi
The church that arrived on the back of a lorry

Carrying on down the main road for a while we then stopped to have our photo taken at the ‘no photos’ sign and then took a right, following the red dots towards the area marked on the map as… (takes a look), well, actually there isn’t anything marked on the map, and the red dots ran out too. To our left and down is the area known as Kato Meria (Kate O’Mara as it was called by one of our party), and the church Panagia Katholiki. Further across and up was the famous landmark of ‘Michaelis’ barbeque’ and beyond that the church of Ag. Dimitrios (one of them). Between us and all that is a huge field of boulders and rocks, wild herbs, and a dry riverbed which then leads all the way down to the back of Nimborio.

Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi
Walking through the Kato Meria area of Symi – it’s a big landscape out there

That’s for tomorrow, as is the tale of the sacrificial altar, or Aslan’s Table…