Follow that cab

As you may have read, we went over to Rhodes on Friday to get our annual health checks done. We now do this under a private insurance scheme with AXA (and more about that later in the week) where previously, we used to do it on our own. Blood tests, chest x-ray and cardiogram, and for Neil, another test which you have to have done every five years if you work with food and drink. The day starts with the boat across to Rhodes, and the Friday boat is always popular. That’s mainly because the timing is better as it leaves at 8.20 in the morning rather than 5.05 – or similar times. Knowing that the boat would be busy and thus possibly a crush for taxis at the other end, I booked a taxi via Rodos Taxi online a few days before we were due to go. The boat was slightly late coming in, and where our arrival time was meant to be 9.20, we didn’t dock until around 9.45…

We were heading to Euromedica to meet our insurance agent, get our tests done and then have the rest of the day free, and we poured from the boat among the crowd of day visitors from Symi, Tilos and other islands, the soldiers heading home or to other islands (the ferry goes on to Kastalorizo), the lorries and cars, and looked for anyone holding a card or iPad with our name on it. I wasn’t sure what the taxi courtesy waiting time was, but by the time we had looked around, and the crowd and other taxis had started to thin out, we still hadn’t found him/her. Assuming we had missed it because we were late, and being in a rush, we hailed another cab, and as we set off, I emailed the taxi firm to tell them, just in case our driver was still hanging around and waiting. I didn’t mind paying again, I could sort that out later, but I didn’t want the poor chap/chapess waiting there all morning in vain. Just after leaving the harbour entrance, my phone rang…

It was our driver asking if we had taken another taxi, and I said yes because we thought we’d missed him as we were late. He apologised, saying he was stuck behind a bus and couldn’t get to us, but assumed we were the people in taxi number 41. He also said he was following us, and could we stop? I handed my phone to our driver, they had a conversation, and our taxi pulled over. The original one dew up behind and the two drivers had a quick chat before our original driver again apologised for missing us and paid the new driver the money we had paid the company when pre-booking. That done, we set off to Euromedica in the non-booked cab, and all was well. I emailed the company directly to let them know and thanked them for the service. I mean, chasing another cab to pay another driver, so we didn’t lose our money was going the extra mile (literally) for one’s customers, and I thought it was rather decent of them.

I mention that as I’ve used https://www.rodos-taxi.com/ before and will use them again and if you’re travelling at busy times, or have a quick connection to make between boat and airport, then you might find that link useful. Btw; the return journey cost the same as the outward one, but you do pay a couple of Euros extra for booking online in advance, as you would if you rang a cab from a hotel.

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Sun, Tests and Trousers

Just to show you that February is not all about wind and rain, here are some photos from Yialos on Monday (I think it was). It’s cold again this morning, but not unbearable and certainly not wet as it was the other afternoon when we had rain dumped on us out of the blue (or grey) without warning.

Just a reminder that there won’t be a blog tomorrow and maybe not on Saturday either as we are off to Rhodes on Friday. This is for our annual health checks, something we have been doing for about the last ten years. We used to do this independently, but in recent years we have taken an insurance policy with AXA (around €200 a year) which includes having annual blood tests, heart check-up and chest X-rays at Euromedica, the private hospital on Rhodes. Also included are some nice extras such as emergency cover if you have an accident and need A&E, and the company is flexible, so if you need something doing and you’re not sure if you’re covered, you simply phone up and find out, and if they can, they will wangle it in; as it were. They also offer a discount because we have our house contents insured with them.

All we have to do tomorrow is get to Rhodes and then to Euromedica, and I have pre-ordered a taxi from Akandia port as Friday is a very popular day for boat travel to Rhodes, and then, at the hospital, meet our insurance agent who deals with the paperwork for us. Usually, the three lots of tests and things take less than an hour, and we take a taxi back to Rhodes Town to do the other things that need doing, i.e. shopping and lunch. Shopping tomorrow must include a new pair of trousers as I turned up my one and only pair yesterday, cutting the first leg successfully to length, and then measuring the to-be length of the second against the off-cut only later realising I’d not turned down the second one and had cut it to the exact length leaving no room for a turnup, which made me feel like a turnip. As usual, when doing this, I wished I had longer legs so I could buy trousers that don’t require turning up, but I think I have only found three pairs of perfect-fit in my life. Maybe I should just work on my sewing skills.

So, I may put up some photos on Saturday, or I may not, but, just in case, happy weekend to you all.

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Village square

A few shots from a late afternoon/evening in the village square the other night. Not last night when we had about a day’s worth of rain dumped on us in a couple of hours. I wasn’t out, but Neil was trapped in Yialos. It’s not worth the risk trying for home when it’s that bad, what with the runoff pouring down the steps. No bus and no taxis meant he had to walk up after the rain had stopped and once enough time had passed to allow the runoff to subside.

Actually, the photos were from two late afternoons last week. As you can see, it is quiet up here right now, but that night it was warm enough to sit outside, not bad for February. There were more people inside the bars, people are out and about though it’s a contrast to the hot days and evenings of summer, of course.

We have a lot to do today. As well as the usual things, a piano lesson, cake making and shopping, we need to start planning for our trip, which is now less than two weeks away. We’re also away to Rhodes on Friday (so no blog) for our annual MOT under our private health insurance plan, so I need to see what we might need for our holiday while we are there, which means sorting through clothes and making a list, the first item of which needs to be a suitcase, I suppose, seeing as I don’t have one and I will need or space than my usual rucksack allows.

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Upper Horio

Just a few photos today as I am running late. A few shots from Neil showing a couple of sights in the upper village. In some places, tunnels connect houses as a way of supporting buildings while offering routes through them. It’s easy to get lost when you first wander around up there, but well worth the fun of it. There’s even at least one passage where you have to walk single file, and sometimes when I go wandering in the neighbourhood, I still find paths I’ve not walked before even after all this time. It’s well worth straying from the beaten path when on Symi and in the village. Head uphill, turn right, see where that goes… You won’t actually get lost, at least, not for long, and if you think you are, head downhill. You will reach the sea eventually.

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A Snip

There’s a new way you can help the cats and population of Symi, and it’s appropriately titled, SNiP – The Symi Neutering Programme. Their FB page reads:

SNiP is a new cat neutering project on Symi. We have been very lucky to have received a generous donation from the Greek Cat Welfare Society [UK]. During 2020, with the support of Symi Animal Welfare, it will be funding cat neutering on Symi.
If you are responsible for the care/feeding of a feral cat on the island and would like it to be neutered, then please contact us.
Symi Animal Welfare should still be contacted for any issues concerning welfare and their feeding programme.

[Facebook Page here]

You can also see what’s going on at Symi Animal Welfare through their website, and if you need the pet shop who also work with a vet from Rhodes to care for animals, you can look up Pet Island, and their Facebook page is here.

The bad weather of last week finally died away on Saturday afternoon after much heavy rain and high winds, and the house is dry again thanks to a calm and warm sunny day yesterday. Warm enough to pop to the Rainbow for a later afternoon drink and to watch the world go by. So far today, Monday, I’ve seen the Blue Star boat come in (5.00 on a Monday), heard of a possible strike on Tuesday (?) that might affect the Wednesday Blue Star, and just remembered I have some work to do before I need to pop down town, get some shopping and help with making a roast dinner for a friend’s birthday. I also have a new pen name book starting a blog tour today, which may generate some emails, and this time in two weeks we will be preparing to head off for a holiday, viruses, weather and technical glitches at airports willing. I’d better get on my bike.

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