Thursday ramble

The season is calming down, but the weather remains very pleasant. Warm days, cooler in the evening and in the shade, with fewer visitors about but still enough for most places to be open. The day boats continue to come in unloading day-trippers, and Yialos seems to be busy every time I am down there. Now that my little holiday is over and we’re returning to normal up here, I am back to working on the next book.

Because the weather is cooler, I don’t need to get up and out at dawn for my morning walk, something which I have neglected of late, yet today I was awake at three and wide awake too, so I got up and started on my day nice and early. I can always pop up the mountain later if I feel like it, though with lots of editing to catch up on, I am not sure I shall.

I’m afraid my blog will become more and more about what I am doing at home over the next few months as autumn and winter are quieter times for me, not that summer is very busy for me either as I don’t travel far, but I will continue to blog away until I completely run out of things to ramble about. Which is what I’ve done now, so, at 5.23, I am heading off into writing land to lose myself for a few hours before setting about the task of sorting the winter clothes from the summer stock and seeing what I can donate to the refugees, still fit into (if anything), and what needs replacing. [Note: must buy thermals.]

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Off we go again

And here I am back from Rhodes, holiday over and back to work. We went across last Sunday on the Sebeco, and I came back yesterday on the Panagia which, on a Tuesday, comes directly to Yialos first, going to Panormitis later in the day. Neil met me, and we went to Mediterraneo for a relax before going to lunch at Trata – as if I haven’t done enough eating and drinking in the last 2.5 weeks.

When in Rhodes, I treated myself to an apartment in Mandraki, a place called ‘The Perfect Spot’, which you can find on Booking.com and elsewhere. I’d stayed there before so this time, Despina who own the apartments, sent me the access code and told me where to find my key. I let myself in and found everything, as the name implies, perfect. Clean, tidy, with everything you need for self-catering (not that I did much of that), on the pedestrian street, well glazed for peace and quiet, aircon and all mod cons. Highly recommended.

Mother stayed at the Plaza for a night, so I nipped up to there for breakfast – another bargain. It’s open to non-residents, and they have a huge buffet with just about everything you could need, apart from teapots, and all for only €7.00. Great value.

The journey back on Tuesday was easy. A walk around to Akandia, taking a short cut through the bottom of the Old Town and breezing onto the Panagia where I sat and looked through a Greek language book I had bought. I am considering taking an intensive three-week course next year and want to revise book one before seeing if I can manage stage two. I only realised this morning that the book I have isn’t the one the course uses, but Neil has a copy of that, so I’ll compare them later and see if my book one gets me to the required level for the course. I’ve done book one before, but want to revise from scratch to improve my writing and comprehension – so that’s another winter project to look forward to.

Anyway, it’s back to work, there’s a pile of washing to do, shopping to get in, piano to play later, and then I can get back to my next novel – which will be in English.

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Off ’til Wednesday

After a busy day in Yialos on Thursday, we had a quiet day in Horio on Friday and, later, Pedi. Lunch at Scena, a walk down the road and dinner at Apostolis in Pedi, the bus back and a nightcap at Rainbow. Tomorrow, I am off to Rhodes to deliver mother to the airport after a lovely holiday that’s included Athens, overnight on the boat, plenty of socialising, eating and drinking on Symi and all during good weather with sensible temperatures. I will be back on Wednesday, so until then, I will leave you with a few more photos taken over the last couple of weeks.

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Busy Day in Yialos

We were out and about in Yialos again yesterday, popping down in the later morning for a beer and then lunch. There were quite a few visitors, which is good to see late in September. Various day-trip boats were moored on the south side of the harbour to leave room for the cruise ship which came in, the tour operators’ buses were going back and forth ferrying passengers across to Panormitis (I am guessing), the taxis were doing the same. Meanwhile, the groups led by guides were pouring off the day boats and following umbrellas around, into the backstreets, from sponge shop to taverns, and other independent visitors and those who had broken from the herd milled around oohing and ahhing at the sights.

It’s good fun just to sit and people watch some days, you see all kinds of sights. Those who think they’ve come for a day at the beach in their bikinis and ‘smuggly budgers’ as Neil calls them, others who have dressed to attend the opera, more average folk who know how to dress for a day’s touring, and visitors of all nationalities and ages. We, rather Neil, had a brief chat with a young couple after lunch who were keen to see more than just the harbour front, and there were several ‘dayers’ up in the village when we arrived there later, something else that’s always good to see.

Among the visitors were many refugees, of course. Now that Turkey has again opened its gates or closed its eyes, we are seeing our fair share of people fleeing chemical warfare and other atrocities. Again, a mix of people, but mainly those who have found the means to pay for the hazardous crossing and who have walked the 1,400 miles from Syria (that’s a general route from an internet map from Syria generally to Marmaris by the main road, so not accurate, but you know what I mean). Most of these people are intelligent, young professionals, some are also that with families, and among them are older people and many children. The Mediterraneo café is doing a great job hosting them with no fuss, allowing them to charge vital communication devices and so on, and many other businesses are also helping out. Two port police officers left Georgio’s taverna after lunch carrying a massive pot of stew (or similar) prepared there, and I know other places are donating and doing the same. You can drop off cash with Yianni Taxas, enter the donation in the book and it will be used for basic food supplies. Also, look up ‘Next Stop Symi’ online where you can donate across the internet.

Oh, and as another piece of local info, Petalo is now closing for the season, at least in part. The chef told us that yesterday was his last day. Oh, and then there was the goat that followed someone all the way back from Roukouniotis to Horio and had to be persuaded to go with its carer to Sotiris at the supermarket because he’s the man when it comes to goats. As it turned out, she was called Sophia (the goat) and belonged to him anyway, so they were reunited. A happy ending.

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Symi’s Secret Museum

Actually, it’s not a secret, but it’s no much known about or publicised as far as I can see, and on Tuesday, I finally went inside and had a look around. I’m talking about the Kyrillos Collection, a private museum/collection belonging to Ioannis Megaloudis with the title ‘The Folklore, Historical and Commercial Archive of Symi.’ The sign outside reads, ‘Collection of Greek Folk Musical Instruments’, but there is much more on show.

The ground floor level contains cabinets displaying musical instruments, pipes (floyera), Tsabouna (goat-skin bagpipe), violins, guitars, lyres, bouzouki and others, plus music books from the churches, some very old, and other musical items, all of which hail from Symi. It’s a large space, and Ioannis is on hand to tell you about them and show you the celestes and sandouri.

Sorry about the rough photos by the way. Downstairs is another treasure trove with items from Symi commerce over the years. Here, we were shown pottery and glass, bread-making items, sewing machines, church items, copper cooking pots… There’s a whole section dedicated to coffee with grinders and brikies, a selection from WWII, shells and the like, printing presses and bocks, shoemakers equipment, goldsmith’s tools… You name it, there is something from each of Symi’s historical trades. There are even ledgers showing the import/export of flour from as far away as Australia.

The collection is, to use an over-used word, amazing. Awe-inspiring actually, considering it is a private collection, beautifully and expertly housed behind glass, or on shelves and dusted and well preserved. As far as I know, there is no funding for it, and Ioannis houses it in his own property and curates it between 10.30 and 15.30 every day. There is a small brochure and other information available and no charge to enter.

That no charge thing didn’t feel right to mother and I, so when we left, I tried to press a note into the curator’s hand, but at first, he wouldn’t have it, saying there was no need. I told him it was for the electricity, and he accepted it then, but a moment later, gave me a CD of traditional Symi music played by his son and his band as a present.

To find this hidden gem, you need to find the junior school at the back of Yialos, not difficult, it’s behind the main square on the left, by the basketball court. Or, you can walk through St John’s courtyard and up the steps at the back, and there, in the tree-covered lane on your right, you will see artefacts on the wall. The door is right there. Go in, take a look and you’ll be as amazed as we were not only with the history on display but by the fact that it’s privately organised, collected, run and funded.

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