Oops!
I am so into the last few chapters of a new story, I forgot to prepare a blog, so just some photos today.
Oops!
Yialos
Yialos
I’ve been picking up a vibe that lots of regular visitors and new ones from the UK are coming to Symi in September, and that’s good news. Who knows what the situation will be with boat timetables, flights and overnight hotels in Rhodes where necessary, but assuming everything is running as smoothly as it can be, some people are asking what to expect when they get here. Well, on Monday, we went to Yialos for a socially distanced lunch with the bother-in-law (sic) who is here for two days, and I had a taste of how things are working down in the harbour.
I met the bothers at the Allegrito Bar where the chair arms were sanitised before I sat, and the table too, and where the staff were masked. The health inspectors are on the island, but staff have been wearing masks for some time now. On which note, you will be expected to wear one when on the bus/public transport. Not everyone is doing this, and some are even ignoring the tied-off seats and sitting in them when Lakis and Thanasis have cordoned them off for your own safety, so don’t be as stupid as those people. Many tourists are not wearing masks there either, and there’s a €150 spot fine if you’re caught endangering others this way, so watch out. Anyway, back to lunch…
We went to eat at the Trawler (Trata) because the bothers wanted a certain kind of fried fish, and there, the tables have been thinned out, and our menus arrived with a bottle of sanitiser so we could do our hands before and after using them. Again, masks (not while you’re eating), and as expected, wonderful fried fish, but sadly, no homemade taramasalata as it doesn’t keep for long, and customer numbers are down. That’s something else to expect; limited menus because of the risk of wastage. But what are still the same, are the friendly service, the good prices and good food. After lunch, it was back up the hill to distance at the bar while Neil was at work, before home and an early night. The bother-in-law had been into Nissiros and thus, caught the 2.00 a.m. ferry out of there arriving on Symi at 5.15, so was in need of sleep, and that was the end of that day.
Going Mexican
Going Mexican
We were treated to dinner at Scena on Sunday evening (thank you again J&J), and what a treat that was. This is the café, bistro, bar by the playground in Horio, not far from the bus stop, and offers a view down the Pedi valley to the sea. It changed hands last year, and this year, Stavros (of Mythos fame) is running the kitchen and cooking. They have an extensive menu every day, but on some Sundays, they put on a speciality menu, and for us, that was Mexican. They have had a Chinese speciality night, and Stavros said he was thinking about also doing Indian food one weekend. As he explained, the restaurant is called Scena, meaning scene, and so why not have food from various ‘scenes’ around the world. Needless to say, it was wonderful, and a €20.00 set menu was enough for two people that included a large salad, baked potato with chilli, a chicken dish and a take on a giros full of Mexican flavours, homemade guacamole and salsas… Perfect. My photos don’t do it justice, and I’d made a bit of a mess portioning things out onto Neil’s plate, but… Well, you’ve got to try it. The regular menu is great too. Oh, and the sweet was a gift from the house.
And on the note of eating out, Taverna Zoi opened on Monday night. This also offers a lovely view down to Pedi and offers home cooking with local produce, including goat and lamb straight from the family farm. I’ll tell you more about that next time we go.
And today is…?
And today is…?
I don’t know about you, but staying at home so much and being in a ‘groundhog day’ scenario, I forget what day of the week it is. This wasn’t helped on Friday when we took a long walk to Nimborio for breakfast, then walked back and had lunch at Meraklis, and because of that, it felt like a Saturday. And that didn’t help Saturday which then felt like a Sunday, and this morning is Sunday, but I only know that because my computer tells me so, and actually, you’re reading this on Monday. Unless you’re in a different part of the world and it’s already Tuesday or something… Anyway, we had a good old stroll for five miles there and back, taking the zigzag down from our house rather than the usual steps and heading ‘over the top’ as they say. Not that there’s anything unusual in that for either of us, going over the top I mean. We came back around the road, which from the end of Nimborio bay to Meraklis taverna in Yialos is 2.2 miles, according to my step counter. I’ll get on with Wednesday now and let you see some photos.
Friday Photos
Friday Photos
A collection of photos to see you through the weekend. We’re off for a long walk this morning, around to Nimborio for breakfast, back to Yialos for lunch, and Horio for supper at home. Have a good weekend and stay safe.
