New ferry service

Kalo mina! (Happy first of the month.)

Wondering who was blasting their horn, we looked out of the window yesterday evening to see a ferry coming into the harbour and found the Stavros, a ship of the SAOS Ferries line pulling into Yialos. It backed up to the clocktower, stayed a few minutes and went again. Later, we found out that it’s a new connection, calling a couple of times per week, and next time will call in at the new jetty where the Blue Star docks. I need to go to the Symi Tours page on Facebook to find out more details, and I expect Andy will have something on his Symi Travel Blog when there are more details. I saw a couple of comments about ‘Why now?’ and ‘Is it needed?’ and so on, and another that told me the route/ferry was highly subsidised and so is more or less being paid to call in. I’m sure there will be clearer details in time, but as things start to open up again and travel becomes easier for those who need to, a couple of new crossings to Rhodes and back per week will be a help.

In other news, as they say… Some lockdown measures start to be eased as of May 4^th (and we’ve done the “May the 4^th be with you” gags early this year, so thanks, but no need), and already I’ve seen more people out and about, at a distance, and adjusting back to liberty. However, it is to be highly restrained liberty and could go back to square one at the drop of a hat if the number of cases starts to rise. And in other-other news, Neil walked to Nimborio and back the other day, so I have some photos to show you and, as we’re heading into the weekend, I thought I’d put a few up here to see you through.

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Hello, Wall

Could this be the first early start of the summer? Four-thirty, wide awake, raring to go… once I’ve had maybe just one more cup of tea… No idea why I’m up so early. Maybe it was because I was asleep by 9.30 last night, apparently just missing a power cut which happened a short time later. Perhaps it was because I was out for a walk yesterday, had plenty of fresh air, came home and did some writing which went well, and I wanted to get up early to do the same again. Who knows, but I was on the balcony before it got light, the weather is warm enough now to allow that. Apparently, we’re expecting a heatwave this weekend with temperatures into the 30s. We will see.

Neil also went walking yesterday, but where I did my usual route, he walked to Nimborio and back, clocking up something like 6.5 miles on his steps counter. I’m interested to see how his walking is when he wakes up.

As for the day ahead… Well, I have a couple of things to finish off on the typewriter before I settle down to more of my own writing, we may need some more shopping, and I may go out on my walk route again. I’ve been watching the guys making a stone wall along the edge of the main road. This is on the way out of the village where I saw the drainage channels having grilles put over them the other day. Now a wall is being built on the road side of the grilles, presumably as part of the anti-flooding measures. (Not the walls shown above, down a bit around the corner.) It’s a long, low wall of roughly cut stone and I’ll get a photo one day. I don’t like to take one now as the boys are working on it and might think I am photographing them for some nefarious reason, but when the coast is clear.

Gosh, is that all I have on look forward to? A new wall? No, I have a day of sun, spelling mistakes and something on TV later, so I’ll get started and check in again tomorrow.

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Boats

The other day on some platform or other, someone asked about the summer ferry timetables to and from Symi, and someone else asked if I thought it would be okay to come to the island in September. You may be able to imagine my answers – no-one knows about either. It’s still too early to say. Some businesses here are gradually doing up their premises where and when they can, and remaining hopeful that they will be able to open later in the year and try and save their livelihoods. Until we know about travel restrictions, it’s impossible to say when a ‘season’ might start. (I’ll update you when I find out what the PM announced last night – I’m writing this on Tuesday and he’s speaking tonight.)

What I can tell you though, is that yes, we do have the Dodekanisos Seaways catamaran, the Pride, coming in, and that appears on a Saturday and Monday as it travels from Rhodes to Agathonisi and back. The Blue Star Ferry also calls on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. At the moment, these boats are mainly bringing post and supplies, and travelling between islands can only be done if you’re heading home to your permanent residence as proved by your tax address. So, sorry, I can’t answer questions about when visitors can come to the islands, it’s far too early to say. What I can do, however, is show you some random images of Symi spring plants.

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One step at a time

I took myself off for a stroll on Sunday morning, heading along the lane and around the back of the Castro to the top of the Kataractis. I intend just to do a circular route through the village, down to Campos and back around to home. Not a long walk, but better than nothing. I don’t know why, but I changed my mind and the route along the way. I headed up to the Castro, thinking I’d not been there for a while, and I set off up the steps that lead to the arch (was that a barbican at one point?), and came out by the Byzantine (I think) wall. Here the path meets the one coming up from Hariotomeni church. From there, you take the last slope/steps to the gate and churches within the Castro grounds.

It was there that I had to stop and take a rest. I’d not gone very far, but my legs were killing me, and I realised it’s been a long time since I’ve climbed steps. Neil’s been up and down the Kali Strata a couple of times, but I’ve only done it once this past month, and boy, does it show. I’m usually on the road, taking the slope up at a steady pace, not slow, but also without the need to lift your legs very high. The 1.5-mile walk to the monastery where I like to walk, for example, passes with ease, though you do get your aerobics up to a decent level (or whatever it’s called), so you know you’ve been exercising. But a short stroll to the Castro? I had to spend the rest of the day recovering on the sofa with some trash TV and chocolate.

Actually, I didn’t. I came home and went to work on a story, as usual, only hitting the sofa later in the day, occasionally getting up to walk stiffly to the kitchen and back. So, Monday morning, with calf muscles still aching, and shorts in danger of not fitting, I was off out again, this time to take a stroll on the road as usual.

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Balcony photos

Here we are starting another week. Our Prime Minister is due to make an official announcement later, outlining the lifting or not of the restrictions and where we go from here. In the meantime, I found some photos on my camera, taken from the balcony over the last week, and thought I’d share some of them today. A blue rock thrush, the view, and keeping the pavements clean. Some municipal employees are still able to work as are some builders, and now the weather is improving daily, outside is the place to be when you safely can – says he who managed two walks last week and has made a note to self to try harder. So, to start the week, a few photos to get you in the mood for whatever comes.

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