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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Symi Saturday Photos

Ten images showing the changing weather we experience at this time of year. The leaf damage was caused by hail. Last week, we had the balcony shutters and doors open (north-facing), today, we’re battened down against wind and rain. It comes, and it goes, but we get some kind of weather here every day.

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Castro

I expect most people who have stayed on Symi for any length of time, certainly if they’ve stayed in the village, will have visited the church at the top of the Castro. Like many of the large churches, it’s not very often open to look around, and the best time to visit is for a service where you will be made welcome – but not if you’re in shorts and flip-flops, of course. Well, you probably would be made welcome, but it wouldn’t be at all correct of you to turn up in summer holiday gear no matter the weather or temperature. Same applies to any church, I expect.

There are stone plaques on the outside of the church, and these are the coats of arms of some of the Grand Masters of Rhodes and the Order of the Knights of St John. If you are in Rhodes, you can see many more around the old town and the palace. There is another built into the wall on the way up to our Castro, and beside this, I was told, the wall is Byzantine in construction and part of the very early fortifications. As you go up the slow slope and steps to the top of the Castro, you can go through the gate into the church courtyard, and see the work done to pattern the courtyard stone.

After that, you’re able to walk all the way around the church (there is more than one up there) where you can see down to Pedi. Across Yialos, across the back of the village and all the way around as you follow the path. It’s unmade in places, but not difficult. There is even a place to sit in a shallow cave and have a rest from the sun. Just make sure you don’t leave any rubbish behind.

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