Today marks the 17-year anniversary of us leaving the yUK (it was only the UK then) and moving to Greece. It’s outlined in Symi 85600 and again in Symi, Stuff & Nonsense if you want more info. The day started early with a lift to the airport at four in the morning because our friend had to be in Oxford by nine for a radio show or something, and we spent the long morning and some of the afternoon hanging around Luton, but it was easier than travelling there by train. We then spent a couple of days in Athens before heading to Paros to check it out, and then Antiparos where we ended up staying longer than expected and getting through the holiday part of our budget, finally arriving on Symi on September 8th, Neil’s 35th birthday.
The road to To Vrisi is still passable but more work is being done at the junction.
Today is also the anniversary of the night we met, which was at around midnight, so it’s either today or tomorrow, no-one is sure. Whatever the exact day, it was 22 years ago. Because we finally married in 2017 on Neil’s 50th birthday, we now roll all these anniversaries into one; meeting, moving to Greece, his birthday, wedding day, arriving on Symi… and that day is 8th September, not to be confused with 8th November when we were blessed in a ceremony at Machu Picchu by a shaman called Ricardo, at night, in the cloud forest beside a roaring fire.
Note the thing on the right, foreground…
On a less personal note, it’s still bloomin’ hot here around 36 and humid some days and nights, but no-one is complaining, though I expect many busy businesses are becoming frazzled as the season ploughs on towards the cooler but often busier month of September.
I think it’s a left-over Christmas decoration on the side of a container…?Once past the works and over the new bridge, you have stunning views of the village
I’m not going back to Rhodes, not for a week or so, but I am going back to what I was up to last Friday when I went to Rhodes. The boat was due to leave at 6.35, though it was about ten minutes late, but on the Nissos Chios it only takes an hour to get across to Rhodes, and I was in no hurry. The walk from the port to the Plaza took me 30 minutes, and once there, I checked in for breakfast which cost a very reasonable €7.00 (I may have said €7.50 before). That’s a buffet with just about everything you can imagine, so excellent value. My first appointment wasn’t until 11.00, and as I wasn’t in the mood for shopping or wandering, I sat at the hotel and read some of my book, a biography of Bram Stoker.
An early start
I was very impressed with the optician (and I’m not just saying that because he reads the blog). I arrived a little early, as I tend to do for any appointment, but that was not a problem. He knew I was coming to see about contact lenses and had prepared a pair based on my last eye test. Taking a reading from my more up-to-date glasses, he then swapped them for that prescription, measured my eyes, etc., and I tried them on – or in, I suppose. An hour or so of walking about and testing them out, and I called back to finalise the process and ordered several boxes to see me through. I’ve been wearing them in the afternoons and evenings so far, mainly because I tend to fall asleep after lunch and don’t want to doze off with them in. Already I can hardly feel them, and my brain is adjusting to the new style of seeing things. The optician I use, should you be interested, is Optical House, not far from the Plaza Hotel, and there’s a Symi connection. You can contact them with these details. Iroon Polytechnelou 20, Rhodes, TK 85100, +30 2241 028 600, rhodes@opticalhouse.gr
It was a lot busier than this photo makes out
I had another check-up, arranged by AXA, and once that was done, had only two hours before the boat was due to leave at the worryingly precise time of 16:01. I walked back around the seafront to the gate just past Kolona and took the shortcut through the ruined church and park to Akandia where I stopped for a quick lunch at Nimmos Taverna, which I have mentioned before. This is run by Aris and his son, Jino, who we know from Symi. Talking to Jino, we discovered that he was nine when I first moved to Symi (makes you feel old) and he’s now a strapping young man in his twenties (makes you feel older). Caesar salad and a much needed cold beer, and I was ready for the off, but not until I’d had a complimentary ouzo which I probably shouldn’t have had, but which saw me happily floating onto the ferry in plenty of time. A chat with Irini from Georgio’s taverna about grandchildren and glasses and I was back on Symi before I knew it.
Leaving Symi at dawn
I knew, however, that I’d walked up the hill quickly when I sweated my way into the Rainbow 20 minutes later after taking another shortcut up through Petini and past Haritomeni. There, once everyone had admired the fact I wasn’t wearing glasses, I took out my temporary lenses – which I was only to wear for a few hours on the first day. And that’s basically the story of last Friday with a few photos to go with it.
The dot on the left is the Nicholaos X, back in service after breaking down for a couple of days.
With the recent increase in refugee arrivals in Symi, we would like to appeal for volunteers to assist in coordinating delivery of water, breakfast items and basic needs. If you can commit to one hour morning and one hour evening, for 7 consecutive days, please get in touch. This structure will give some consistency to authorities in the absence of a formal organisation.
The recent deportations from Turkey to Syria have caused many people to flee Turkey, and because of the horrendous overcrowding and conditions in established island camps, and the threat of deportations back to Turkey (Lesvos, Samos, Kos etc.), smaller Islands like Symi are seeing a large increase in arrivals.
Donations can be made at Taxas supermarket ‘refugee account’ or via Next Stop Symi. https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/…/food-for-refugees-on-symi
Potential volunteers can message [via Facebook] or call + 30 6957302565. The police and port police are incredibly busy and have little time for well-meaning enquiries. Please understand their situation. Thank you.
And a note from me. Watching the bay on Saturday morning, we noticed several black dots in the sea. At first, we thought they were seagulls, but on closer inspection, they turned out to be innertubes from vehicles, presumably used as life preservers by a recent refugee boat. A little while later, the hard-working coastguards were out there collecting them from the water. It could so easily have been bodies.
Yesterday, I was talking about Rhodes and my trip there (today). Just after that, someone sent me a message asking for ferry advice, and could I help as there isn’t a boat suitable for their Rhodes arrival. So today, I decided to point out a couple of things. First of all, I’m not a travel agent and can’t magic ferries out of nowhere. You should always double-check your connections as timetables change. If you want to see the latest Symi travel news, then take a look at Andy’s blog – the link is over there on the right where the banner says Travel Blog. He covers flights too, and not just from the UK, but like me, he’s a blogger, not a travel service. Then, you should check out the latest timetables on the websites of the three ferry companies that run daily services between Rhodes and Symi. If you’re coming via Kos, then you can look at two, Blue Star and Dodekanisos Seaways.
More random Rhodes pics today.
The Blue Star Ferries currently run three times per week from Piraeus via Symi to Rhodes and back. Their website is here: Blue Star Ferries and the site is available in English, as are all three. Use the Book Online button to enter your dates and see the timetable. You can buy tickets online and then collect them at the kiosk at the ports using the reference number you are given online. Again, that applies to all three companies, I believe. The crossing time takes one hour on certain ships and about one and a half hours on the other. The boats go from Akandia harbour, the furthest from Mandraki.
Casino in winter
Dodekanisos Seaways run the catamarans, the Pride and Express, plus the Panagia Skiadeni. Their website is here: Dodekanisos Seaways. The search options are there on the front page and easy to handle. These crossings take roughly 45 minutes on the catamarans, and 90 minutes on the larger Panagia. The catamarans leave from Kolona hardcore and the ferry from Akandia. Both Blue Star and the Spanos (as Dodekanisos are known locally) offer loyalty cards which you obtain from places like Symi Torus or the shipping offices on Rhodes. Note: if you take a Panagia crossing via Panormitis, you have to buy a two-stage ticket or the online booking will say you can’t get here. Buy one from Rhodes to Panormitis and a separate one from there to Symi port. The boat makes a stop at Panormitis for (90 minutes? Can’t remember), and thus it counts as a final destination.
At the Acropolis
ANES is the Symi island company and now run the Sebeco, a kind of large speed boat, mainly open, passenger ferry that takes around 90 minutes or less depending on the weather. This runs several times per day and at useful hours. Their website is here: ANES. This boat comes and goes from the Commercial/Tourist harbour in Rhodes, which is on the way towards Akandia harbour. Think of it like this: you start at Mandraki (Rhodes New Town). The day trip boats (which you can’t get as ferries, only day trips) run from Mandraki. Walk around the harbours, and you come next to Kolona, follow the wooden walkway, and next is the Commercial/Tourist/Cruise ship harbour, and keep going along the coast and you come to Akandia. Keep going after that, and you’ll end up in Faliraki or somewhere, but let’s not get into that.
Inside the Grand Master’s palace
My usual advice, for those travelling independently, is to check the ferry times before you arrange your flights. So many people have contacted me saying, ‘I arrive in Rhodes at 6 pm, what’s the best ferry to get that night?’ To which I reply, there isn’t one, you should have checked before you booked your flights. We’re not an island where there’s a regular, every-hour crossing 24 hours per day. On some days later and earlier in the season, you might only have two crossings per day, if that. Always do your research, or you can easily find yourself with only five days on Symi out of a one-week holiday. And remember, I’m not a travel service, just a guy blogging whatever comes into my head each day. For real travel advice, see an expert.
