A few random shots today as I watch the blue sky take over from Friday morning’s rain and brief thunderstorm. A bit more water in the sterna, no need to water the plants, and the air smells fresh. The sea is calm and, apart from a trip to Yialos later for the usual weekly business, I have a weekend of writing planned. Oh, and the Olive Tree is opening for the season on Sunday morning. Have a good weekend.
Here are a few more photos taken around and about recently. Meanwhile, I’m kind of celebrating the startling news that I can retire. Well, I can’t, but the point is, a private pension scheme got it touch after I contacted them because now I’m 55, I have options. It was just a bit shocking to see ‘Your retirement date’ as last March. It wasn’t because it showed March, it was because it suddenly made me feel ten years older. Anyway… That caused an on-going decision-making process for a while, and now I have made up my mind what I’m going to do.
I’m not actually retiring so the blog will continue, and so will the books, hopefully. Well, I know they will because that’s what I do every day for most of the day. Anyway, here in the real world, it’s good to see so many returning visitors arriving already, and so many day trippers. The other day there were five ferries in the harbour and a through catamaran visit. One of the ferries wasn’t actually carrying passengers, it was docking at the new dock when it was opened, but the Nikolaos X was pretty rammed and so, hopefully, were the other boats.
A quick village update: There’s talk of The Olive Tree opening this Saturday, so you have that to look forward to up in the village. It’s a great place to stop off after climbing the Kali Strata and stock up on your healthy juices and homemade cakes and salads. There’s also talk of Taverna Zoi opening soon, and I’ll let you know about that. Everywhere else is up and running or has been all winter, and The Secret Garden is now back to regular live music on a Friday – and other nights when they play Greek music, but on Fridays, it’s a mix of blues and rock western style. Not Country & Western, they’re not starting up a line dance group or anything (though it could be fun), but it’s western rock music as opposed to Greek rock music… You know what I mean.
Right, it’s back to the next creation now, a treasure hunt thriller based around ‘Dracula’ the novel, but with no vampires. Now, that’s got you thinking.
Parades and Boats
Here are a few photos taken on Monday when the President visited Symi, the May 8th parade took place, and the new landing stage was inaugurated. I’ll leave you alone to browse through.
Things are starting to happen in Yialos by the sound of it. Today (yesterday), I am, as usual, stuck up here working, but Neil may be able to get down to take some photos. If not, we have a stringer who has offered to share some photos with you, but they won’t be ready for a day or so. The Greek president, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, is visiting the island as it’s the 70th year anniversary of the Dodecanese being incorporated back into Greece following WWII. March 7th, 1948 was when King Pavlos and Queen Frederica arrived in Rhodes to celebrate the new independence, and it was here on Symi, at what is now Los, where the treaty was signed on May 8th, 1945. “8 May 1945: The leader of the German occupying forces, General Wagener, signs in Simi the protocol of unconditional surrender of the Dodecanese to the British Allies Forces and the commander of the Ieros Lohos (a special Greek Army division), Colonel Christodoulos Tsigante.” Discover Rhodes.
May 8th, 2018 is the day on which our new harbour will be opened.
It’s still early, yesterday, as I write but already we have heard the soldiers singing the national anthem at the war memorial, and we just had a blast of band music (possibly recorded) and more singing from below. I’ll watch out for the boats and see if I can nip out for some snaps from up here, and hopefully, give you some more info tomorrow. Meanwhile, there will be loads of pics and info on the Symi Facebook pages, and I’m sure other island bloggers and sites will be sharing images and news of his event. Apparently, there’s to be the usual May 8th church service, parade and a function at the Opera House afterwards.
Great news on the ‘keeping in touch with Symi’ front. Adriana has started up her own blog and the first post, which explains what’s to come, can be found here: Adriana’s Symi. That’s going on my list of regular reading.
Yesterday saw a little rainfall but this being Symi, the sun was soon out again and then gone again as thunder rolled around distantly, and then more rain, followed by more sun, and the temperature all the time was in the mid-twenties. Grey sea, grey skies, but still warm and suitably Symi, and the plants were very grateful for the additional water-funds.
There were two dance shows, a name day and a football celebration over the weekend. My presence at the bar was missed for the final on Saturday night where ‘our’ team, AEK, won… Something. (You know sport is not my thing.) I later discovered, “AEK won the third European trophy of its history and its first Basketball Champions League, triumphing 100-94 over Monaco in the final staged on Sunday in its home court, the Olympic Sports Hall in Athens.” Whatever the celebration was the other night, it involved about 20 minutes of fireworks, a procession of motorbikes touring the harbour with lights and horns flashing and blaring, and there was loud music drifting up and a final cheer which suggested someone important had won something equally as important. It was fun to listen to from up here.
I know that was a bit vague re: what they won, but I wasn’t there. Just as well really as the ‘boys at the bar’ have been hounding me to buy an AEK football shirt for the upcoming season, and I haven’t. No point buying it now, Yiannis told me, because they will probably change the shirt before next season, but I may have a look and buy one when I get some spare pennies. I haven’t told the ‘boys’ (the AEK Rainbow Supporters Club who range in age from 12 to 70 + and meet regularly for matches on a winter night) that I’m there more for the atmosphere than the football, but at least I am trying.
Very trying you may say as I am not 100% sure what was won at the weekend (I am sure someone will let me know), but what can you do? For my part, I can get on with some work, but before that, I’m going to have another look at Adriana’s Symi and bookmark it.