Symi to Rhodes: update

I am writing today’s post on Saturday. I usually prepare Monday’s on a Sunday but we are aiming to get up early and walk to Nimborio on Sunday morning, so I thought I should put something up and ready today. It’s only a few updates anyway.

I was talking about the boats from Rhodes to Symi the other day, and how to book tickets on line. Well, Andy from the Symi Visitor Travel blog I mentioned contacted me with a clarification. Thank you for that, and here it is:

“Dodekanisos Seaways on line bookings can be converted into real tickets at any of their offices/agencies, they just find your booking on the computer system and print the tickets. This includes the hut at Akandia, but if for some bizarre reason you wanted to collect a Rhodes-Panormitis ticket while you’re on Samos, you could. The days of “only on the island, you’re travelling from” are long gone, thank goodness. The Sea Dreams Sunday night service has been running since early July and runs to the end of September. There is no Saturday night service – this appeared on one timetable draft, but never happened.

You can book Rhodes-Panormitis and Panormitis-Symi as separate tickets. The fare for Panormitis-Symi is €0.00, and the fare from Rhodes – Symi is the same regardless of which port you get to first. Or just book and pay for Panormitis and ask for the leg to Yialos when you collect the tickets, which you’ll have to do before leaving Rhodes for both legs anyway, as there’s no ticket office/agency at Panormitis. Panagia Skiadeni operates non-stop Rhodes-Yialos on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days when there’s no 08:30 catamaran from Rhodes.”

Today’s photos, by the way, were taken on Friday when we popped into Yialos to see if there was any post, stopped for a bite to eat and had a bit of a day off. There were many people waiting for the taxi boats, having the photos taken at the anchors and milling about. Apparently it has been very busy in Yialos with the Poseidon’s day trips being popular and often nearly full. Book early!

Share on Facebook

Symi Saturday Photos

Here are a few recent photos that Neil took. This weekend I shall be working on edits for ‘Symi, Stuff & Nonsense’ most of the time while looking forward to a barbeque, and godson Harry’s 10^th birthday on Sunday. Have a good weekend.

Share on Facebook

Rhodes to Symi: Tips

I was making arrangements for visitors the other day and thought I might impart some useful tips. At least, I hope they are helpful. They should be as long as a) you don’t already know them and b) I get them right. I shall cover myself by suggesting that, if in doubt, you contact someone else, and, in particular, look at the very useful Symi Visitor Travel Blog where Andy posts up-to-date travel advice for people coming to Rhodes/Symi.

It used to be, that if you were coming on the Panagia Skiadeni, with Dodecanese Seaways, you could not book your tickets online. I just looked into this as we have family coming over and they are arriving on a Wednesday night in Rhodes and need to get the only Thursday boat, the Panagia, the next morning. This leaves Rhodes at 9.30 and gets into Symi at 11.00 – on this day, on other days it goes via Panormitis. I went through the booking system at www.12ne.gr (Dodecanese Seaways) and found that if you are coming directly to Symi on Thursday, you can book the tickets online. If you are going via Panormitis on another day with this boat, you have to buy separate journeys. Rhodes – Panormitis and then Panormitis – Symi, and you can do that online. Or so I was told.

The booking system is easy. You look for your date/sailings and then click on ‘Book’. From there on it’s straightforward. Watch out for the part later on where you put in your address, and it asks how you want your tickets delivered. ‘Courier’ might not work if you only have a couple of days before your journey and live outside of Greece. You can, instead, opt for ‘Agency’, and there’s another link to show you which agency to collect them from, depending on which Greek island you are arriving on. I did notice on the list that it said Dodecanese Seaways agency at Kolona, which is where the catamarans go from, but I assume, if it’s the Panagia you’re on, you get them from the booth by the boat at Akandia harbour, as that’s where the boat leaves from. I’ll check that when I can (unless anyone wants to confirm it for me meanwhile).

Another tip I checked out was your meet and greet. I am talking about people coming independently here, not with a travel firm who arrange your transfers. We have guests coming this way and staying at a Symi property they found through Booking.com. As I’d organized this, I was able to log in to that site and use the ‘contact accommodation’ function under my booking. This sends an email to your place; I let them know what time ‘I’ would be arriving. This should mean that your accommodation owner/rep (if they have arranged your pick-up, and not all do; another thing to check out when booking) should be there waiting for you.

So, the usual rules apply: Check your boat connections before you book your flights as there are usually only early morning sailings from Rhodes and these are difficult to tie in with aeroplane landings; anything past 7.30 a.m. landing in Rhodes and you won’t get the boat. Unless it’s a Wednesday or Friday in which case you have the afternoon and evening Blue Star. And, I have noticed, a Sunday Sea Dreams sailing which I know nothing about, I’ve just seen it coming in on a Sunday. That might be worth exploring. Or was it a Saturday? As I said, check the websites and be sure.

There, I hope that was helpful.

Share on Facebook

Photos today!

Mainly photos today and fewer words; I’ve had a bit of a busy day and am running out of time while suffering from word blindness. Early morning walk for an hour, 4,000 words typing, emails to send and respond to, an interview for a blog site typed up (another 2,000 words), two chapters of a book to read and make notes on, an hour playing the piano and a blog post all by 5 pm. A bit brain addled. So much so that I just wrote ‘typoed up’ rather than typed up, but that was probably far more appropriate, and I should have left it in. Anyway, off to cook a salad now… I mean chop up a salad… I doesn’t know what I mean. Don’t know… I give up.

Share on Facebook

Symi Calendars 2018

The Symi Festival moved up to the village square on Monday night for a concert. We saw some and heard the rest, but I didn’t have my camera with me as we’d been out for drinks at a friend’s house. Meanwhile, there were services and fireworks to celebrate the start of the Assumption events, as yesterday was the feast day of the Assumption, an important Orthodox day in the Greek calendar. The island is busy with visitors coming for the festival and the music and cultural festival as well, and it’s good to see.

Because of our slightly late night (for us) on Monday, I didn’t get out for a walk on Tuesday but did manage to get to work early as I do. So, today will be a collection of images taken the other day around the village and harbour. Neil took these, and that’s a good way to mention his next year’s Symi calendar. You can find the link over on the right, in the column there with book links and other things of interest. When you’re ready to order one (and I will leave the link up all through the rest of the year), simply click across to Lulu. You can change the currency and online shop to one local to you. That will make it cheaper for postage. You’re able to browse the calendar online before you order. You may need to set up an account, which doesn’t take long, and once you have, you can then check the status of your order.

I know some people have bought one already and have commented to Neil on how impressed they are; always good to hear. It might be a bit early for thinking about next year, but if you’re planning on presents for Christmas, for example, then my advice is to shop early, so you don’t have a last minute panic.

Anyway, that’s just a thought on the calendar. I’m off now to get on with something else, and I will see you tomorrow.

Share on Facebook