As it’s Saturday, we are having some more photos today. Make sure you also look out Travelicious World later today or tomorrow. My recent article for them should be published this weekend. It’s about Castle Bran in Romania and the (non) Dracula connection. The more clicks and likes it gets the more chances I have of being offered more posts on this travel blog. Click the Travel Guides link at the top and scroll down to see the latest posts. Thanks.
So, a few images from Symi to end the week. Some taken very recently and others from a couple of weeks ago; you can see how the weather changes here at this time of year. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday.
Sometimes Spring likeSometimes a bit cloudySometimes fair and brightSometimes overcastSometimes suitable for kite flyingSometimes mistySometimes warm in FebruarySometimes very clear
With a north wind blowing about the house, it has become colder again. A far cry from the 40 degrees heat of summer, but I am not complaining. What I am doing is taking some spare time to catch up on a few jobs, one of which is a new cover for ‘The Judas Inheritance.‘ This time I am using the same cover designer who worked on ‘The Saddling’ for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. This means that there will be a new edition coming out soon; same interior, but different cover. My intention is to work through all the books over time and have this company design the horror/thriller novels, and maybe the comedies – but I might find another designer for the Symi related books. Time will tell.
Signs of Spring on Symi
Meanwhile, here on Symi… We were down in Yialos the other day, and I noticed many businesses are now preparing for the summer. There is a lot of work going on. The Herb and Spice Corner shop is having a revamp, the front of the Olivar’s building in Trawler Square is being renovated, Vapori Bar has started on its tables and chairs, and several other cafes and tavernas have work going on inside to prepare the furniture and floors. It won’t be long now…
Signs of Spring on Symi – the chilli plant waking up
I have been setting up our annual health MOT through our insurance company, AXA. This will mean a trip to Rhodes, something we do every year now, and a few days over there to see the specialists, get the results and do some other business, like seeing our solicitor for various things to do with civil partnership and wills. We’ll also have time for sightseeing, or seeing the same sights as we tend not to wander very far from Rhodes New Town, not having a car. Also, our appointments are in the mornings and, by the time they are done with, we don’t feel like going too far from the hotel and places we like to see. Slow, lazy shopping is the name of the game. That’s next week and, before then, there are boat tickets to organise (5.00 in the morning Blue Star, yum) and a few other homely things to get started on.
Signs of Spring on Symi – terracing
Our recent good news is that Neil’s Irish passport arrived safely. We were advised by the Irish Embassy in Athens, and the lady there was more than helpful. All documents, once we had them, were sent with the form to Athens, she checked them before sending it all off to Dublin, and it was back within a couple of weeks. I think being in a diplomatic bag might have helped to speed the process along. What it means, of course is that Neil is now safe from the jaws of ‘Brexit’ (as long as Ireland stay in the EU and arrangements remain as they are, but we all know things can change). And, once the civil partnership is finalised, I should be fine too, though I won’t be an Irish citizen, sadly. Not unless we live there for three years out of five or something. So, you should have your Symi Dream blog running for a few more years yet, no matter what. I hope. That’s if I can keep coming up with bits and piece to put on these pages; sometimes that’s a hard task – like today, as you might be able to tell.
Symi Castro from the hills
But what I did find today, which might be of interest, is s short article from a website called Planetbell.me, a travel and photo blog from a chap called Jeff Bell. It sounds like he was on Symi just out of season (back in 2013) but what he wrote then is still pertinent today. Have a look at the blog post here: Is Symi the most beautiful small town in the world? (No need to answer that. If you have been here you will already know the answer.)
Well now, today I was going to continue with my blog posts talking about how to get from Rhodes to Symi. I wrote two pieces on one page and was half way through checking the spelling when two odd and very annoying things happened.
In the valley
One: My typos were underlined in red, as usual, to show me where my mind had gone faster than my fingers, and where I needed to go back and change them. I right-clicked on one and made the change. I right clicked on the next, and the red underline vanished, and it looked like the word was written correctly. It wasn’t. I changed it manually. But this kept happening, and now, at random, Word gets rid of the underline and spell check/change options when I right click on an underlined word, and I have to look very closely to see what is wrong with the word. The next underlined word worked fine, but the one after that didn’t. Odd, I thought. I am all signed up, and everything is up to date, it’s a genuine Word package I am using, a new keyboard (about two weeks old) and the batteries in both mouse and keyboard are also new and fine everywhere else. Just one of those things, I thought, it will be back to normal when I next restart. (It wasn’t.) So, let’s press on.
Spring regrowth in the courtyard
Two: Once the spell checking was done, I ran the piece through a grammar check programme, and that was all going according to plan, as usual, when suddenly it was as if someone was holding down my delete key. The cursor started eating up all following words, and there was nothing I could do. I clicked on everything. No good; ‘word was not responding’. I checked the delete key, but it was not stuck down. All I could do was look on helplessly as my text, about 1,300 words, was swallowed up into the flashing cursor. Knowing that my auto-save is turned on to every five minutes, I thought, ‘I’ll close the programme down (with Ctrl + Alt + Del, the only way I could stop this word carnage) and start again from five minutes ago, which was when I started spell checking. I’d only have to spell check again; not a huge issue. But no…
Security check
I re-opened Word expecting to find the auto recovery option of the interrupted file, or whatever that handy thing is called, but it did not appear. I checked online in various places to find out how to manually recover auto-saved documents. I did as I was told and… No. The only files in that list were from yesterday. I researched further and found some other things to try but to no avail. In the end, I resorted to posting in the official forums for Microsoft and the other programme I was using, and I am waiting to hear if there are any fixes. But what this disaster has done (apart from making me distrust Word and its auto-save, and making me vow to always save even the shortest of blog posts to a file before I start writing them) was to take the edge off what I was going to write about today.
Symi mushroom
So, as long as I am over it, tomorrow I will start again and write something more helpful and more ‘Symi’. I just wanted to get this off my chest, so I don’t go mad. You never know, I may hear back from one of the forums with a fix, or at least an explanation. Meanwhile, I’ll investigate one of those file recovery programmes and see if that locates the hours’ worth of work that I have lost, which should have been auto-saved, but wasn’t. I’ll try and be in a better mood tomorrow.
Following on from the last two days’ worth of info-blogs, here is one about what to expect when you first come on Symi. I am writing this for people who have not been to the island before; regular visitors will know what to expect.
Yialos in the quieter months (the clock tower is in the centre of the image)
Travelling with a transfer
Not the kind of transfer that you run water over and end up with a tacky, temporary tattoo, of course. I mean, if you are coming with one of the holiday companies who offer transfers, like Olympic Holidays or Kalodoukas Holidays, then you will be met at the airport, and a rep will take care of you. You can check out how it all works with the company when you book with them. I know that Kalodoukas also offer transfers only, so if you are flying on your own but want someone to meet and advise, guide you over, etc. then you can contact them.
Independent arrivals
You have checked that your flight arrives in time to meet one of the ferries [see Rhodes to Symi ferries], you have booked your flights and, where possible, your boat tickets [see Ferries To Symi] and you find yourself on a boat heading from Rhodes to Symi. That’s the first part of the journey done and dusted. But what can you expect when you dock in Yialos, Symi’s harbour?
A Dodekanisos catamaran coming back from Kos to SYmi
Booked accommodation
If you have booked accommodation in advance, independently or with a tour operator, there should be someone to meet you. Visitor greeters usually hold up a card with the name of the business on it. Just wait around after you have disembarked and look for a sign, or someone walking towards you with a big smile. If you don’t see who you were expecting, ask someone. All the meeting reps are happy to help as much as they can, though they must prioritise their own visitors. Also, make sure you have a contact number and a phone in case you need to ring your accommodation.
Un-booked accommodation
Be aware that, although it’s not so rife on Symi as it is on other islands, accommodation owners might approach offering you a room. That’s fine if you’ve not booked, and the usual rules about checking the price and location before you commit to a viewing apply. You shouldn’t find anyone hassling you hard, though, and if you do, walk away and go in search of a sign, an office, or a holiday rep for advice.
If you are arriving by the Blue Star in the morning, you may not find anyone offering rooms as the Wednesday boat currently arrives at 05.30. The Friday ferry arrives around 07.30, so you might have more luck that way. But I reckon it’s safe to say that there is always something available on the island, even in peak season, but it may not be where you wanted to stay. Pedi, Yialos and Horio offer bus and taxi access, but Nimborio does not, and you will either need transport, once there, or good walking legs. (It’s not too far, actually, and it’s very quiet, and supermarkets will deliver supplies.)
Pedi bay
Where you dock
Where you dock depends on what boat you are on. Currently, the Blue Star arrives on the north side of Yialos harbour by the clock tower and the Dodekanisos boats dock there too; that’s where most reps and accommodation owners wait for their visitors. If you are coming on a day boat without a guide, you will arrive on the south side of Yialos harbour (again, usually, as things do sometimes change) and will be facing the clock tower over the water. Follow the road into town; it’s only a few hundred yards. You will pass the bus stop (on the hour, ever hour to Horio, Pedi, Horio, Yialos), and then the taxi rank.
But: some boats stop at Panormitis first. There will be an announcement telling you that’s where you are and, if you see a sheltered bay with a large, long building with a clock tower and steps in the centre, then you are at Panormitis. If you get off there, you can see the monastery and then get back on the boat. there is a bus service to Yialos, which takes about 30 minutes or so, but it only runs a couple of times per day. If in doubt, ask before the boat leaves.
Nimborio in winter
Once you have arrived
What happens next is up to you. You should keep checking Symi Dream and other Symi sites for details about where to stay, what to expect and what to do. But the sure thing is, you will find a warm welcome and a perfect place to relax and explore.
Ferries to Symi
Yesterday I was talking about making sure you’ve got a ferry connection when you arrive in Rhodes for your Symi holiday. Today, I wanted to answer another question that people ask me, usually via email or on the Symi Dream Facebook page. The question is, ‘Where do I find the ferries to Symi?’
Many returning visitors already know this information, but things can change, so it’s always worth checking. Probably the easiest thing to do is ask your travel agent, a good search engine online or the company website where you booked the ferry tickets. That’s going to be either Blue Star Ferries or Dodekanisos Seaways if you’ve gone directly to the ferry operator. (See yesterday’s post for links.) Here’s an image I pulled from somewhere that might be of use and, below, is how to use it.
An aerial view of Rhodes harbours
Rhodes harbours for Ferries to Symi
Mandraki harbour is where you now find the day-trip boats, the Symi II, the Nikolaos X and others that operate trips across for the day, via Panormitis and on to Yialos, and back. It’s a great day out if you are holidaying on Rhodes and want to see Symi. Mandraki is the harbour with the arrow at the top of the image (above), and it’s right next to the old markets area, police station, courts, National Bank, etc. It’s very easy to find, and the bus stop from the airport is up at the top of the road. But…
Yialos
If you’re coming to Symi, then the Dodekanisos Pride and Express, the catamarans, leave from Kolona Harbour, just a bit further along the shore from Mandraki. If you look at the second arrow down, on the image above, where it says ‘Large Yachts’, it’s actually pointing right to where the Dodekanisos Seaways boats are. You can get off the bus, walk to the seafront at Mandraki and then follow the path/road, heading right (if you’re looking at the sea), past the coffee shops, through St Paul’s Gate (beware of people trying to sell you things, ambushing gipsies, etc.). Or follow the main road around and back out again, and along the boardwalk. You will see the Dodekanisos kiosk across the water with a large display board. Follow the boardwalk to the entrance and, well, it’s easy from there, you can’t miss it.
The Blue Star coming into Symi in winter
However, if you are booked onto the Blue Star Ferry (currently the Blue Star Patmos), or the Panagia Skiadeni (Dodekanisos Seaways’ larger ferry) then you will need to go to the Commercial Harbour. That’s the third arrow on the map above, where it, strangely, says ‘commercial harbour’.
If you’re walking, it’s about 30 to 40 minutes to get from Kolona, even though you can see the boats not too far away. Follow the new boardwalk around the outside of the old town, past Akandia Gate and Akandia Harbour (where the larger cruise ships call in) and to the bend in the road. You will see a boatyard on your left, between you and the harbour. Use that entrance and follow the signs. The Panagia is (or at least, was last year) sailing from the quay closest to the entry of the harbour. The Blue Star ferries are down at the other end, and this can add five or ten minutes to your walking time, depending on how fast you walk. My advice is, always, to get there early. In fact, I think everyone should be slightly early for everything apart, perhaps, from their own funeral. You may see a couple of large Blue Star ferries waiting, so make sure you check which one you are meant to be getting on. I doubt anyone will let you on the wrong one, but you never know.
Pedi bay
Airport to harbours
And the easiest way to get from the airport to ferry? Well, jump in a taxi for about €25.00 (it may have gone up by then, and you might have to pay extra for luggage, cabbie’s chat, use of a seatbelt, etc. (only joking, the seatbelts are included)) and the journey is roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Or you can take the bus to Mandraki and walk from there, but leave plenty of time. The bus, on a clear run, only takes a little longer than the taxi (let’s say, 45 minutes) and is one-tenth of the price (€2,20 last time I used it, last year), but you will have to walk to the harbour at the other end.
Crossing from Rhodes to Symi, late afternoon, winter
So, Airport to Mandraki by bus, roughly 45 minutes (add on waiting time as the bus is about every 30 minutes), add on walking time to Kolona at, say, 15 minutes and, for the commercial harbour, add on another 30 at least. Taxi to Kolona, roughly 30 minutes and add another 10 to get you to the Commercial harbour, to be safe.
Finally, by the way, you can book ferry tickets online before you travel and collect them at the kiosks by the boats when you get there. In peak season, it’s always best to book in advance, but on quieter days you usually don’t need to worry.
